A Werewolf in Manhattan

Table of Contents

 

 

“I love this series! These witchy characters are hilarious. ... I can’t wait to see what Ms. Thompson has in store for her readers next! ... If you have read anything by Ms. Thompson before and liked it, you will like this series too!”—The Romance Studio

“Vicki Thompson can definitely tell a story that really gets you to know and love the characters. I will be watching and waiting for another one.”

—Night Owl Reviews

“The fast-paced story line is laced with humor, heat, and whimsy that makes for an enjoyable read that is hard to put down.”—Fallen Angel Reviews

“A funny installment of the Babes on Brooms series,
Chick with a Charm
delights with zany characters and elegant writing that will make readers want to grab the rest of the series!”—Fresh Fiction

“Extremely readable ... terrific writing, and great character development. ... Readers will fully enjoy this confection.” —
Romantic Times
(4 stars)

“A romantic tale that’s sprinkled with magic and reinforced by love ... a fast-paced read, and a great addition to the enchanting world of Big Knob.”

—Darque Reviews

“An enjoyable lighthearted story. ... Fans will enjoy this jocular jaunt.”—
Midwest Book Review

 

“An excellent addition that makes me eager for more! ... You never really know what might happen in the small town of Big Knob, but you won’t want to miss a thing. A must read!”—Fallen Angel Reviews

“There was so much going on in this book that I really didn’t want it to end ... wonderfully fun ... a keeper for sure!”—Fresh Fiction

“Pure FUN from first page to last!”

—The Romance Readers Connection

 

“A snappy, funny, romantic novel.”

—
New York Times
bestselling author Carly Phillips

“Filled with laughs, this is a charmer of a book.”

—The Eternal Night

“The same trademark blend of comedy and heart that won Thompson’s Nerd series a loyal following.”

—
Publishers Weekly

“Thompson mixes magic, small-town quirkiness, and passionate sex for a winsome effect.”—
Booklist

“Vicki Lewis Thompson pens an enchanting tale for her amorous characters.”—Darque Reviews

 

“Count on Vicki Lewis Thompson for a sharp, sassy, sexy read. Stranded on a desert island? I hope you’ve got this book in your beach bag.”—Jayne Ann Krentz

“Wildly sexy ... a full complement of oddball characters and sparkles with sassy humor.”—
Library Journal

“A riotous cast of colorful characters ... fills the pages with hilarious situations and hot, creative sex.”

—
Booklist

“Smart, spunky, and delightfully over-the-top.”

—
Publishers Weekly

“[A] lighthearted and frisky tale of discovery between two engaging people.”—
The Oakland Press
(MI)

“Delightfully eccentric ... humor, mystical ingredients, and plenty of fun ... a winning tale.”

—The Best Reviews

“A funny and thrilling ride!”

—Romance Reviews Today

“A hilarious romp.”—Romance Junkies

“Extremely sexy ... over-the-top ... sparkling.”

—
Rendezvous

“A whole new dimension in laughter. A big ... BRAVO!”

—A Romance Review

SIGNET ECLIPSE
Published by New American Library, a division of
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First published by Signet Eclipse, an imprint of New American Library,
a division of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.

First Printing, January 2011

Copyright © Vicki Lewis Thompson, 2011 All rights reserved

SIGNET ECLIPSE and logo are trademarks of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.

Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise), without the prior written permission of both the copyright owner and the above publisher of this book.

PUBLISHER’S NOTE

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

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eISBN: 9781101480830

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Writing is always a pleasure, but thanks to the enthusiastic response from my editor, Claire Zion, it’s also a joy. As a bonus, I get to work with her assistant, the ever-cheerful Jhanteigh Kupihea. I also benefit from the skills of the art department at Penguin, which creates such fantastic covers for my books. On the home front, I’m blessed with my assistant/daughter, Audrey Sharpe, who keeps me from going off the rails, and my spoiled cat, Eve, who keeps me humble.

Chapter 1

Aidan Wallace listened intently as Emma Gavin—her cute, blond self tucked into a red dress—read from her latest book,
Night Shift
. Emma always kicked off a book tour with a reading in Manhattan, and Aidan had attended the last three. The first two times he’d come as a fan intrigued by this petite twenty-eight-year-old who seemed to have an uncanny understanding of werewolves. Most writers got it all wrong.

But her accuracy had a downside. For this Wednesday night event, he wasn’t here as a fan. Instead he was attending in his role as chief security officer for the Wallace pack. Howard Wallace, the alpha and Aidan’s father, worried that a rogue werewolf might have been feeding Emma information. If she’d made contact with somebody on the inside, that kind of leak had the power to destroy the pack.

Three months ago, Howard had directed Aidan to put her under twenty-four-hour surveillance. So far he’d turned up nothing, but his father wanted him to stay on the job. When Emma left on her book tour, Aidan would follow, although trailing her from place to place without being spotted would test his skills.

He would manage. With business interests that stretched from Park Avenue to Broadway, from Wall Street to Times Square, the Wallaces couldn’t afford a security breach. New York City tolerated a diverse population, but even New Yorkers might panic if they learned that a sizable chunk of the city was owned by werewolves.

“She wanted him, too. Her breathing changed and her pupils widened whenever he was near.”
Emma paused and ran her tongue nervously over her lips. She never seemed at ease during these events.

That didn’t surprise him. After observing her for three months, he knew she’d rather have been alone in her loft, curled up in a cozy chair with a book or her laptop. Besides, she had to be exhausted after pulling that all-nighter to meet today’s deadline for the next book in the series.

Aidan figured that if she was getting inside info from the werewolf community, she would have contacted her source sometime during the past few days, and most definitely last night, when she was pushing toward the finish. She hadn’t. So what explained the on-target nature of her stories? Lucky guesses?

Aidan had pondered that while reading
Night Shift
recently. He’d been privy to an advance copy because his father and the publisher were old drinking buddies. No wonder Emma had chosen this passage for tonight’s presentation. It captured the basic appeal of the series—a takeoff on
Beauty and the Beast
that had fans sacrificing grocery money to buy her books in hardcover
.

The fantasy of a male werewolf mating with a human female was a popular one. Aidan would like to believe he wasn’t drawn to it, that he viewed the subject intellectually. That wasn’t quite true.

But tonight, with Emma standing there in a silk dress, which lovingly draped over her breasts and hips, he couldn’t allow himself to fantasize. His groin tightened, and he glanced away, irritated with his automatic response to her. Arousal was a reaction he couldn’t afford, especially given his genetic flaw: Unsatisfied arousal caused him to begin to shift.

He concentrated on the uncomfortable nature of the metal folding chair. The manufacturer hadn’t created this chair with a six-four, two-hundred-pound werewolf in mind. The seat was too small and the back, too low. Mentally complaining about the chair did the trick, and he was able to return his attention to Emma.

She stood in front of a table stacked high with her books, and a young brunette in a black suit hovered nearby. Aidan pegged her as somebody from the publishing house who’d come along to facilitate the signing gig.