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  Once Bitten

  C.M. Steele

  Copyrighted © 2020

  All Rights Reserved

  No part of this book may be reproduced, copied or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage or retrieval system without written expressed permission from the author, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination and are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or locales is purely coincidental.

  Cover design: C.M. Steele

  Cover Image: Deposit Photo

  The use of actors, artists, movies, TV shows and song titles/lyrics throughout this book are done so for storytelling purposes and should in no way be seen as advertisement. Trademark names are used in an editorial fashion with no intention of infringement of the respective owner’s trademark.

  This book is licensed for your personal enjoyment. This book may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you are reading this book and did not purchase it, or if it was not purchased for your use only, then you should return it to the seller and please purchase your own copy.

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  Contents

  Devin and Jamie

  Prologue

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Epilogue

  Epilogue

  Epilogue

  Untitled

  Untitled

  More on C.M. STEELE

  Devin and Jamie

  Finally Devin and Jamie from LOVE BITES get their story!

  One look at Jamie Marshall, and I knew she was meant to be mine.

  One look at me, and she dismissed my existence, but finally, she caved.

  Now only if I could keep her claws retracted long enough for her to fall in love with me, I’d be the luckiest man alive.

  The second Devin Malcolm wormed his way under my skin, I knew I’d never stop wanting him. Unfortunately, his profession as a Marine Biologist and Shark expert forced us apart. I hated the smell of the ocean and it called him out for months at a time.

  Could I force him to choose me or the sea, or would he make that decision on his own?

  *This a fast pace romance with a hot happily ever after.

  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 that. I don’t need to be rich like many of these people around here in the marina, but I can make a fairly good living.”

  “Smart woman.”

  Needing to change the subject, I asked, “Does Ian usually bring his women to his home?”

  “No. I don’t even remember when Ian dated anyone, but why are we talking about Ian?”

  “I was just thinking about Mia. She deserves the best. She’s been dealt a shitty hand and doesn’t need to have her heart broken.”

  He reached over and placed his hand over mine, squeezing it gently, “Retract the claws, kitten. He’s not like that.” Panties ruined. I loved that he called me Kitten. I was practically purring. “So were you given a shitty hand in life?”

  “No, I’d say I had two pairs, but no high cards. It’s been straight through the middle. Not that it’s been easy, but I have two amazing parents who refuse to let me move out so that I can save all my money.”

  “They sound pretty great.” Just then the waitress brought our food and gave us another drink. After she walked away, the tension grew as the silence continued. “Kitten, you’re adorable. I’m curious, w
hat do you do for fun?”

  “I’m a homebody for the most part. I exercise a lot and then put on some Marvel movies and chill out.”

  “Which one is your favorite?”

  I felt like he asked a trick question. How can one have just one favorite when it came to Marvel? “Character or Movie?”

  “Movie.”

  “That’s so hard. Let me think about that one.”

  “I’ve got all night, kitten.” He takes another bite of his food.

  I can’t get the question out of my head, so I tossed out, “I’d go with the First Avengers movie or Thor Ragnarök.”

  “Those are good. I’m an Ironman guy myself, although the first Captain America movie is pretty cool.”

  “Great choices.”

  We finished our dinner, but we decided to have one drink.

  “How about you show me your boat after we finish here?” I wanted him so badly that I was willing to climb onto the boat and lose my virginity to Devin Malcolm.

  We walked in a comfortable silence to the boat. He helped me to board and then took my hand and led me to the main cabin area. “This is the place where we convene to talk shop and eat, plus just to hang out because it’s a lot of long days and nights.”

  “Is the smell terrible?” His smell was the only thing that bothered me—making me hot and bothered to be exact.

  “No. Down here, it smells like bleach and like Lemon Pledge or something.”

  “We try to keep everything clean. We’re not complete savages.” He chuckled and the sound reverberated through my soul. I wanted him to pick me up and carry me to his bed, so he could fuck me stupid. An insane rush of jealousy pumped through me as I thought about wanting to see where he slept.

  “So do you usually bring girls on here to fuck?”

  “That’s not why I brought you here.” So he only brought other women here? Was I not sexy enough? I wasn’t good at this dating thing. I thought he was interested in me. I guess I was wrong. “Are you thirsty?”

  For some of him. I walked over to the fridge on board and pulled out some booze and started to drink. The thought of his rejection was hard to bear. I hoped we never ran into each other again, but I knew that would be impossible if Ian and Mia got married.

  Chapter One

  Devin

  I adjusted my tie for the tenth time in the spare bedroom mirror. My best friend, Ian, was getting married to a woman he met a month ago. I would say that’s fucking fast, but I was only upset that he beat me to the altar. While he fell in love with Mia at first sight, I had let her sexy cousin Jamie steal my heart right out of my chest.

  From the second I saw her in her Star Wars tee with her hardened nipples pressing against the fabric, I knew that I wanted her. Initially, I thought I’d gone crazy, feeling nothing but lust, but by the end of the day, I pictured her green eyes and brown hair in my dreams. She did everything to avoid me, but I wouldn’t give up. Malcolm men never gave up.

  “Still messing with the tie?” Ian’s mother said as she entered the room.

  With a sheepish smile, I confessed, “I hate these things.”

  She stepped up to me, and I lifted my chin so she could adjust the damn thing. “You look like a nervous groom instead of a groomsman. Is there something going on with you and Jamie?” A straight shooter through and through, she never pulled punches.

  “There will be, if I get what I want.” And Jamie was all I wanted. She’d become my obsession before I even realized it. Now, there wasn’t anything I wouldn’t do to make her mine for the rest of our lives.

