All Kitten Aside: BBW Paranormal Shape Shifter Romance (Paranormal Dating Agency Book 11) Read online

  ALL KITTEN ASIDE

  PARANORMAL DATING AGENCY

  NEW YORK TIMES and USA TODAY BESTSELLING AUTHOR

  MILLY TAIDEN

  SIGN UP FOR MILLY TAIDEN’S NEWSLETTER FOR LATEST NEWS, GIVEAWAYS, EXCERPTS, AND MORE!

  http://eepurl.com/pt9q1

  Miranda Colilla needs a mate. Fast. This curvy lioness wants a man she can bend to her will, who will stay out of her business, and let her lead like the alpha she is. She needs that mate urgently before the lions in her pride think she’s going to hand the reins over to one of them and let them tell her what to do. Not in this lifetime. When a wolf saves her hide, there's more than just gratitude sparking between them.

  Kasen Steel’s tired of women throwing themselves at him. As alpha of his pack, he can have any woman he wants. Problem is, he doesn't want any of them. He wants a chase. He wants someone who isn’t taken in with his position. A chance meeting with a hot as hell lioness makes him want a close encounter of the naked kind with her. Wait, he’s already naked.

  Kasen knows Andi’s perfect for him. She's already making him crazy by denying their attraction and the fact she's his mate. The hunt is on. Unfortunately for him, proving to Andi they're right for each other is just one of the problems facing this alpha. Keeping her alive, when someone wants her dead, is another. But Kasen isn't going to sit by and let anyone harm her. Now that he's found his smart-assy mate, he isn’t letting go. Whether she likes it or not.

  This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places, and incidents are fictitious or have been used fictitiously, and are not to be construed as real in any way. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, locales, or organizations is entirely coincidental.

  Published By

  Latin Goddess Press

  Winter Springs, FL 32708

  http://millytaiden.com

  All Kitten Aside

  Copyright © 2016 by Milly Taiden

  Cover by Willsin Rowe

  Edited by: Tina Winograd

  All Rights Are Reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

  Property of Milly Taiden

  June 2016

  —For my heart

  My lovely, compassionate and caring Bianca. Thank you for being the silly, crazy, amazing person you are. I love you!

  For Alan,

  For the late nights and sitting up with me to encourage my writing. You are the best son. And for wanting me to read the book to you because you really liked it. I love you!

  ONE

  Gerri glanced at the stack of mail and went straight for her laptop. She didn’t want to ignore the letters, but this was just beyond insane. She might have to hire extra help soon. In the shape of various assistants.

  Her cell phone rang and a glance at the screen made her frown. “Hello?”

  “Hi, is this Gerri Wilder?” came a soft but sure voice.

  “It is. My caller ID says this is Gigi Colilla, but you sound much too young to be the Gigi I knew from college.”

  The girl on the other line laughed. “You’re right. I’m not Gigi. She was my grandmother.”

  “Was?” Gerri’s shoulders slumped. She’d had such great times with Gigi when they’d been young.

  “Yes. She died with my parents in a boating accident two years ago.”

  Gerri heard the sadness in the girl’s voice. It didn’t take a mind reader to know it still hurt the girl to have lost her family. “I’m sorry…”

  “Miranda, but everyone calls me Andi.”

  “I remember you! You were a little girl the last time I saw you. How are you, Andi?”

  There was a soft sigh. “I’m okay, but in dire need of your services. To be honest, I wasn’t sure if this was a good way to go, but my mother and grandmother were always talking about your amazing sense in getting people together since you were a young woman.”

  Gerri leaned back in her seat and listened to Andi’s voice lower as she spoke, almost as if she were lost in thought. “I have been known to shove my muzzle into people’s business and create some good matches.”

  “Not just good,” Andi said. “You have a 100 percent marriage or mating rate, whichever way you want to look at it. Whatever your secret is, I need you.”

  Gerri had loved Gigi and her daughter, Nariah. Now she’d do whatever was necessary to help Andi. She already knew where this was going.

  “Come meet me for coffee this afternoon, Andi.”

  There was a slight pause. “Okay. I don’t know how much time I have but I need urgent help.”

  Gerri pressed her lips together. “I will do whatever I can to help you.”

  TWO

  Andi pressed the end call button on her cell phone and turned to her cousin Naya. The eye color was the only thing that called them cousins. With Andi’s fair skin and dark brown hair and Naya’s dark chocolate complexion and messy blond curls, they appeared to be total physical opposites. But they were so in tune with each other, neither needed to speak to know what the other was thinking.

  As Prima of the Yellow Tail Pride, Andi knew it was getting down to the wire. She needed a mate and fast.

  “The Black Rock Pride has been sniffing around,” Naya reminded her.

  “I know.” There wasn’t much she could do against Kellan Thorn and his men. They were forceful and wanted her to mate with him so they could take over their land, their river, and their pride. She’d been harsh in her replies to him and his friends that she wasn’t interested in joining prides. Her parents would turn in their graves if she let some low life bully her into doing what he wanted.

