Covert Desires

By Sondrae Bennett

Alpine Woods Shifters, #5

Will desire be enough once all their secrets are revealed?

Still recovering from a traumatic assignment, Amber is wary of the man who shows up at her door with a plate of cookies and a welcoming smile. Instinct warns her he's not all he seems. Then again, neither is she. Since she was sent to root out the secrets of the town and its people, she might as well accept his invitation to dinner. But when things start to heat up between them, will her loyalty lie with her job, or the man trying to win her heart?

Danny knows Amber is an FBI agent. Tasked by his brothers and the shifter council to keep her from discovering too much, he sets out to seduce her, a perfect cover to keep an eye on her and make sure she doesn't learn about his pack or their society. He hadn't counted on a blazing attraction at first sight, though. His wolf knows Amber is his mate, and he'll do anything to keep her safe and happy. But how can he reveal everything he is, and everything he's been keeping from her, without losing her forever?

CONTENT WARNING: This book contains explicit sex.

49,000 Words

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lyrical Press
• Release date: Dec 1, 2012
• ISBN: 9781616504281

Sondrae Bennett

I love romance. I love reading romance, living romance (who doesn’t), but I especially love writing romance. There’s no greater feeling than watching my characters come alive in each other’s arms. Most of all, I love giving my character’s the happily ever afters they deserve. My love of reading developed at a very young age. When other girls went to the mall to buy clothes in high school, I headed straight for the bookstore. Reading a good book still gives me such a rush, transporting me time and again into a different world. By far my favorite world to escape to is romance. One of my favorite things is picking up a new book and sinking into the story, immersing myself in the emotions between the characters. To put myself in the place of the heroine, and fall in love with the hero, cursing the day I reach the last page because it means the end of my adventure. At least until I pick up the next book and fall in love all over again. I hope someday to inspire readers the way my favorite authors have inspired me. When not writing. I can usually be found curled up on the couch with a good book, taking my dogs for a walk, working on one crafting project or another, or spending time with my family.

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http://www.kensingtonbooks.com/

To the readers and fans who fell in love with my characters and helped make the Alpine Woods Shifters such a success. Thank you for all your support and for continuing on the journey with them.

1

Leaning against the counter, Danny zoned out as the conversation hummed around him. He drank from the glass in his hand and somehow managed to suppress his grimace. Beer was his drink of choice. Never had been particularly fond of the fancy stuff. But it was a celebration of Misty, mate to a friend of his, having been proven innocent of some nasty charges brought before the shifter council. So Danny hadn’t complained when his sister, Julie, showed up with a bottle of champagne. Who was he to spoil the fun?

To solving problems, Misty toasted. His brothers and sisters all raised their glasses in salute and Danny followed suit. Although he didn’t know her well, Misty a fox shifter and he a wolf shifter, they’d been in the same class in grade school and he’d always admired her cheerful spirit. He was glad the trial had ended in her favor. Otherwise they would have had a rogue alpha fox to deal with, considering how fiercely Cody loved her.

The whole trial was troubling. It seemed as if the hybrid shifters present had wanted blood, egged on by one woman in particular–the sister of a man who’d kidnapped Danny’s sister, Julie, not so long ago. All of it motivated by a desire for power and a foolhardy plan to gain a foothold with the shifter council.

Yellow-brown tinted the edge of his vision. Just remembering the terror when they’d discovered Julie missing made his eyes shift to wolf. The riots that had followed the man’s punishment, incited by the convict’s bitch of a sister, had raged out of control. When Misty had gotten caught in one, she’d injured a few people while trying to flee, and the hybrids had twisted her desperate escape into a hate crime against hybrids everywhere, with Misty trapped in the middle of the scandal. Hence the trial.

At least now everything was settled. The bad guys were in the council’s hands, their crimes known, and his troubles were over. The woman had been sentenced for conspiracy, kidnapping a human, and inciting riots that could have exposed shifters to humans. The shifter council had no other option than to hand her a death penalty.

Life would settle back into its routine. No more riots. No more trials. Just normal, everyday problems. Paper jams and burned coffee. He’d take those over the problems of the past month any day of the week.

Routine was good. It helped steady him. Allowed him to maintain control of his wolf. Anything that tipped the scales of that battle in his favor was something to be grateful for. Some days were harder than others. And he’d learned firsthand how important control was. His gaze drifted to Julie before he guiltily looked away, remembering the time he’d grabbed her arm in anger when they were kids, and broken the bone.

Letting his wolf get away from him only caused heartache for those he loved. So he kept it leashed as much as he could, never completely releasing the reins of control, even when in wolf form. And routine helped distract him from the cagey feeling that had been building inside him the past year.

Not to rain on anyone’s parade, but we’re not problem free quite yet. Apparently, the protests and riots in the area have drawn the attention of some government officials. The council’s sources in Washington have informed them that an undercover agent has moved into the cabin off Route 70. Since our two communities are the closest around, we’ve been asked to make sure they don’t discover something they shouldn’t. His brother, Jason looked around the gathered group, stopping momentarily on Danny. Great, more problems. We need to figure out how to approach this, and find out what the humans know. More importantly, we need to keep the wrong information from getting out.

