Once Bitten - C.M. Steele

Prologue

Jamie

I pulled into the same spot that I had when Mia and I came for her diving trip. Had it really only been a couple of weeks since that awful day? With the nose of a bloodhound, I found the smell of the ocean terrible, so it took my beloved cousin weeks to get me to agree on going with her for a shark diving experience. It went from cheers and hearts when she met her idol Marine Biologist Ian MacDonald, but then quickly shifted to terror when she met old Tiger—a large motherfucking shark. After weeks of helping Mia recover, I’m here again, but for a whole different reason and he’s waiting for me.

As I shift into park, Devin Malcolm stared straight at me with intent. The air in my car blew like a damn blizzard, but I felt like my body burned up under his gaze.

Devin had on a pair of light khaki shorts with a deep navy blue polo that fit to his perfectly sculpted torso. He wasn’t overly muscular like a bodybuilder, but like that of an athlete. My body ached to know him. Getting myself under control, I took a deep breath and stepped out of my Jeep Patriot.

I wanted him to fuck me. Since we’d met, I wanted him despite the fact that his life was the exact opposite of mine. Nothing I’d done over the past few weeks had deterred him, so I might as well see if he could make me feel as good as I dreamed he could. Every night, I woke up covered in sweat and horny.

“Hello, kitten. You look incredible.” I didn’t dress up as he was taking me somewhere comfortable, so I had on a pair of green cargo shorts that barely hit the middle of my thighs and a cute white V-neck tee. The wind picked up, sending the few loose strands of my ponytail into my face. Devin’s hand came up and swiped them behind my ear without missing a beat. God, I was torn between yelling at him for his charming ways or jumping in his arms and begging him to charm me into a dozen orgasms.

“The restaurant is here. I know you’re not big on seafood, so this place has so much more.” We entered El Cubano and they sat us immediately. The Sofia Vergara-looking hostess bounced her breasts in an attempt to get his attention. Like a smart man, he didn’t bite. He ignored the blatant flirting and pressed his hand to the small of my back and led us to our table.

“You know you don’t have to be jealous. I only have eyes for you,” he whispered, brushing my ear with his lips.

Trying to hide my reaction, I huffed, “I’m not jealous. I’m annoyed. They see we’re together and they’re disrespecting me.”

“Do you want to leave?” God, does he have to be so sweet?

“No.”

A different waitress came over to take our orders and when she left, Devin started grilling me. “Tell me about you. I know you’re a year older than Mia and extremely close to your cousin, but that’s it.”

“There’s not much to tell. I worked at a hotel just outside of Miami as their evening office manager, but with what happened to Mia, I took too much time off and they fired me.”

“I’m sorry. I’m sure you’ll find something else.” Damn. Why does he have to be so perfect? I wanted to lean over and kiss him. That was stupid. Think with my brain, not my cooch!

I took a drink of the water they’d set down for us to give me time to respond. “It wasn’t a great job, but after graduating from school, there wasn’t anything available in my field that didn’t require me leaving the state.”

“So what’s your degree in?”

“Graphic design and animation with a minor in business marketing.” I loved watching the Marvel movies and the way the CGI was almost seamless in some of the movies. It was a stark contrast from the older movie classics like Star Wars, which was one of my favorites.

“That’s cool. Did you plan on opening up your own company, or were you looking to get into a specific company to design for?”

Since I’d met Devin, all I thought about was being in his company, which was why I kept my distance. Suddenly my future and goals disappeared. I wanted him more than I should have. “I hadn’t thought about it. I knew what I was great at, so I went for