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  Can’t Touch this

  J. Hali Steele

  Rich alpha wolf shifter Castle Briggs can have any woman he wants with just the crook of his finger. Until he meets a human named Harlow. She makes it clear she’s had it with rich, overconfident jerks trying to own her. All she wants is a no-strings-attached good time with a man who isn’t afraid of her darker urges. Castle’s happy to dominate her in his special playroom, but he wants more than a kinky fling. He’s going to have to do a lot more than crook his finger to get past Harlow’s fears and make her his forever.

  Reader Advisory: This story has graphic sexual language and scenes—no closed bedroom doors (or other rooms) here!

  An adult paranormal romance from Ellora’s Cave

  CAN’T TOUCH THIS

  J. Hali Steele

  Chapter One

  Somewhere big enough to disappear—a place to find myself.

  It’s what Harlow Hardison thought as a cool breeze caressed her back and sparked an excitement along her spine she had not felt for a long, long time. She hadn’t really gone out since leaving her husband and the preceding six months had been good. She’d learned important things about herself, things she intended never to forget.

  Harlow vowed not to tie herself down with one man ever again.

  Locking her front door, she spun and crossed the parking lot to her white Lotus, a car she couldn’t afford to pay for. The car was a gift from Jeff Hardison, his latest attempt to buy her. She had not given in and she wondered when her spurned spouse would show up to retrieve it. In the meantime, at his attorney’s urging, Jeff had settled a tidy sum on Harlow, which she’d accepted only to help her start over. Some of the money had been put away and she’d convinced her lawyer to stop seeking more. Harlow wanted to move on.

  A group of male tenants gathered around the complex’s small picnic area whistled and shouted compliments some women despised. Harlow wasn’t one of those. She had no highfalutin ideas about women’s equality or it being rude or derisive when men showed their appreciation for a beautiful woman. She ran three miles three times a week and walked as often as possible to keep her five-foot-seven frame tight and in shape. She smiled at the men. “Thank you, gentlemen.” She looked good in the fitted white dress that left her back bare to just above her ass before it flared to her ankles, meeting five-inch white heels adorned with miniature silver handcuffs buckled beneath shapely calves. When the breeze lifted her dress, she knew her long legs looked sexy.

  Initially she had planned to live in LA but instead had found herself drawn to the San Fernando Valley. New to the area, Harlow asked a few coworkers about the best place for a little excitement without being too rowdy. She wasn’t ready for anything serious yet, just a nice meal and a few drinks. “Testing the waters,” she said aloud in the car as she headed to The Moat, a club supposedly a good place to have a meal, a drink, and meet someone if she desired company. After pulling into the lot and finding a space, she headed to the well-lit main entrance. Just as she was about to pull the door open, two men flew out, fists swinging. She registered the sound of a motorcycle roaring into the parking lot but before she could look or move in any direction, the door slammed open again and almost knocked her into a bank of hedges. “So much for not being rowdy,” she mumbled.

  “Sorry.” Strong hands gripped her waist. “Wouldn’t want to lose you in the bushes.” He was easily six feet tall and his light-brown eyes sparked with mischief beneath bright overhead lights. Harlow felt solid muscle ripple under his t-shirt when he pulled her against his body and away from the mound of evergreen plants. “Stay here.”

  Stay here? He moved quickly but the skirmish seemed controlled by the man who had arrived on the bike. Harlow wasn’t quite sure why she waited as requested, but she did. She watched her rescuer and the other man exchange words while the latter moved his motorcycle to an empty space holding a reserved-for-owner sign. When they reached the door, the one who had broken up the fight removed the helmet he still wore, allowing ebony hair to tumble around shoulders broader than those of the man who had saved her from a back flip into the bushes. Holy shit! No words, at least in her vocabulary, could describe his eyes. Merriment danced in the depths of blue irises flecked with yellow as a smile curved his lips. His slow perusal of her body zinged Harlow’s internal thermometer into the danger zone. When his eyes changed to sapphire blue, the phrase “to die for” slipped through her mind.