  “You have a two-month expedition coming up, don’t you?” Did she have to remind me?

  My mood soured instantly. “I do, and for the first time I’m not interested in going.” That had been a total shocker even to me, especially since it was being filmed for a shark show. I’d been on the water since I first learned how to swim. My parents instilled the love of the ocean in me, and I hadn’t once second-guessed that love until I’d met Jamie. Then I understood that there was indeed a more profound love. One I’d move heaven and earth for—her love.

  “Things will work themselves out. Speaking of going, I need to check on the bride-to-be. The tie is fine.” She sauntered out of the room.

  I looked at myself one more time before taking a drink of whiskey. I tugged at my cuffs and then left the room with my drink in hand.

  As a marine biologist, I didn’t wear suits often, so the tie got on my nerves. I only had to manage to keep it on until after the wedding. After the reception, I intended to lose this fucker or maybe make it a piece of a bonfire.

  When I walked out into the living room, there Jamie stood, looking gorgeous as always in a light blue dress that went just to her knees. It hugged every inch of her, and my cock noticed how sexy she was. I hated that dress. Tonight, it was going into the flames with my damn tie.

  Damn. I longed to slide my hands under the material and cup her ass and pull her into me so she could feel how hard she made me.

  I couldn’t get her out of my head since the crazy day we’d met. It took a while to get her to go on a date with me. The dinner had been great, but the rest of the night had been a bust. She pumped me for information about Ian.

  That night I behaved like a gentleman and answered her questions. No matter how much I wanted to fuck her, I didn’t try to get her naked because she started drinking. Since then, she refused to talk to me. Jamie was lucky I had shit to do or I’d take her over my fucking shoulder and spank her pretty ass bright pink until she told me what I’d done to upset her.

  I turned away to get control of myself before I approached my future wife. In the meantime, I scanned the room for the groom. I couldn’t spot Ian anywhere. He should have arrived by now. Did he go and sneak in to see Mia for a quickie? I walked up to his father and my woman. She scowled as soon as she saw me. I shrugged in her direction and took a drink from my tumbler, pretending to be unaffected by her anger when I really ached to kiss that pout away. “Where’s the groom?” I asked Ian’s dad.

  “He left the house over an hour ago.” I hoped he didn’t get into an accident. I tried his cell, hoping he’d answer me, but it went to voicemail. I could sense his father was extremely concerned, which made me wonder if Ian wasn’t answering his father’s calls either.

  “Shit. I hope he didn’t have any second thoughts,” Jamie remarked, crossing her arms over her large breasts. My eyes trained on them, licking my lips. “Cold feet, maybe?”

  I met her eyes again and glared. My hand itched to redden her ass for that lie. “That’s total bullshit, and not a single person would believe that.”

  “Of course not, but Mia’s my cousin and best friend. I’d kill him if he did.”

  “He’d do anything for her,” I informed her.

  “Then she’s lucky to find a good man. It’s a rare thing, Mr. Malcolm.” She pursed her lips and tilted her head.

  “Babe, was that a dig at me?” I crowded her space.

  She didn’t back up. Instead she lifted her chin and challenged me. “No, but if you feel guilty—”

  I slid my hand around her waist and dragged her to me. “Yes, I should have fucked my baby into you instead of talking when I had the chance.” Her eyes lit up with excitement and then shifted to embarrassment.

  “No, you shouldn’t have,” her father growled next to me. Shit—he came out of nowhere. Oops.

  “I’m going to check on Mia,” Jamie said, running as quickly as she could. The thing was, I didn’t know if it was because she was afraid of me, or him.

  “Devin, follow me.”

  “Hey, remember no spilling blood,” Ian’s father reminded us.

  “Nothing but words,” he promised. I didn’t want to fight the man, but not because I was afraid of him. Upsetting Jamie and Mia was the only reason I didn’t want to kick his ass. He would be my father-in-law one day; creating a rift would make our lives difficult.

  As soon as Ian’s office door closed, he turned and aske
d, “What are your intentions with my daughter besides trying to fuck her? Is she just a quick lay for you?”

  “Well, that’s crass. I’m in love with her, if you must know. She’s under the mistaken impression that I’d let our difference in lives change the fact that I’m crazy about her.”

  “Why, because she hates the sea?”

  “It’s the smell she finds intolerable. Well, now since Mia was attacked, I guess the danger’s under the water as well.”

  “You have that correct. She’s got a keen sense of smell and when she doesn’t like the scent of something, it’s hard for her to bear. She hates the smell of seafood.”

  “And I work on the sea.” That was a super significant impediment. I’d do whatever I could to make it easier on her, but I knew that we were in this forever.

  “Yes, so you have a lot to work out before I become a grandfather. Understood?”

  “Yes.”

  He sighed, taking a drink of his own glass of whiskey. “From what I overheard, you obviously didn’t take advantage of an opportunity, which I respect.”

  “Next time I won’t be so blind.” I left him with his jaw on the floor. I better hope that he doesn’t snap, but the thought of someone keeping me away from her was unacceptable.

  When I walked out into the hall, Ian was there. “Hey, buddy. Ready to get married?”

  “More than anything.” We’d been friends for as long as I could remember. We were both marine biologists, but he’d been the star, which I was grateful for. I enjoyed staying in the background while tagging sharks and working in his lab.

  “Let’s do this.”

  “So where were you?” I asked as we moved into position.

  “There was an accident blocking my way. I lost my cell phone, but apparently my mom took it by accident.”