Once Bitten Twice Smitten

By Ariana Hawkes

A comedy romance featuring one kickass roller derby chick, two scorching-hot Alphas, and the naughty nip that changed their lives forever. 

 

Aspen Richardson loves playing roller derby: the fun, the exciting games and her teammates – an amazing bunch of curvy, kickass girls. The only thing missing from her life is a man who will love her just the way she is. In the small town she calls home, bullies from the past remain, making her wonder if it's ever going to happen. 

 

But, things are about to change in a major way, as the secret Aspen’s parents have been keeping from her comes out: as a small child, she was chased by two wolf pups, and one of them bit and marked her. 

 

Now on the cusp of her first shift, Aspen is hunted down by cool, laid back Brad, and impetuous, hot-headed Chase, who both desperately hope they're the fated mate of this deliciously curvy girl. The trouble is, no one knows which of them bit her, least of all Aspen, who finds herself equally drawn to these two super sexy Alphas. 

 

This is a standalone romance, with lots of laughs and scorching ménage sex scenes. HEA and no cliffhanger!



 

• Language: English
• Publisher: Ariana Hawkes
• Release date: May 4, 2015
• ISBN: 9781519916013

Book preview

Chapter One

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As Chase pulled off the highway and into the small town, his wolf let out the drawn-out whine of a bored teen. It had been fractious the whole way there, claws fretting at his skin, muscles twitching, little snarls periodically escaping from between its jaws. Chase knew what was wrong. He hated being so far from home, and he badly needed to shift, to reassert his place in the universe. Not much longer now, he muttered.

Williston was kind of a pretty town, if you liked that sort of thing. Rows of neat little houses spaced in a grid, tidy little lawns, trees planted along the sidewalk. Unfortunately, it happened to be his idea of hell.

He stopped the car on a quiet street, and rubbed at the rough stubble on his chin, casting his eyes around. As long as the girl’s here, it’ll all be worth it, he reminded himself. This was the moment he’d been waiting for all his life: finding the girl and claiming her as his own. Pulling his phone out of his pocket, he opened the map app. He’d turned his GPS off hours before. It’d been annoying the crap out of him, ordering him what to do every few seconds. It looked like his hotel wasn’t far away – directly across the town, and along a winding road that led to a miserable excuse for a national park. The car windows had been closed throughout the journey, his nostrils offended by the industrial smells that polluted the highway, but now he pressed the button on his Ford SUV, and the driver’s window slid down with a whir, allowing the night-time air to fill the car. He inhaled deeply, and his wolf did the same, its nostrils flaring. He smelled all the odors of a small town – home cooking, restaurants, gas stations, the alcohol in bars – and, further away, the reassuring scent of the forest. He picked up pine trees, damp leaves, and rich, dark earth. It was almost like home, but different. But, wait! What was that? There was another scent that he knew all too well. And this wasn’t just like home, it was home! With a snarl of fury, Chase started up the engine and roared off in the direction of the smell. He turned three corners in quick succession, tires squealing in protest, before slamming his brakes on as he reached his destination.

He’d stopped in front of a Greyhound bus station. What the fuck? Without pausing to wonder what he was doing there, he leapt out of the car, slammed the door and hurtled through the harshly-lit entranceway. His head jerked around wildly, before his wolf gave a soft growl, and he located the object he was seeking. His anger jumped up at least three notches as his apple-green eyes focused on the sight of Brad MacConnell curled up on one of the benches. He was fast asleep, right next to an old lady who was muttering to herself and sorting through a bunch of grocery store bags. Chase strode over to him, his every breath catching in snarls.

What the hell are you doing here? he bellowed. The old lady jolted in shock, knocking two of her bags off the bench, and scattering all kinds of junk across the floor. She scowled up at Chase through a filthy pair of glasses.

You leave that young man alone! she squawked. Despite himself, Chase broke into a smile.

It’s ok, ma’am, I know him. Unfortunately, he said. Immediately, her expression softened. She batted her eyelashes beneath her smudged lenses.

Ok, dear, she said, still squawking, but more softly now. I just get sick of folks harassing people like us, who are minding our own business. Chase’s grin widened, and, as if hypnotized, the woman settled down on the bench, and stared at him, mouth hanging a little open.

Only now did Brad begin to stir, yawning and stretching his arms. The leather jacket that had been covering him slid to the ground. His t-shirt had ridden up, exposing his tanned stomach, complete with a set of strongly-defined abs. The old lady’s eyes bulged and her mouth fell open even further. Dismissing her from his mind, he turned his focus fully on Brad.

Hey, dude, I wasn’t expecting to see you here, Brad said at last, his voice slow with sleep.

No kidding! Should I even ask how you’ve come to be sleeping in a bus station?

