Her Perfect Mate Excerpt

I'm still working on edits, but I thought I'd pop in to post a brief excerpt. I still haven't decided on a release date. It's looking like late this month or early next month. Enjoy!

     When he pulled up to the house, Melisandre stood on the porch, unlocking her door.

     Rick glanced at the little yellow car with false eyelashes as he walked past. He smiled. No wonder he’d been so entranced by the driver’s lips even as Robin had sat at his side. It had been Melisandre, his mate.

     As he’d approached, she’d let herself into the house, but she paused at the threshold, making him proud of her bravery. He’d expected her to slam the door in his face after what Halle had told him. Taking her history into consideration, he slowed his gait and halted at the base of her steps. Keeping his distance was best. It gave her the impression of safety and if he got too close, he’d be unable to resist touching her.

     He stared up at her. She was fucking beautiful. He’d never really cared about looks, but he wasn’t blind. “Fate loves me,” he murmured reverently as he took her in from her bounty of thick blonde curls all the way down to her slender sneaker shod feet. And it was a long way down. She was tall for a woman. As he recalled, she reached his chin. She was slender but curvy with full breasts and rounded hips. Her legs were long, and he couldn’t wait to feel them wrapped around his waist. He wet his lips. “Melisandre.”

     “Everyone calls me Missy.”

     He nodded. “I’m not everyone.” He cocked his head to the side as he mulled it over. “Though it’s a bit of a mouthful for when we’re in bed.”

     She placed her hands on her hips. “How did you find me?”

     “Dade.”

     She huffed. “Just because you declare me your mate doesn’t make it so. I have a choice in the matter.”

     “Yesterday, before I caught your scent, I was at a traffic light. You were in the car behind me. Just the sight of your lips moved me. I wanted to see more. We’re meant to be, Melisandre.”

     She rolled her large expressive eyes. “That’s physical.”

     He acknowledged the truth of her words with a brief nod. As a beautiful woman, she’d probably heard all manner of compliments about her appearance. “You’re right. It starts there, but it doesn’t end there. We’ll learn about each other over time. I wouldn’t be here if it were just about your beauty.”

     “And I suppose the fact that I’m human means nothing to you.”

     He smiled. “It means you’re going to try to deny this, but that’s okay. I like the chase. It means that the first time we fuck, I won’t put you on your hands and knees because you’ll need a little more time to submit to me.”

     Her breathing sped up and she trembled. And while he caught a spark of irritation in her eye, he could smell her desire. He was happy to note the absence of any scent of fear. “Submit? Never.”

     Rick groaned. He was a perverse bastard. His dick actually jumped when she denied him. Fuck, he really loved a challenge. He couldn’t recall when he was last presented with one. “Have you eaten dinner?”

     She blinked and shifted from one foot to the other. “No.”

     “Let me take you to dinner.”

     She licked her full lips, and he swallowed a growl. “I don’t know if that’s a good idea.”

     That wasn’t a “no.” He could work with that. “I’m not going to change my mind about you being my mate. You need to know me before committing? Have dinner with me.”

     Expelling a huff, she shook her head and mumbled, “Hell, might as well get it over with.” Rick hid a grin. He didn’t bother to mention that with his werewolf hearing he would hear her clearly. To him she said, “Give me a minute.”