ROMP with J.K. Beck: A werewolf walks into a bar…

Enjoy this ROMP scene 
by 
J.K. Beck (aka Julie Kenner)

A werewolf walks into a bar…

Rachel Payne took the glass of whiskey from the bartender and downed it in one long swallow. She closed her eyes, letting it burn down her throat. Letting its fire spread through her fingers, her toes, every last bit of her. She shifted on the barstool, antsy. She wanted action, something. A fight or a fuck. Frankly, she didn’t much care. Just get her the hell out of this damn bar.

Near the pool table, Thorn took a sip of his beer, his eyes never leaving her. She frowned and looked away. Why the hell did he have to keep watching her?

Across the room, the door opened. Rachel held her breath, releasing it only when she saw the familiar shape enter the room. Tall and lean, he had dark hair and chiseled features. Brent.

He moved to the bar in long, easy strides, snagging a spot a few feet down from her. She watched him for a moment, but he looked straight ahead, not catching her eye. A raw anger seemed to roll over him, and even from a distance she caught the scent of it, along with the heady scent of wolf.

She drew in a breath—a pissed-off werewolf. Wasn’t that just great?

Another breath—this one for courage—and then she slid off her bar stool. She took her empty glass and eased toward him, passing the two empty stools that stood between them, then edged in by his side.

“Buy a girl a drink?”

His eyes flickered over her, and she felt a surge of feminine pleasure at the desire she saw on his face. His words, however, had a different tone. “Not interested, gorgeous.”

“Bad day?” She put a little pout into her voice.

“I’m pretty sure I said I wasn’t interested.”

Well, shit. She’d hoped this would be easy. She wasn’t keen on turning it on. On pushing the power inherent in what she was. And what was wrong with him, anyway? She was hot, dammit. Considering the way every eye in the place had been watching her all night, she knew that wasn’t just ego talking. So why was this werewolf unfazed?

She was tempted to press the problem the old-fashioned way. But she needed to get this done, and fast.

Slowly, she drew in a breath, then let it out again, along with the essence of her. The inherent sensuality. The seductive power. That ageless, powerful allure.

Cheating? Hell, no. She was a succubus, after all. Was it cheating to be yourself?

Once again, she eased up beside him. “I really could use another drink.” Her voice came out in a purr, and this time when he turned to her, his words matched his expression.

“Could you?”

“If you really want to know,” she said, trailing her finger down his arm, “I could use a lot more than a drink.”

“Yeah?” He shifted so that both his hands were against the bar on either side of her, caging her in. His scent was overpowering. Animal. Wolf.

She swallowed and kept to her task. “Yeah,” she said. “Want me to tell you what I really want?” She pressed one hand to his chest, then slid her palm up until the back of his neck was in her palm. “Come here,” she whispered, pushing away from the bar so that she was standing mere inches from him.

He bent his head toward her as she lifted her mouth. Her lips brushed the lobe of his ear as her other hand cupped his ass. It really was a nice ass. On any other occasion…

“I want to fuck with you,” she whispered.

“Oh, yeah, baby. “ Then he tensed, confused. “Wait. With me? What?”

But she’d already pushed away. “Sorry, Brent. You’re just not my type.”

She was out the door in three long strides. Agent Thorn met her on the street.

“You get it?” he asked.

She held up the wallet she’d pilfered from Brent’s back pocket. “We square?” she asked after she handed it over. “Probation satisfied?”

“We’re square,” he conceded. “You’re free to go. And Rachel,” he added with a paternal smile. “Try to stay out of trouble.”

When Temptation Burns

(The Shadow Keepers #6) 

by J.K. Beck

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Random House 

Half human, half daemon, Ryan Doyle is a driving force for justice. As an agent for the Preternatural Enforcement Coalition, he’s investigating murders linked to a Los Angeles fringe group bent on exposing the shadow world to humanity. He is a master of self-control, keeping his deepest hungers hidden beneath a veneer of cool professionalism. Until he crosses paths with sinfully sweet Andy Tarrent, a gutsy reporter who makes him crave all the pleasures he’s denied himself for centuries.

Tracking a band of conspiracy theorists eager to spill blood, Andy has uncovered the story of her career. Brooding, mysterious Ryan is an enigma—but their dance of seduction is hotter than any fantasy. As they race to stop mass murder on the streets, Andy knows that Ryan is holding back, keeping secrets. But getting close to Ryan means opening the door to a world that will challenge her deepest beliefs—including what it means to truly surrender to love.




ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

J. K. Beck spent more than ten years as a litigator in Southern California and Central Texas, using her rare free time to indulge in her passion for writing. Now she uses her legal background as inspiration for her paranormal romantic suspense series, The Shadow Keepers, set in and around a secret judicial system hidden within and mirroring our own. California born, J. K. now lives and writes in Texas, where she hangs out with her husband and daughters and drinks far too much coffee.

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