Better Mate Than Never (New Adult Werewolf Romance) by Adriana Hunter Page B

paths crossed quite frequently.
Every once in a while he would drop in on a public trial just so he could watch
her stride around the courtroom in those sexy heels, her eyes full of fire as
she ruthlessly and aggressively defended her clients. Part of what drew him to
her was her intense passion—she tackled everything in her life with that
same inner fire, and he knew she would be just as ferocious in his bed.
    Not that he
would ever be able to take her there. Adam, the clan leader, would skin him
alive if he took a human mate. It was becoming more and more acceptable amongst
shifters to do so, but he ranked too high in the pack to be allowed such a
choice. And he knew that neither of them would be satisfied with a fling, which
meant he had to keep his distance.
    Checking the
time, he realized he only had two minutes to spare. Quickly, he squeezed into a
parking spot on the street and jogged up the steps to the courthouse. Amelia
James, the DA, was waiting for him inside… and Paige was with her. Caleb nearly
missed a step as their eyes suddenly locked, a sizzling, electric current
passing between them at the ocular contact. Ignoring the way his stomach
flip-flopped, he approached the two women while managing not to show the hunger
that he knew was sprawled across his face.
    “It’s about
time, Caleb,” Amelia snapped, her pale brow furrowed and her eyes narrowing with
every word.
    “Nice to see
you, too.” He flashed her a bright smile, then turned to Paige. “And you, Paige.”
    Paige’s lips,
painted a light shade of pink, curved as she gave him a quick once-over,
reminding him that he was a far cry from the boy she’d gone to high school
with, standing in the courthouse in a suit and tie. His nostrils flared as he
scented her arousal, a heady perfume that was a danger to his sanity, and he
bit the inside of his cheek to try and control his reaction. The last thing he
needed was to go up on the witness stand with a lust-fogged brain and an
uncooperative erection. Amelia would have his head, for sure.
    “It’s nice to
see you, too. I’m representing the prosecution on this one in case you didn’t
know.”
    “You two know
each other?” Amelia asked, her eyebrows cocked up in bewilderment.
    “Yeah, we
went to high school together,” Paige explained. “We go back a long way.” She
smiled, her bright eyes twinkling. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to go and
greet my client. I’ll see you in the courtroom, Caleb.”
    Caleb could
only nod in return as he watched her walk away, but the way her hips swayed in
that custom-cut dress-suit held his gaze like a powerful magnet. Amelia,
sighing with obvious annoyance, gripped him by the elbow and steered him into
the courtroom.
    “If I catch
you making goo-goo eyes at her while she’s questioning you on the stand, I’m
going to seriously hurt you.”
    “Goo-goo eyes,
Amelia? You know me better than that.”
     

Chapter Two
     
     
    When the
courtroom trial was over, Paige made a direct beeline for Caleb before he disappeared
as he usually did. This wasn’t the first time they’d run into each other at the
courthouse, they had seen each other many times throughout the last year, but
they’d never actually been on the same case before now and so he’d always
managed to slip away from her before she had a chance to talk to him and
perhaps ask him out for coffee.
    She’d
returned from Purdue nearly a year ago after finishing her law degree only to
find out that the boy she’d gone to high school with had launched a successful
private security firm and was making his way in the world of cutthroat business.
She’d also discovered his incredible sex appeal had quadrupled—something
she hadn’t thought possible considering she’d had a major crush on him since she
was a teenager. The first time she’d seen him, dressed in a suit that was
perfectly tailored to his powerful, lean body, her jaw had nearly dropped, and
her heart had kicked into