  “Well damn, Hatch, your description didn’t mention gorgeous.”

  “No way, Briggs, back the hell off.”

  “Hello, darlin’, what a delightful night this is gonna be.”

  Sirens blared as two patrol cars pulled into the lot.

  “Shit, Castle, there are at least twenty women inside you could screw around with.”

  “But I see the one I want tonight.”

  The man called Hatch continued to talk; however, Harlow couldn’t understand a single word he said. “I’m Harlow Hardison, my friends call me Harli.” The guy in front of her with weird blue eyes was an inch taller than the other, and the charcoal tee he wore struggled to conceal an abdomen rife with muscle. A quick appraisal revealed lean hips and strong thighs encased in black jeans covered by leather chaps. She peered up and breath hitched in her throat. He could have stepped from the pages of one of her books on angels and myths. Shadow of a beard, probably no more than a day’s growth, peppered his cheeks and chin. Harlow’s fingers itched to reach out and touch him.

  He pointed to Hatch. “Hatch Grisom. I’m Castle Briggs, call me Cass.” Harlow’s body trembled when he rested his hand low on her back. Heat radiated from his touch and branched into her chest as he pulled the door open and turned to his friend. “Who called the cops?”

  “Probably one of the dinner guests unused to roughhousing.”

  “Can’t I leave without something going wrong?”

  “That’s uncalled for.” Hatch appeared annoyed as he ran a hand over his dark-blond buzz cut. “I can’t watch them every minute, especially the pups.”

  “You’re right. Go let the boys in blue know we’ve got it under control.”

  “Damn you.”

  “Gris, take anyone you want tonight.” He gazed at Harlow. “Just not this one.”

  “Christ, I should have left you out there alone.”

  Harlow’s stomach performed somersaults as Castle grinned at his friend. “I handled it.”

  While they continued to banter back and forth, Harlow walked in front of Castle, and into the restaurant. The pups? She passed a podium and headed up a small flight of steps to the bar where she searched for a single seat. Spying one, she quickly claimed it. What she needed was a gin, straight up, and time to calm down and think. How dare he act as if she already was his for the night? Harlow shifted on the stool as warmth continued to stir where the biker had touched her. Another minute staring into those weird eyes, she’d have done anything he asked and no way would that shit happen. Her first evening out, Harlow intended to enjoy the whole show, not just one act. Also, she didn’t like how they discussed women as though they were something to be passed between them.

  The base of her spine thrummed to life, butterflies took flight in her stomach, and her breathing kicked up a notch the instant the one called Castle found her. With his hand placed low on her back again, he drew tiny circles with his fingertips as he whispered in her ear, “I’d find you in the eye of a hurricane, darlin’.”

  “You should take your friend’s advice and seek one of the interested twenty.” Why in hell had she remembered those words? Lord, he was gorgeous and something snapped inside when he traced up her spine to the back of her neck. It was a feeling Harlow didn’t dare turn over in her mind and look at. Not yet.

  “You�
�re interested.” He tilted her chin up and peered in her eyes while his free hand began an unhurried descent back to the tingling spot above her butt. “I smell it.”

  “Mr. Briggs—”

  “The formalities are over, honey.” He released Harlow but not before kissing her hard, long—and it shattered her goddamn world. “I’ll give you some time.”

  The arrogant bastard walked away and left Harlow sitting there, mouth open and heart banging against her ribcage. “Time for what?” The words were lost amongst music and laughter in the club, which teemed with more beautiful people than she’d ever seen gathered in one place. She thought about leaving but decided not to let the night be a waste, nor to allow him to think he’d run her off. She would at least eat something before heading home. Signaling a server, Harlow placed an order and settled in to enjoy the atmosphere. Her salad arrived and she ate as much as she could. She was ready for her second and last shot of gin when the bartender magically placed one in front of her. “Compliments, ma’am.”

