Spotlight & Giveaway: Wolf Takes the Lead by Terry Spear

Today, HJ is pleased to share with you Terry Spear’s new release: Wolf Takes the Lead

USA Today bestselling author Terry Spear combines billionaire and shifter romance in a sexy, action-packed paranormal love story with a dash of fake dating.

 
Billionaire wolf Derek Spencer may have a rocky history with she-wolves, but there’s no one better to take as his date to the latest gala than the wolf he’s had his eye on ever since she applied to be his bodyguard—the remarkable Kate Hanover. Kate checks all the boxes for his perfect mate: she’s smart, sexy, and business savvy, not to mention one of the best bodyguards around.

But ever since Derek gave his bodyguard position to another wolf, Kate has been avoiding him. It’s only when she reluctantly agrees to be his date to the gala that she realizes why: the attraction between the two alpha wolves is undeniable, but Kate doesn’t want to end up as one of the billionaire’s many flings. The more time Kate and Derek spend together, the more they are in danger…of falling deeply in love.

Enjoy an exclusive excerpt from Wolf Takes the Lead 

Derek Spencer was running along the beach with his Irish setter rescues, Red and Foxy, his bodyguard Will Wolfson following him, when the billionaire gray wolf realized he hadn’t heard from his human girlfriend, Brenda Connors, in a few days. Since he was taking her to a charity gala ball the following night, he figured he’d better touch base with her when he got back in to make sure she was all right. She’d been moody of late, irritable with him, but no matter how much he had pressed her to learn what the matter was, she wouldn’t share with him. Maybe she didn’t even know herself what was bugging her.
Despite telling himself he should take the chance to date some she-wolves, Derek balked at going out with any of them. He told himself that after opening his heart to two of the she-wolves he’d loved and then lost to other wolves, he couldn’t let it happen again. It just wasn’t worth it. He couldn’t see a way past the anxiety he felt about even trying to date another she-wolf and risking falling in love again if she wanted nothing to do with having a permanent relationship with him. Hell, he was a billionaire and made all kinds of tough financial decisions. He could do just about anything he set his mind to, except when it came to dating she-wolves.
His friends had given up on trying to convince him to date the ones they knew. He did a lot of stuff with his male friends, but when they included their mates, he just felt like an outsider. He felt he was never going to be able to do anything but see human women he wouldn’t lose his heart to. He would never consider turning one of them either. Yet he wanted something more.
He wanted the connection he would have with a wolf mate that wasn’t anything like being with a human, no hidden secrets about what they were. That would be a relief—to let their wild selves out and enjoy spending the time with each other on wolf outings; to understand what it meant to be wolves; to be free to talk about wolf issues and to have that bond they shared. Sure, he talked to his wolf staff and his friends, but the bond between wolf mates went even deeper. He certainly wasn’t a lone wolf at heart.
He ran up the stairs to his ocean-view estate in northern California, removed the dogs’ leashes, and headed into the kitchen to pull a bottle of water out of the fridge to drink.
Will joined him. “That was a good run.”
“Yeah, the best.” Then Derek grabbed his phone to call Brenda.
“If you don’t need me for anything, I’m going to do a perimeter search.”
“Okay, thanks.” Ever since Derek had started dating Brenda six months ago, she’d wanted him to wear something that wouldn’t clash with what she was wearing to social engagements. It was a quirk of hers that he didn’t mind accommodating. But she hadn’t called him about it yet, and he wondered if she was in another one of her moods. He could deal with them better if he just knew what was bothering her. Then he had another notion. He hoped she wasn’t sick.
He called her several times before she finally answered her phone. He didn’t hear any sounds in the background indicating she was out on the town and too busy to answer the phone.
“Listen, Derek,” Brenda said. She didn’t sound like she was happy with him, and that made him suspicious. “I’m tired of all my friends asking if we are getting engaged and me hemming and hawing around about it. I like your little social gatherings just fine, but unless you’re going to propose to me soon, I’m no longer going out with you.”
Derek nearly choked on the water he was drinking out of the bottle. Her declaration surprised him because she hadn’t once hinted at wanting to be engaged at all. That’s what the mood swings were all about? He sure hadn’t expected her to just give him an ultimatum. Why hadn’t she talked to him about this earlier instead of putting on the pressure right before the social event? Well, he supposed that was the reason—to convince him to get off the wall and take a stand. He understood that she might eventually want a commitment, but he just wasn’t the one to give it to her.
“Okay, well, I’m sorry you feel that way. When we started dating, I told you nothing serious could come of it, but I understand. If you’re looking to marry someone, you’ll want to be free to do so.” He tried to sound amiable about it, though he was annoyed with her that she would wait until this late date to call it quits with him.
“Not with anyone else, Derek! With you. I’m not interested in seeing anyone else. I just believe we’ve been dating each other for long enough, that we need to make more of a formal commitment to each other. An engagement, I mean. I’m not seeing anyone else, and I don’t want to.”
He had always told her this was a way for both of them just to have a nice time. A way for her to social climb and for him to have a date at the charity functions. But marry her? She wasn’t a wolf! So there was no chance of that ever happening.

Excerpt. ©Terry Spear. Posted by arrangement with the publisher. All rights reserved.
 

Giveaway: A print copy of WOLF TAKES THE LEAD

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Meet the Author:

USA Today bestselling author Terry Spear has written over a hundred paranormal and medieval Highland romances. One of her bestselling titles, Heart of the Wolf was named a Publishers Weekly Best Book of the Year. She is an award-winning author with 2 Paranormal Excellence Awards for Romantic Literature. A retired officer of the U.S. Army Reserves, Terry also creates award-winning teddy bears that have found homes all over the world, helps out with her grandchildren, and enjoys her two Havanese dogs. She lives in Spring, Texas.
 
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