Chasing Paradise. Sondrae Bennett

      KENSINGTON PUBLISHING CORP.

      http://www.kensingtonbooks.com/

       For my parents. Your unwavering support has given me the strength to follow my dreams. Thank you for cheering me on during this journey.

       1

      Perfect. Ethan devoured the golden-haired woman with his eyes as she walked past in a red string bikini. Her lithe form was flawlessly displayed in red cloth swatches tied behind her neck and at each hip.

      As he looked around, Ethan breathed the crisp ocean air. Not a wolf searching for a mate in sight. Just plenty of sexy shifters in skimpy outfits. What more could a man ask for?

      He’d been wanting to vacation here for a long time, but this place was even better than he imagined. The beachside resort, located on the Californian coast, was renowned throughout the world as one of the best catering to shifter needs. Beside the beach, a large thick forest spread out for miles and was kept fully stocked with prey for their inner animals to hunt. Supposedly there was also a playground of some sort on the ocean floor for the aquatic shifters. Not surprising considering a family of otters owned and ran the place.

      Ethan smiled as he remembered the very friendly female otter who had checked him into the hotel earlier. The flirtatious woman had basically invited him into a closet for a quickie. In fact, all the female staff had been particularly forward.

      Ethan glanced around the beach again as he sipped his drink. Sunshine, warm water, umbrella drinks, and plenty of scantily clad women…this place was as close to paradise as he would ever get.

      Man, was he glad to get away. He hadn’t realized how much he’d needed a vacation until he got here. He’d never really thought about it before. But after his older brother, Jason, Premier of their wolf pack, had mated, every single female in his pack had turned their mate-trapping gazes on him. Vultures–the whole lot of them. Ethan had known he needed to escape if he wanted to retain his freedom–and his sanity.

      Sharing the responsibilities of the Alpine Woods pack with Jason and their younger brother Danny, was an honor he didn’t take lightly. But between his position in the pack and building the software business from the ground up with his brothers, Ethan was wiped out. It had been past time he did something for himself. His duties left him little time to enjoy the simple things in life. But for the next two weeks, he was a free man. He was determined to spend every minute of his vacation enjoying all the pleasures available before going back to the meat market his town had become, with him as the prime cut of fillet.

      The woman in the red bathing suit, a cheetah judging by her scent, twitched her hips as she walked past again, enticing him with her smile. The string ties swayed gently, begging his hands to untie them. Women were definitely high on the agenda.

      Although he never lacked for female attention, ever since his brother had started seeing his mate, Samantha, he’d had to be more cautious. Remembering all the grief he’d given Jason for not taking full advantage of the female attention he’d gotten as Premier, Ethan wondered why Jason hadn’t hit him. He would have if their positions had been reversed. He hadn’t understood until it was his turn. Those females didn’t want a night of hot sex. Well, they didn’t only want a night of hot sex. They were hunting for a mate, and Ethan had no desire to be trapped anytime in the near future. He loved women way too much to limit himself to just one.

      Scanning the beach he counted numerous women he wanted to know intimately. What a the perfect place for him to let loose and unwind. People traveled from all over the world to come here, and after seeing the place for himself, he wasn’t surprised. Every type of shifter imaginable wasn’t just welcomed, but catered to. Ethan fully intended to sample all the variety this resort had to offer. He winked at a group of giggling foxes when he caught them staring.

      A trio of female otters emerged from the water, drawing his attention. He watched as they shifted to their human forms, chasing each other around the beach. Their curvy forms and ample breasts were bare to any who cared to look as they scampered around. Ethan took another swig from his drink. Yep, this was going to be a great trip. The staff alone pretty much guaranteed it.

      Otter females were known for their lack of inhibition and playful spirits but he’d never met one before today. Based on what he’d seen so far, the rumors were spot on. They loved to flirt and fool around as much as Ethan did. He’d also heard they were one of the more promiscuous shifter breeds. Many of the staff had already made it clear he would be welcome to take things further than harmless flirting.

      He looked around once again and wondered which one he’d take to his bed first. So many choices and he fully planned to explore them all. A woman walking down the beach caught his eye. At first, his eyes moved past her, but they jumped back, staring as she moved away from the hotel.

      What was she wearing? Dressed in a black skirt and a button-down sapphire blue shirt, complete with clunky black heels, the woman stomped over to the giggling otter females. Her brown hair was pulled back in a severe bun and oval-shaped glasses framed her large round eyes. She captured his attention for being so completely out of place. What kind of woman wore a business suit to the beach?

      Sitting up a bit straighter, Ethan expected her to strip and go for a swim. The desire to see what she hid beneath all those clothes kept him from looking away. Something about the woman pulled at him. But instead of joining the other otters in their playful teasing, she stood next to them and gestured toward the hotel.

      As soon as she started talking, the other women stopped playing, wrapped themselves in towels, and nodding contritely, made their way back inside. Too bad. Ethan had been enjoying the view.

      But despite knowing the party was over, he couldn’t take his eyes off the austere-looking woman. The desire to take down her hair and strip her, right here for all to see, warred with his strange need to protect and shield her. What was wrong with him? He shook his head, trying to clear out the cobwebs.

      The woman wasn’t at all his type. Not only was her clothing rigid, but her whole personality radiated structure. Ethan preferred to think of himself as a “take it easy” kind of guy. The life of the party. But this woman looked like she’d never even been to one.

      The otter females had been having fun, but after one look from this woman, they headed inside. It was hard to imagine her ever letting loose or running around the beach naked. No, there was no reason he should be thinking of this woman in any light, except how to avoid her. But for some reason his eyes wouldn’t obey the command to look away.

      The woman was curvy like all the other otters. Not fat, but with a Marilyn Monroe figure many women would kill for. Her hips, even encased in the business-like black skirt, begged a man to grip them as she rode him.

      Ethan shook himself out of his musings. What was he thinking? This woman probably made love fully dressed so only necessary parts touched. Not his type at all.

      He continued to stare as one of the male waiters who brought drinks to beach dwellers walked over and spoke with the woman. A deep possessive growl rumbled from somewhere nearby. A clear warning to back off. Surprised, Ethan looked around trying to find the cause.

      The shifters lying on the beach glanced at him warily. Him? Had he made those growling noises? No way. He took a hasty sip of his drink and glanced back toward the otter, only to realize she was gone. Panic gripped him, his wolf frantic until he spotted