  She glanced past the server and spied Castle talking to a young woman who draped herself over his body. When she wrapped arms around his neck, he untangled them and eased her away. The downturn her lips took irritated Harlow. Why did women do that to themselves? Her mother had taught her to let the man take the lead, allow him to feel as though he’d laid claim, and then if you want him, grab hold with both hands and show the world he’s yours. Sliding the drink away, she told the bartender, “Tell the sender I’m not interested then bring my bill, please.” Her mother didn’t enlighten her on how to tell a man about her uncommon desires, desires most considered abnormal. Harlow’s marriage was proof the theory on letting a man take the lead did not work.

  Harlow yearned for a man who could…

  “It’s paid.”

  Harsh words tumbled through her lips at his untimely interruption. “I said get my bill.” A flush of heat suffused her cheeks when Harlow realized she continued to stare at the man across the bar.

  “There’s no charge, ma’am.” He glanced over his shoulder and she assumed he looked at Castle Briggs.

  Getting up, she skirted stools until she stood patiently waiting as another woman settled in Brigg’s lap. “How much do I owe you?”

  “Excuse me?”

  “Evidently you’re the owner since you parked in the reserved-for-owner spot.”

  “So?”

  “You’re all alike. You have money and you think you can do whatever you want.” Lord, why couldn’t she leave it alone? “What did my dinner cost?”

  “Since I didn’t buy it, I couldn’t say.” Anger flashed in his eyes before he scoured the room. He motioned for the bartender who leaned over and whispered in Castle’s ear. He returned his attention to Harlow. “It’s on the house, and my apologies, it won’t happen again.”

  Now she felt stupid as she wondered where the drink and money for her meal came from. All she could do was mumble, “Sorry,” before she turned to leave.

  “Wait.”

  “For what?” Lord, why the heck did she snap? Sweat gathered on Harlow’s back, eliciting a shiver beneath the overhead fan as she stared at Castle.

  “Hatch?”

  His friend sat with a blonde at a table across the aisle from the barstool Castle occupied. “Yeah, boss?”

  “Make sure Ms. Hardison gets home safely.”

  “I can take care of myself.”

  A sardonic smile lifted one corner of his mouth. “I’ll take better care of you.”

  “You can’t touch me.” A whole host of female patrons, including the one wiggling between his thighs, looked as if they would scratch her eyes out and Harlow glared back, giving as good as she got. “You have enough company.” She didn’t contemplate why that bothered her.

  “Pull the claws in, I only want yours tonight.”

  Why she felt pity for the women surrounding him Harlow couldn’t say, but damn if she was walking out without letting him know just what a lowlife cad she considered him. Why did she even care who came on to the bastard? She wouldn’t become one of them. It dawned on her it was exactly what she wanted, and it angered her, goaded her into acting unreasonable. Harlow flashed her brightest smile and enjoyed the fact his eyes reflected the idea he thought he had won. “It must be horrible to search for such a tiny prick every time you have to pee.”

  “What the fuck did you say?”

  “Surely a man with balls and a cock wouldn’t have to surround himself with so many adoring fans.”

  A hush fell over the room.

  * * * * *

  Cass pushed the woman from his lap and gripped Harlow’s wrist, dragging her between his legs. Drawing her hand to the front of his slacks, he grinned maliciously as he made her fondle his hard-on. “Tell me that when this dick is buried so deep in your pussy you taste it.” He smashed his mouth on hers hard enough to draw blood. “Trust me, you’ll like it.” The witch bit his lip. Jesus! Castle shoved her back and licked blood from his mouth before turning to Hatch. “Put her ass in her car and see she gets home safely.”

  “You…” Anger blazed in Harlow’s eyes.

  Harlow aimed a slap at his face but he captured her hand in a viselike grip. “We’ll play rough, darlin’, if that’s what you like. Take her out of here.” His wolf howled inside and he damn near let him out. “Now!” Cass watched Hatch escort her from his restaurant and replayed in his head the sounds she had made when his mouth covered hers. When Castle kissed her, when he held her helpless, Harlow moaned in pleasure. He doubted she was aware the sounds escaped her lips but he recognized the wanton whimper and could almost taste how much she’d like pain.