I got travel sick, Brad replied, shaking his head. Man, that was a rough journey. I wanted to sleep, but the bus was jumping my belly around like a sack of fleas. And when I got off here, I just came over all sleepy. He smiled at Chase, like taking a nap in a bus station was a totally normal thing to do.

And you chose to sit on a bus instead of driving, because?

I lost my license. Speeding. He shrugged.

Ah. And you couldn’t fly?

No. Brad’s expression turned serious. No way, man. Chase nodded. Flying hadn’t been an option for him either. Werewolves lived on the ground. They needed to maintain their strong connection with the earth at all times. Flying thousands of feet above the earth in a metal tube was totally counterintuitive to them. Chase shook himself out, sick of wasting time on bullshit conversation.

Back to my initial question: what are you doing here? he demanded. Brad’s eyes widened.

You mean you don’t know?

I don’t know what? Chase snapped.

I’m here for the same reason you are.

I seriously doubt that, Chase replied, his chest expanding.

You’re here to find a girl, right? Chase remained silent, but the snarl that burst out of him confirmed it. I grew up knowing that you and I shared a claim on a human female, Brad continued, unperturbed. 

"I grew up knowing that I had a claim on a human female, but some imposter might try to snatch her away from me!" Chase roared. His body began to flex, his shoulders broadening and his haunches becoming more muscular – telltale signs that he was about to shift.

Dude, you’re starting to look like a tomato that’s too tight for its skin. If you don’t want to rip that fine pair of jeans to shreds, how about you take a seat and we can talk this over rationally, Brad said. Chase felt like his brain was about to burst out of his skull, and his skin burned as his wolf began to claw its way out. Stop! he told it. It yipped in surprise. He’d only held back a shift a handful of times in his entire life, and his wolf wasn’t used to being restrained. It shrank back, gave a sulky yowl, and lay down, its jaws resting on its paws. Still coiled with anger, Chase sat down on the edge of the metal bench, as far away from Brad as possible. Brad heaved himself up into a sitting position.

I don’t know what your father’s been telling you, but this is what happened, he began. When we were young wolves – like too young for me to have any memory of it, and, obviously, you as well – we were out running in the forest that lay between our territories. We came across a little girl playing by herself. She was terrified by the sight of us, and started running. We’d never come across a human female before, so we thought she was playing, and we gave chase. She kept running faster and faster, and, wanting her to stop and play with us, we pulled at this long dress she was wearing. In fact, we pretty much shredded it to pieces. And, somewhere along the line, one of us bit her, drawing blood. You know what that means. But the point is, no-one knows which of us it was. It doesn’t surprise me that your father told me it was you, but the truth is that we have no way of knowing, until we find the girl.

Chase opened his mouth to argue, and then stopped himself. He knew in his heart that Brad was most likely telling the truth. And he didn’t want to make a fool of himself in front of this moron.

I need to make a phone call, he muttered, getting to his feet and stalking outside the station. He had to make sure he was significantly far away before he could be sure that Brad wouldn’t overhear him with his keen werewolf ears.

Mother, were there two of us chasing the little girl that day? he asked, the second she answered her phone. There was a shocked silence, and then his mother gave a long sigh.

Yes there were, Chase, she said at last, her voice low pitched.

So, isn’t it theoretically possible that the other wolf bit the girl?

Yes, I guess it is, honey. But your father’s convinced, of course, that it was you. You know how proud he is. He couldn’t stand the idea that his son could be so close to seizing this great opportunity, and then not be the one to take it. Chase ground his teeth together, thinking. The whole premise he’d grown up on, that he’d one day find the girl that he’d bitten – and almost killed – and she’d become his mate, restoring his family’s ailing line, was crumbling around him. He’d been told that he was the first werewolf in living memory to transform a human, and he’d gotten a lot of his confidence from it as a teen. But now, it seemed as likely as not that Brad would possess this accolade. He was shocked to discover that his eyes were stinging. He squeezed them tight shut and opened them again.

Chase, honey, are you ok? his mother said, breaking into his thoughts. He wanted to yell at her for having lied to him all this time, but what was the point? His father was so forceful an Alpha that she would never have disobeyed direct orders not to tell her son the truth. I’m sure that you’re the one, but we can’t know a hundred percent until you find the girl and court her, she continued.

And how will I know then?

She’ll accept you as her mate.

What if she doesn’t like me and goes for the other guy regardless? He cringed at the hint of vulnerability in his voice. No-one but his mother would ever get to hear it.

You’ve got to make her want you, Chase. If you bit her, you’re bound in blood, and that’s a very powerful thing, and, by adding your character into the mix, it shouldn’t be too hard. He smiled into the phone, knowing he couldn’t tell