  Yellow Tail members weren’t just part of her pride, they were her family. Everyone in the pride knew they could count on her to take charge. Ever since she was a little girl, her parents had always told her she’d be a great leader. Andi was no-nonsense. She got the job done and could be trusted. She had her pride’s best interest at heart. But lately, things weren’t where she wanted them.

  The elders felt she needed a man. She needed to have a family. And quite honestly, her body was telling her she needed to stop the nonsense and have some cubs.

  “You need a man fast, Andi,” Naya said.

  Andi bunched up the written offers on her desk. She’d gotten almost every eligible male in the pride wanting to “help” by offering to take her as his mate. Heck, she’d even had some mated ones offer to turn their pride into a Triad leadership. That wasn’t natural for their pride and she wasn’t going to start now.

  The lioness in Andi hated the idea of mating to keep the pride whole, but Andi knew better. She needed a male who could stand by her side, but not get in her way. She was the Prima and any man who mated with her was going to learn quickly she was in charge.

  Her parent’s death had only pushed everything forward. She’d already been handling the majority of the pride business on her own. But in the short time she’d been in charge, some males had taken it upon themselves to make moves without her authority. She’d already had to put one down. It was talked about behind her back all the time.

  “Killing Roland slowed them down,” she said and once again glanced at Gerri Wilder’s card on her desk. The matchmaker had to help. There was no other way around this.

  “It did,” Naya nodded. “But by killing him, you not only drew on the anger of the males who want this pride for themselves, but also ones who weren
’t aware you were so…skilled.”

  Fucking hell. So now it was a crime to be a good fighter. “I was raised to lead, Naya. I won’t apologize to anyone for that,” she said, taking steps to glance out her window into the adjacent forest. “My lioness doesn’t appreciate insubordination and she’s not looking for anyone who’s going to kiss up. We only need a male who will stand by my side and let me do what I need to as leader.”

  “I have a feeling you’re playing with fire here.” Naya picked up Gerri’s card off the desk. “You really think the matchmaker can help?”

  She nodded. “She has been known to give people exactly what they ask for. I just have to be sure to be specific so there’s no miscommunication.”

  “What time do you see her?” Naya asked. They both walked out the door of the pride house together. Andi had to set up four men to guard her house after Roland’s death. They’d been some of her parents’ most loyal pride members, some of which had been vocal about offering themselves to Andi.

  “Andi,” Josh Wilx, one of her most trusted pride members, called out to her.

  She stopped by her Jeep and watched Josh glance down her body, his interest evident for all to see. She might have been flattered at Josh’s interest, but her lioness didn’t feel he was the right man to lead with her. Andi knew one thing for sure, listen to her animal. She may disagree with the lioness but she wouldn’t steer her wrong.

  Josh was young, loud, and too big for his own good. He tried to intimidate others with his size and encouraged his friends to get rowdy like they were some kind of gang of lions on the prowl.

  “Josh,” she nodded when he was a few feet away.

  His eyes turned a bright yellow, proof that his lion was highly interested in her and that he knew she was coming up in her heat. “Have you had a chance to consider my proposal?”

  She met his gaze. Once again, her lioness dismissed him as a possible candidate for her Prime. “I am considering many options at this time.”

  He inhaled and took a step closer. She held her stance and let the lioness show in her gaze. She wasn’t interested and she wasn’t going to be pushed. Fuck. She so didn’t want to have to kill Josh. He was one of the guys most of the younger men looked up to.

  Life used to be so simple when her parents were alive. They led with a firm grip but knew how to handle their own. Her mother was a Prima who cared for her females and gave them a shoulder to cry on. Her father knew how to push the men to be their best. Everyone knew they needed to help their families and many started businesses and found their calling thanks to her parents.

  All that was forgotten once they died. Have you tried reminding them? It wasn’t her job to remind anyone that her parents made the pride what it was. She wanted to growl and scream and kill a few fuckers for acting like her parents hadn’t held that pride together for over forty years. Like they never fought damn hard against Black Rock and other prides that wanted their land and their people.

  Two of the other men watching her pride cabin came forth. She raised a hand and told them silently to stop. She didn’t need them. The problem with Josh was he wasn’t on her level and no matter how much he wanted her, they both knew she could walk all over him.

  “Look, Andi, you and I can make this pride great again,” he said and dared to take another step toward her. “Together we can get rid of the Black Rock Pride once and for all.”

  Emotions darted over his features. Suppressed anger, frustration, and expectation. None of which she liked.

  “Andi,” Derrek, another of her guards, came forward. “Everything okay?”

  She raised a brow at him and nodded. “When is it not?”

  Derrek took a step back but continued watching Josh. Josh’s features tightened. “I am going to pick up some lumber material, but when I return I’d like to talk with you.” Josh glanced pointedly at the men by her door. “Alone.”

  She smiled and cocked her head. Naya came forth at that moment. “I’d love to talk to you about anything you have in mind on a one-on-one, Josh. Naya can put you in my schedule and ensure we are able to discuss whatever you want.”

  Josh gave a short nod, glared at Derrek, and turned to go.

