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Werewolf in Denver
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Praise for the Novels
of Vicki Lewis Thompson
The Wild About You Novels
Werewolf in the North Woods
“Perfect for when you need to add some romantic comedy to the daily grind. Thompson does her werewolves justice…. Sparks and fur do indeed fly.”
—USA Today
“A great read.”
—Bitten by Books
“Sizzling as well as howlingly funny.”
—Fresh Fiction
A Werewolf in Manhattan
“A humorous and romantic comedy.”
—USA Today
“Enough heated sex scenes to satisfy any werewolf romance fan.”
—Publishers Weekly
“Readers will enjoy Vicki Lewis Thompson taking a bite…out of the Big Apple.”
—Genre Go Round Reviews
“I loved this book and I can’t wait for the next one…. A definite keeper and will be on my shelf for a lifetime.”
—Night Owl Reviews (top pick)
The Babes on Brooms Novels
Chick with a Charm
“Thompson again gives readers a charming, warm, humorous, sexually charged romance with likable characters, a magical dog, and a feel-good ending.”
—Booklist
Blonde with a Wand
“Extremely readable…terrific writing and great character development…. Readers will fully enjoy this confection.”
—Romantic Times (4 stars)
The Hexy Romances
Casual Hex
“A romantic tale that’s sprinkled with magic and reinforced by love…a fast-paced read.”
—Darque Reviews
Wild & Hexy
“Will have you laughing from the start…simply delightful.”
—Darque Reviews
“A keeper for sure!”
—Fresh Fiction
“Brewing with lots of magical fun.”
—Romance Reader at Heart
“Pure FUN from first page to last!”
—The Romance Readers Connection
Over Hexed
“A snappy, funny, romantic novel.”
—New York Times bestselling author Carly Phillips
“Filled with laughs, this is a charmer of a book.”
—The Eternal Night
“[A] trademark blend of comedy and heart.”
—Publishers Weekly
“Thompson mixes magic, small-town quirkiness, and passionate sex.”
—Booklist
Further Praise for
Vicki Lewis Thompson and Her Novels
“Count on Vicki Lewis Thompson for a sharp, sassy, sexy read. Stranded on a desert island? I hope you’ve got this book in your beach bag.”
—Jayne Ann Krentz
“Wildly sexy…a full complement of oddball characters and sparkles with sassy humor.”
—Library Journal
“A riotous cast of colorful characters…fills the pages with hilarious situations and hot, creative sex.”
—Booklist
“Smart, spunky, and delightfully over-the-top.”
—Publishers Weekly
“[A] lighthearted and frisky tale of discovery between two engaging people.”
—The Oakland Press (MI)
“A funny and thrilling ride!”
—Romance Reviews Today
“Extremely sexy…over-the-top…sparkling.”
—Rendezvous
“A whole new dimension in laughter. A big…BRAVO!”
—A Romance Review
Also by Vicki Lewis Thompson
Werewolf in Seattle
Werewolf in Greenwich Village
(A Penguin e-Special)
Werewolf in the North Woods
A Werewolf in Manhattan
Chick with a Charm
Blonde with a Wand
Over Hexed
Wild & Hexy
Casual Hex
Werewolf in
Denver
A WILD ABOUT YOU NOVEL
Vicki Lewis Thompson
A SIGNET ECLIPSE BOOK
SIGNET ECLIPSE
Published by New American Library, a division of
Penguin Group (USA) Inc., 375 Hudson Street,
New York, New York 10014, USA
Penguin Group (Canada), 90 Eglinton Avenue East, Suite 700, Toronto,
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Penguin Books Ltd., Registered Offices:
80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL, England
First published by Signet Eclipse, an imprint of New American Library,
a division of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.
First Printing, October 2012
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Copyright © Vicki Lewis Thompson, 2012
All rights reserved
ISBN: 978-1-101-60479-3
SIGNET ECLIPSE and logo are trademarks of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printed or electronic form without permission. Please do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of the author’s rights. Purchase only authorized editions.
Printed in the United States of America
PUBLISHER’S NOTE
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
The publisher does not have any control over and does not assume any responsibility for author or third-party Web sites or their content.
If you purchased this book without a cover you should be aware that this book is stolen property. It was reported as “unsold and destroyed” to the publisher and neither the author nor the publisher has received any payment for this “stripped book.”
ALWAYS LEARNING
PEARSON
To the Sisterhood of the Traveling Pens—Andrea
Laurence, Rhonda Nelson, and Kira Sinclair—who
insisted that yes, even werewolves should be hooked up
to social media!