Well, that’s easy enough, Misty said. Danny stared warily at the mischievous smile on her face. She was a bit too gleeful. Definitely planning something. There’s only one unmated woman here. Laurie will just have to seduce the man.

Oh, no…

Danny didn’t even have time to breathe a sigh of relief that her plan hadn’t involved him before Laurie started protesting.

Jason cut her off just as quickly.

The agent is a woman. Although, she is young enough something like that might work.

No one spoke for a minute. Then as one, their gazes swung toward him. Danny froze, glancing between the stares directed his way. At first he didn’t understand, then the conclusion they had all obviously reached hit him with the force of a Mack truck. The agent was a woman... And he was the only unmated man in the room.

Shit, he said.

He wanted to protest, wanted to deny it, but there was no point. It would be useless. Even if it was possible to reason with this group–which it wasn’t–he didn’t have a better idea to offer. It did seem to be the easiest available plan. Well, for everyone in the room who wasn’t him.

Which was how he found himself ringing the newly rented cabin’s doorbell with a plate of badly burned chocolate chip cookies. A pathetic excuse for spying on the town’s newest resident, but it was the best he could come up with. And the alternatives his family had suggested were out of the question. Misty had actually suggested he show up shirtless to mow the lawn. Then pretend to be shocked that someone had recently rented the property. Yeah, like that was going to happen.

Still, glancing at the plate, he couldn’t help but wince as he took in the barely distinguishable black lumps. He should have stuck with the Toll House premade stuff, but had wanted a more personal touch. After all, he was trying to seduce the woman. To get close to her just so he could deceive her. The least she deserved was homemade cookies. But apparently thinking cooking was better than store bought was where he’d gone wrong. Well, no. Agreeing to this stupid plan to begin with was his fatal mistake. No matter how unfeasible the other options he’d frantically proposed the past two days had been.

Even if he did manage to seduce the woman, how was he supposed to keep her from learning too much, or asking the wrong questions? For that matter, seducing her under these circumstances felt…wrong. Cheap, somehow. Like his family was trying to whore him out.

He thought about how he would feel had the agent been a man, and seducing the agent had been Laurie’s responsibility. Oddly enough, not so bad. Guess he wasn’t any better than the rest of them.

Sighing, he glanced at his watch before ringing the doorbell again. The woman’s car was in the driveway, so she should be home. The cabin stood close enough to the town to be a potential concern information-wise, but would still be a trek by foot. At least it would be on two feet. Plenty of the wolves and foxes hunted in the area. Which reminded him, he’d need to make sure everyone stayed away until the woman left. He made a mental note to address the issue at the next pack meeting.

Can I help you?

Danny started at the voice. Not only because it came directly behind him, but because he hadn’t sensed her approach. At all. Not many people had the ability to sneak up on wolf shifters. Especially not him, a dominant wolf who helped run the local wolf pack with his two brothers, and one whose wolf was closer to the surface than even his own family knew. It wasn’t easy to catch him off guard.

The voice was lyrical and soft. Not the voice he’d expect from an FBI agent, or CIA, or whatever she was. The council hadn’t exactly been forthcoming on details. But he didn’t recognize the voice, knew she wasn’t from Alpine Woods, and doubted she was from the foxes’ territory either. Which meant this had to be the woman he sought.

Pasting a charming smile on his face, Danny turned to greet the interloper.

Yeah, I’m the Alpine Woods welcoming committee, and… The rest of his speech fled, his mouth hanging open as he got his first look at the woman. His wolf immediately strained against his control.

The wind swirled around her, catching at the hem of her gypsy skirt and plastering the flimsy material against her legs, the outline of her shapely thighs clearly visible. Danny ran his eyes from the tips of her toes, clad in a pair of sandals with ribbon running up her legs, to disappear beneath the bottom of the skirt. The kind of sandals that made a man imagine following the crisscross of ribbon with his hands and lips. The skirt didn’t naturally cling to her hips, but thanks to the wind, he saw everything the fabric and style tried to hide. Like the fact that the woman before him was in impeccable shape. Her waist cinched in, thick with muscles. Her breasts were small and perky. A perfect body for an athlete. Or a fighter.

The thought jerked him out of his musings. Ruthlessly, he pushed aside his desire, tightening the reins on his wolf and jerking it away. He ignored the strange tingling in his hands, and continued his perusal objectively.

She wasn’t gorgeous. Her nose was too large for her face, with a crook that looked like it had been broken at some point and never healed properly. Her eyes were too round, and her teeth too big for her mouth. But her hair was a deep brown color that somehow rounded out the look, making her more attractive than she should have been.

As he stared at her mouth, her lips curled into a cocky smile, and he jerked his gaze to her eyes smiling back at him.

And? she prompted.

Danny smiled and raised his hand to his forehead. He was surprised to find it sweating slightly. The day was warm, but not scorching, as fall quickly approached. But the woman in front of him put his wolf on edge, making him tighten his grip on the reins of control.

In all his scenarios, he hadn’t counted on being attracted to her. Dangerous had never been his fetish.