  Andi hopped into her Jeep and shut the door. Naya stood by the driver’s side window. “I hope you are able to get some help quickly.”

  Andi hoped so, too. Gerri Wilder was her last hope.

  THREE

  Kasen Steel, alpha of the Steel Claw Pack, glanced up from the plans to his new family center and growled loud enough to quiet the room.

  “What the fuck is going on out there?” he asked Spike, his beta and best friend. “It sounds like someone is giving something away for free.”

  Spike grinned and shook his head. “Your mother is what happened. She decided to send a notification to all eligible females in the pack that you’re seeking a mate.”

  “She what?” He jumped to his feet and roared loud enough to make the room shake. Spike only grinned wider. Fucker. He knew how much Kasen hated drama with females. It was enough that they never left him alone, throwing their daughters and themselves at him. Like he couldn’t get his own woman. Kasen liked a chase. He liked feeling like he was working for something.

  His wolf had yet to find a woman he wanted, which worked just as well. He couldn’t imagine finally finding her and then having her throw herself at him like he was God’s gift to women. That would take the fun out of everything.

  You ask for too much. Maybe. But he still wanted the thrill of the chase. To know that the woman he got wasn’t just because he and her were destined mates. Fuck destiny. Yeah, it worked well for others, but not him. He wanted her to fall for him as a man. So maybe he was getting emotional in his old age, but life wasn’t all about sex. He wanted more from his mate. Perhaps a human was more of what he needed. Then again, human females might not be able to stand up to the ferocity of the female wolves in his pack.

  “Are you listening?” Spike laughed. The sound grated on Kasen’s nerves. His friend had no sympathy over this stupid as shit dilemma. “Yes, my friend. It seems she wants those grandbabies now, while she’s still alive,” Spike said, imitating Rochelle Steel’s innocent voice. Kasen’s mother was a great actress. She had particularly mastered the innocent role.

  “She’s fifty-five and looks thirty. What the hell is she going on about?” She was also the reason Kasen felt as he did about women. He loved his mother to the ends of the earth, but he was well aware of her flaws. Having mated his father to merge packs, his mother wasn’t the loving type.

  His entire life she’d been hands off. The only reason he knew any type of motherly love was due to Spike’s mom and her treatment of him whenever they were at her house. She hugged Kasen. It took years for him to get used to the idea of anyone touching him, but when Michelle hugged him, it felt right. Like he’d had a void filled suddenly. That emptiness, he didn’t want that for his kids.

  So find a woman that will be happy to be a mom, a wife, and let you lead. That might as well be his best bet. He seriously doubted any of the women in the pack, with their thirst for leadership, would give in easily to being just a mate and a mother.

  Spike shrugged. “She’s got it in her head you need a mate, and you’re going to get one whether you want her or not.”

  Kasen nodded absently. Actually, a mate might solve his problems. His animal wanted pups and it would get his mother off his back, not to mention his exes would get the idea he was no longer free. “She might have a point.”

  He didn’t get a chance to say another word before his mother breezed into the room. Her slim figure was encompassed in a black pant suit he never would have thought she’d wear in a lumber company.

  “Kasen!” she said with a dramatic sigh, falling into a chair in a huff. “I’ve come to help you.”

  She never changed. Though she was fierce on the battleground, his mother was more theatrical than anyone he’d ever met. He saw her perfectly done long nails and glowing skin and knew sh
e’d just come from the spa. That was her choice of business. Running a chain of spas allowed her the constant use of one, too.

  He raised a brow, unsure how her drama would be of any help. “How so, Mother?”

  In a heartbeat, she sat up straight and met his gaze. “You must grab yourself one of these females already. The fathers are practically shoving them at me and your father. We aren’t sure what to do any more.”

  “They’re shoving them at you?” He couldn’t keep the sarcasm out of his tone.

  “Yes!” she snapped. “I do have some recommendations based on breeding, son.”

  “Mother…” He was too tired with the work that needed doing to worry about what she was going on about. He’d find his own damn mate. Maybe not in the traditional way she wanted, or even whomever she had in mind, but he would.

  “Just listen to me for a second,” she said, her tone all business. She peeked up at him from her icy blue eyes and all he saw was her personal interest. “We must ensure the proper lineage is chosen with your mate.”

  There we go. Lineage.

  “I could give two fucks about lineage or breeding,” he barked. Lineage? What a fucking joke. She knew well and good there were at least two lines that cross bred on his father’s side. The fact she refused to acknowledge it wasn’t his problem.

  “Don’t talk to me in that tone, child!”

  He bit back the urge to growl. She’d probably complain over that as well. “Mother, when I choose a mate, it will be based on what’s important to me, not you.”

  She gave him a small smile and stood, coming around his desk. “I understand that, son. But we must make sure your mate knows the rules. You’re the alpha here.” She brushed a strand of hair from his forehead. That move was as warm as she got. “And she’ll have to make sure she doesn’t anger anyone. She needs to be seen, not heard. A good docile woman.” She squeezed his shoulder. Wow. She truly was on a roll with the support touches. “Whatever pack female you choose will figure it out. I will be there to help her with it.”