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
I’ve discovered that rich and powerful werewolves require the white-glove treatment. Fortunately, I know several individuals who can provide it, including my assistant, Audrey Sharpe; my editor, Claire Zion; and my agent, Robert Gottlieb. Thanks to all those at Trident Media who work on my behalf, especially Adrienne Lombardo and Mark Gottlieb. You’ve made my werewolves (and me) very happy.
Table of Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Epilogue
Werewolf In Alaska
Chapter 1
WERECON2012:
HOWLERS CHALLENGE WOOFERS
Exclusive Wereworld Celebrity Watch report
by Angela Sapworthy
DENVER—Excitement mounts on the eve of this landmark conference, the first of its kind in werewolf history. A star-studded list of attendees from the far reaches of the globe has been invited by pack leader Elizabeth Stillman to gather at the elegant Stillman Lodge in Estes Park near Denver to debate the conference theme, “Our Future in a Changing Environment.”
As readers of WCW know, opinion is sharply divided on the topic. Weres have rebounded after being hunted nearly to extinction, but their presence as a significant economic force in all the major cities in the world remains unknown to the human community.
Honored conference guest and eligible bachelor and Scotsman Duncan MacDowell, younger brother of MacDowell pack leader, Colin MacDowell, wants that to change. In May, he founded Werewolves Optimizing Our Future (WOOF), and his wildly popular blog, Wolf Whistles, champions his belief that wolves should stop hiding their shape-shifting abilities, openly partner with humans in business, and even consider interspecies mating. Obviously human females would rally to that cause if every male Were looked like Duncan MacDowell in a kilt!
But not all Weres are ready to climb on board Duncan’s tartan-clad bandwagon. This summer the Were blogosphere heated up as Denver-based Kate Stillman, granddaughter of Elizabeth Stillman, launched Honoring Our Werewolf Legacy (HOWL). Her well-known dating Web site, Furthebest.com, celebrates Were-Were mating as the only way to go. Kate, who claims she’s never dated a human, advocates the beauty of tradition and the safety of keeping our secret secure.
But is the tide turning in Duncan’s favor? This reporter recently spoke to the Wallace brothers of New York, both of whom shocked the Were community last year by taking human mates. From all indications, their human brides are blissfully happy. And why not, if they share an address with sexy wolves like Aidan and Roarke Wallace?
Despite the apparent success of what’s being called The Wallace Experiment, Kate Stillman predicts that such unions spell disaster. Although Emma and Abby Wallace have proved trustworthy, Kate insists the Wallace brothers’ behavior may still adversely impact the Were community. Predictably, Duncan MacDowell considers the Wallaces heroes for bucking tradition.
For months Kate and Duncan have traded barbed comments on their blogs and via our online instant messaging system, affectionately named Sniffer. Adding fuel to the controversy, they’ve each published best-selling books, available only through Were distribution channels, of course, defending their respective positions.
Duncan’s followers (Woofers) are poised to confront Kate’s supporters (Howlers) at the conference and will no doubt fill the room during the final session when Duncan and Kate face off in what promises to be a heated debate—and great fun for this reporter! Duncan’s last Sniff before he left Scotland was a succinct call to arms—Woofers, it’s on. #primedforaction
And so am I, my friends! For on-the-spot conference updates and celebrity sightings, be sure to follow me on Sniffer @newshound or #were con2012. I’ll be your eyes, ears, and nose!
Standing at Denver airport’s baggage claim with her cell phone to her ear on Friday afternoon, Kate Stillman listened to her assistant Heidi Jenson rant about an apparent server hack that had temporarily taken down their Were-Were dating site, Furthebest.com.
“I wouldn’t be surprised if those Woofers are behind it,” Heidi said. “When you see Duncan MacDowell, you tell him that hacking into our dating site is the most despicable, underhanded—”
“I doubt my grandmother would want me to start our first conversation that way.” Kate checked the arrivals board and noted that Duncan’s plane was on the ground. “Her exact words were, ‘Warm hospitality will disarm him, my dear. You’ll catch more flies with honey than vinegar.’”
“Forget the honey, Kate. Just swat the bastard. No telling how many potential clients we lost, or how many romances will be derailed this weekend, because of his damned Woofers.”
“We don’t know it was them.”
“We might not have proof, and I’m not saying Duncan himself did it, but his followers are insane.”
“I know. Listen, Heidi, I’d better go. My grandmother’s given me a good chunk of responsibility for this conference and Duncan’s a VIP. He could show up any minute.”
“Okay. Text me if he says anything suspicious.”
“I will. ’Bye.” Kate disconnected the call. Heidi loved conspiracies, but Kate hoped her assistant was wrong about this one. Trading insults was all part of the game, but interfering with a commercial venture was actionable.