This was definitely a bad idea. Maybe he should tell Jason he couldn’t do it, to find someone else in the pack. But the thought caused a slight bubble of panic, and he knew he wouldn’t back out. Not anymore. And not when his family counted on him.

What? Oh, right. I brought you cookies to welcome you to the area. He held out the plate he carried, and waited until she took them. I’m Danny.

Amber. She looked down at the plate and raised one eyebrow as she looked his way. Cookies?

Yeah, they’re kinda burnt, Danny apologized, clearing his throat in embarrassment. If he’d known beforehand how attracted he was going to be to her, he might have tried a bit harder not to burn the cookies. Or had one of his older brothers cook them for him. Both of them were whizzes in the kitchen, his mother having sworn that all her children would know how to cook if it killed her. Then Laurie, his older sister almost had, starting a kitchen fire that, luckily, their father had seen and put out before the whole house went up in flames. That had been the end of the cooking lessons. He and his younger sister, Julie, were left to their own devices. Now, he wished he’d taken the time to learn.

Doesn’t matter what they look like, only what they taste like, she said.

His gaze strayed to her lips again. He liked her smile. Couldn’t stop staring at the dimples denting her cheeks when her lips curled.

Danny grimaced. Unfortunately, they probably don’t taste much better than they look.

Oh. She glanced down at the plate of cookies before looking back at him. Well, what is it they always say? It’s the thought that counts. I appreciate the welcome. She glanced around the yard. A committee of one, huh? I have to say, not much of a welcoming committee.

Danny laughed. Guess not. But it has its perks. I get to make all the decisions. And I’m the first to meet any pretty girls who’re new to town.

He winked at her, wondering if he was going too far. But the others had told him to be forward and flirty. Of course, they’d also told him not to come on too strong. Maybe he was better off not taking their advice.

* * * *

Amber smiled at Danny, even as nervous energy rolled her stomach. It felt as though a herd of elephants were tap dancing in there. In other words, uncomfortable. She’d have thought she’d be used to the feeling by now.

The man seemed harmless enough, rather sweet with his offering of burned cookies, and his awkward attempt at flirting. But the last guy had seemed more or less harmless, too. Looks could be deceiving. She’d learned to never underestimate the enemy, and to never trust anyone unless necessary for survival. A lot of wolves wore sheep’s clothing.

But that didn’t mean she could hide out, no matter how much she wanted to rush inside and lock the doors. She had an assignment to complete, and if she didn’t have anything to report when her boss next called, she might find herself without a job. Not a pleasant prospect in the current economy, especially when half her work was FBI classified. Who would hire an employee who couldn’t fill out a resume without leaving large gaping holes? And if she did manage to get as far as an interview? Forget it.

But those thoughts were best left for another day. Right now, she had better focus on the job she did have. Nerves had no place here.

So she pasted a smile on her face, letting one end curl slightly higher than the other in a practiced move she knew drew men’s attention. She hadn’t missed the interest in his eyes as they’d slid up her body. And if she were honest with herself–which she usually was–she’d have to admit that desire had pooled in her belly under his regard.

Not that it mattered if she were attracted to him. Even if Danny didn’t

Reviews for Covert Desires

[abookwormshaven · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I have said it before and I will say it again, I am not normally one who likes novellas. I have tried quite a few of them and I always end up feeling like I was cheated out of something. Whether it was the plot or character development, I usually finish up the story and feel frustrated. However, I will never say that about Sondrae Bennett’s novellas. They are just hands down amazing! She manages to pull off an incredible story, well developed characters that are impossible not to love, and some sizzling romance that always heats up the pages. I have read some full length novels that don’t even come close to making me feel the kind of connection I always get out of one of Sondrae’s books.In Covert Desires, we pick up right where we left off in Worth Fighting For. Danny has been enlisted by his siblings to get close to the FBI agent, Amber, and keep her off the trail of what really goes on in their town. They don’t want to drive her away or harm her, they just don’t want her discovering that shifters live in Alpine Woods. Danny, who is usually the quiet one, begrudgingly accepts the job and hopes that he can just get it over with quickly. That is until he meets Amber and all logically thought goes straight out the window.Amber is still reeling from some pretty traumatic personal issues when she comes to Alpine Woods on assignment. She is hoping to use this trip to prove herself as an agent, but she is also struggling with where she fits in. She lives in DC, but has no real ties there and is drawn to the cabin she is staying in while in Alpine Woods. She desperately wants to find somewhere she belongs, but has built so many walls around herself, she keeps everyone she meets at arm’s length.Since Danny and Amber are not really sure if they can trust one another, they take the relationship very slow. The side effect of this was a delicious build of tension that oozed off the pages. I was so absorbed in the story and the romance between Danny and Amber.I also enjoyed seeing past characters come back and weave into the story seamlessly. Amber does not get along with Danny’s family right away and the conflict that arose because of this was very interesting to watch.Overall, I cannot say enough good things about Sondrae. She is an amazing writer who I always know I can turn to when I am looking for an engaging story filled with hot shifters and even hotter romance. You can read these novellas out of order, but I highly recommend starting at the beginning of the series and working your way through. Trust me, it is worth it! I am very eager to see whose story Sondrae will bring us next.