  His animal grasped the problem immediately—Harlow Hardison was afraid of herself.

  Cass watched as his second wrapped an arm around the woman’s waist, hoisting her in the air before walking out the door with her kicking and screaming. Goddamn she-devil bit him and Cass loved it! Swiping a hand across his mouth, he caught her scent and breathed deeply. His dick prodded the front of his pants wanting release as much as the wolf did. “Damn it to hell.” Standing, he moved through a cluster of beautiful women as he ripped his chaps off and carried them to his office. Entering, he slammed the door and tossed his leathers on a seat.

  Horny and filled with lust by what he had discovered, Castle walked behind his desk, unfastened his pants and pushed them down around his ankles. Removing his t-shirt and hurling it onto a pile of papers, he fell into his chair holding his dick. Resting his head against the back, he began to stroke his cock. He firmly enclosed it in his hand and jerked the skin up and down, envisioning multicolored green and brown eyes and a head full of thick, dark hair. And, goddamn, her naturally tanned body was lean and taut with muscle, something he couldn’t miss when he locked her between his thighs. Bitch bit me! The mere dot of blood he’d swiped from her mouth felt as if it coursed through his veins. Tightening his fingers around his thickness, he shoved his cock in and out of the improvised hole. He wished it were inside her pussy or her ass.

  Harlow.

  Her name rolled through Cass’s mind, forcing him to lick dry lips to capture her lingering essence and pull it into his mouth. Sweet blood. Never had he wanted a human woman so badly, or a wolf for that matter. Both types of animals filled his place tonight yet he found himself alone and masturbating, the picture of a she-devil dancing behind shuttered eyes. He’d briefly thought about dragging one of the female wolves with him, bending her over the desk, and taking her without mercy but he understood nothing would satisfy the burning need filling his loins tonight.

  Only Harlow could do that.

  Why in hell had she shown up here of all places? Fingertips tingled oddly from touching the base of Harlow’s spine just above a generous swell of buttocks. Doing so, Cass had begun to weave a spell that would pervade Harlow not only with thoughts of him, but his essence would also seep into her pores. Something else happened, something that had never happened before—he had let a human taste his blood. H
e fisted his dick harder and jerked the length faster. Swiping dots of precum from the engorged head helped to ease his fingers up and down his shaft. “Shit, yeah…yeahh!” he shouted as a stream of cum splashed his abdomen.

  Unsatisfied, he rose, pulled his pants up and closed them. Cass grabbed his shirt to wipe his belly before tossing it in the trashcan. A snort of laughter escaped his mouth at the sight he presented with jeans around his ankles as he jacked off hidden in his office like a horny teenager. “Fuck me to tears.” He stomped to a wardrobe filled with a few changes of shirts, jeans and chaps and yanked out another tee, pulled it over his head, and then he returned to the chair behind his desk.

  It was with great relief he sniffed out Hatch before he knocked. “Get in here.”

  “Jesus, man, place smells like a brothel.”

  “Screw you. Is she home safe?”

  “Yes.” He leaned against the desk. “Cass, she’s not one of us so she’ll go nuts tonight wondering what the hell is happening.”

  “I’ll be there.”

  “She’s on De Soto near Lassen.” Hatch pointed to the door leading into the restaurant. “Isn’t it enough you could have any female out there?”

  “You want her?”

  “That’s not the point.”

  Cass studied his best friend. “Are you going soft on me?”

  “No, it’s… Shit, man, there’s something about her. I can’t put my finger on it.”

  Castle Briggs understood what his beta meant. The instant he saw the woman and gazed into her eyes, he knew he’d do anything to have her for one night. “You can take her next.” He damn near doubled over at the pain in his gut. “Fuck.” The idea of the man beside him holding Harlow’s hips or pressing his mouth to her naked breasts, kissing the lips he still tasted, had his wolf seeing red. What the hell! He’d shared women with Hatch often and it had never before been an issue. “Why did you pay for her dinner?”

  “I figured you would have if you hadn’t been otherwise occupied.” Hatch laughed.