Surely the Woofers wouldn’t be so stupid as to hack into her dating site on the eve of the conference. She would mention it to Duncan and see how he reacted, because he should know that it happened, but she couldn’t openly accuse him without evidence.
Not only would that be unfair of her, but Grandma Elizabeth, the Stillman pack alpha and a force to be reckoned with, would be furious. She’d been totally in love with the idea of Kate standing with a sign and a smile when Duncan arrived to collect his luggage. No accompanying staff, no fancy limo. Simple Western hospitality.
The limo wouldn’t have worked, anyway, now that the first snow had hit Denver. The storm had begun around noon, dashing hopes that Denver could get through the month of October without the white stuff. Judging from what had already fallen this afternoon, Kate would need the four-wheel-drive capacity of her SUV to navigate the long winding road back to the resort.
The dicey road conditions didn’t bother her. She’d been driving on ice and snow ever since getting her license fifteen years ago. But meeting Duncan MacDowell face-to-face worried her more than she cared to admit to anyone, not even Heidi, and least of all her grandmother.
Offering friendly hospitality to the Were she’d called a pigheaded radical who had his head up his ass seemed hypocritical. But treating him like a bitter enemy seemed rude and unprofessional. Online interactions were so much easier. Knowing that Duncan would appear any minute had her pacing the baggage claim area.
She’d responded on Sniffer to his arrogant last statement—Woofers, it’s on. #primedforaction—with her own challenge—Bring it, Woofers. Howlers R ready 4 U. #firmlyconvinced. Other Howlers had added equally feisty comments, which had sparked pushback from the Woofers, although nothing had come from Duncan yet.
Thinking of that, Kate checked her Sniffer feed. Sure enough, there was another Sniff from @DuncanMacDowell. Slippery landing in Denver. Can’t scare a Scots man/Woofer. #Braveheart
Kate rolled her eyes. He was so blasted macho it was sickening. Tucking the printed sign under one arm, she quickly typed a response. Just don’t get off the plane naked with your face painted blue, Braveheart.
The response came almost immediately: How would you know if I did?
She answered with a few rapid taps. Turns out I’m your ride.
I’m honored.
So he wanted to be sarcastic, did he? She started to type The honor is all mine and realized that would be ungracious. Her grandmother would disapprove. As she started a new message, she breathed in the scent of masculine Were.
Glancing up, she had no doubt she was eyeballing Duncan MacDowell, in the flesh. Judging from his purposeful stride and intent focus, he’d figured out who she was, too. His wool topcoat hung open to reveal a cream-colored cable-knit sweater and what looked like wool slacks. His leather dress shoes weren’t suited for walking in the snow, but she could work it so he wouldn’t have to.
She folded the unnecessary sign with his name on it into fourths and crammed it into her purse.
�
��Hello, Kate.”
Hearing his rich baritone for the first time felt surreal after months of online communication. And the brogue. Damn, it was sexy as hell.
“Hello, Duncan.” She kept her tone neutral but pasted on the smile her grandmother had asked of her. “Welcome to Colorado.”
“Thank you.” His sculpted lips curved in an ironic answering smile.
As she looked into his eyes, she was momentarily distracted by how beautiful they were—soft gray and elegantly fringed with dark lashes. She quickly reminded herself of his arrogant attitude and reckless stance regarding Were security. He was ready to risk everything for some crazy Utopian dream. And his followers might have hacked into her dating site.
He regarded her with a heavy-lidded gaze that probably had more to do with jet lag than any attempt to be seductive. Yet he really was unbelievably gorgeous. She wasn’t immune to male beauty, and a quiver of sexual awareness shot through her system.
He was taller than she’d expected. The top of her head, minus her fake-rabbit-fur hat, reached only to his shoulder. And speaking of shoulders, he had broad, powerful ones, the kind that inspired confidence and marked him as a leader.
His hair was longish and his jaw was darkened with new beard growth. He could have shaved on the plane if he’d been so inclined. Obviously he hadn’t troubled himself. Cocky Were.
His rumpled appearance only added to his sex appeal, though, as if he were silently demonstrating how he’d look after a long night of fabulous lovemaking. She’d read all the nauseating blog comments from his bevy of female admirers, so she’d expected him to be reasonably good-looking. She hadn’t been prepared for sensational.
Not that it mattered whether he was an Adonis. His physical attributes didn’t change the threat that he posed to the Were way of life. If anything, they made him a more dangerous opponent.
“I can’t say I expected you to meet my plane, lass,” he said.
Now would be the time for her to turn on the hospitality spigot as her grandmother had suggested, but sugary words stuck in her throat. “Maybe I wanted to get a preview of what I will be dealing with this weekend.”
He surveyed her with those bedroom eyes. “You do realize you’re giving me a preview, as well.”