5 STARS: "Demon, werewolf, serial killer-Mating Claire is a very sensual book. The tension between Derek and Claire is undeniable; the reader can feel it. There are twists and turns throughout the plot that will keep the reader eagerly turning pages." --Debra Gaynor, Review Your Book

5 STARS: "Let me just start off by saying WOW! This book was just absolutely amazing! First of all, I loved the characters. They were well developed and very compelling. The dialogue was fun and thoroughly entertaining. It had a realistic flow to it and I found myself laughing aloud several times, which earned me a few weird looks. Claire was delightfully sassy, smart and independent, one of my favorite heroines in quite some time. Derek was no slouch either. He is deliciously sexy, smart and masculine! Very steamy read. I think I got a little flushed a couple of times and more than once wished I were in Claire’s place! Penn also did a great job in her story line. Good background and well laid foundation. Her story flowed consistently and smoothly. There was no downtime with this book. I sat down to start reading it and did not get up until I was finished with it. I will definitely be looking for the rest of this series. Jenny Penn clearly has a talent for writing a good hot story with a strong storyline." -- Adrien Blyss, The Romance Studio

4.5 BLUE RIBBONS: "Mating Claire: Sea Island Wolves 1 was a great read, knowing that it-s just the beginning of a series makes it even better. I love it when I get to meet new characters and get new glimpses into their lives with each new adventure they take. Ms. Penn is a new author to me and after reading this book I will definitely try to keep up with the series." -- Ladybird Robi, Romance Junkies

"Mating Claire is the first book in the Sea Island Wolves series, and if this book is any indication, this series is going to be phenomenal. Jenny Penn has written a very well-thought out plot and added in several unforgettable characters. Once I got started on this book, I didn't stop until the very last word was read. The wonderful secondary cast of characters in this book only enriched the story and made it all that more enjoyable. This is my first Jenny Penn book, but with her obvious talent for writing a riveting and complicated plot with outstanding characters and vivid descriptions, this will most certainly not be my last!" -- Melissa, ParaNormal Romance

Excerpt

STORY EXCERPT

Of all the undercover assignments she'd done over the years, playing Dorothy Walker was the easiest. Being Dorothy, Claire could be the uptight, anal-retentive person she really was. All she had to remember was to respond to the name Dorothy.

A pair of black boots crossed in the doorway drew her attention and her scowl. They were standard issue for the officers. She was not in the mood for any teasing. Sitting back on her heels, she looked up to give the man a set-down.

The words froze on her lips as the piercing blue gaze of the stranger trapped her eyes. He was large and heavily muscled. The charcoal gray shirt was pulled taut over a solid wall of steel.

His black slacks rode a little low on his hips, held down by the heavy gun belt. It added to the air of danger he exuded, emphasizing the narrowness of his hips and the thickness of his thighs.

Handsome was too pretty a word for his features. They were rough, rugged and inspired a primal thrill in her. His dark hair was a little long, falling around his ears and framing those amazing eyes.

Claire could sense the wolf prowling, stalking her, through those eyes. He was leaning against the doorframe. His stance was deceptively relaxed, but Claire wasn't buying into that lie.

She could feel the tension coiling in him as he studied her like a hunter sizing up the prey he was about to take down. Not with violence, though, but with barely restrained sexuality.

Her heart began to race as instinct whispered she should flee. Claire ground her teeth together, her hands curling into fists as she watched him sniff the air, scenting her arousal.

Her body's response to his blatantly sexual look riled her already inflamed temper. Narrowing her eyes on him, she rose to her feet. Carefully she set the stack of files on her desk and replaced the receiver.

"Can I help you?"

"I'm Chief Jacob." The man nodded his head slightly. "You must be Dorothy."

"Very perceptive." Claire was unable to keep the sarcastic edge out of her tone.

"So you're my new assistant."

The smooth southern drawl dripped like honey down Claire's spine and pooled warmly between her legs. Claire clamped her thighs together in a futile effort to hide his effect on her.

She looked at Derek Jacob, keeping her eyes off his face and away from those captivating eyes. The problem with that tactic was it meant she had to look at the rest of him. His hard, toned muscles were no less mouthwatering, no less mesmerizing.

Her mouth went dry as she watched the bulge in his gray slacks grow impossibly larger. Quickly she looked away, feeling her panties dampen in response.

The bastard sniffed the air again and her eyes shot back to his face. The edges of his lips kicked up in a satisfied smile and Claire knew exactly what she was dealing with. A werewolf.

Her eyes narrowed to dangerous slits as his gaze traveled downward, stopping and staying on her breasts. Despite her annoyance with the jerk, she felt her breasts tighten. Her nipples hardened, straining against the flimsy silk blouse.

The phone rang just then, jarring her out of her growing anger.

"Chief Jacob's office. How may I help you?"

Claire saw Derek snicker as her tone changed, becoming pleasant, almost cheerful. It was a farce. One she pulled off with ease as she listened to a breathless woman asking if the chief was in.

"Yes. May I ask who's calling?" Claire had to stop herself from rolling her eyes. With the Chief back, she was probably going to get a lot of these calls. No doubt the man had a whole harem of women who loved hard-bodied men in uniform.

"Never mind." The line went dead before Claire could respond.

"Well, Assistant Dorothy." His joking use of her title had Claire's teeth grinding. "You ready to catch me up?"

"Of course, Chief Jacob." Claire managed not to snarl. Just barely, but she managed. Gathering his schedule, the files he needed to review, and papers needing his signature, she turned.

"After you." Derek gestured to the open door of his office.

Lucky girl. That man is sizzling.

Kate's hungry voice echoed through Claire's mind. Claire saw the ghost materialize for just a moment before fading back into the air. The apparition's habit of popping in and out always irritated Claire.

"Something wrong?" For the first time the chief sounded serious, almost alarmed as he looked around the room.

Yeah, he has too many clothes on.

"No."

Tell him to get naked.

"Nothing." Claire's words were sharper than necessary. This time though her annoyance was not directed at the chief.

Trying to ignore Kate, she focused on Derek. That was a mistake. Trapped in the small office with him not more than a foot away had a disastrous effect on her equilibrium. As sexy as he was at a distance, he was outright gorgeous close up.

The small scars on his forehead and chin, the bump from a break on his nose, the laugh lines around his mouth, every little flaw added to his appeal. Derek Jacob was the living personification of the sexy bad-boy.

A walking wet dream, that's for damn sure.

Women don't have wet dreams, Claire mentally retorted, exasperated with the ghost.

The hell they can't.

I never had one.

I'm having one right now.

You don't have a body!

That's not stopping me.

"You alright?"

Claire took a deep breath, trying to clear her head. It didn't help. She stepped back, trying to put some distance between them.

It was a futile effort, one the chief took notice of with a raised eyebrow. His infernal smug smile reappeared. Arrogant wolf, he was probably used to women responding this way to him.

"Are you sure you're alright?"

"I'm fine," Claire muttered.

"A little hot maybe?" The humor in his tone was evident. "You look a little flushed?"

"No."

"Hmm." He considered her for a moment. "You're breathing a little fast. You got asthma?"

"I said I was fine."

"No need to be snippy." Derek shrugged.

"Snippy?"

"I was just being polite."

Polite was not the word for what the man was being, but Claire held her opinion back behind clenched teeth.

"Are you ready to work?"

"By all means." Derek nodded to a chair as he moved around his desk. "Have a seat and let's get to it."

ADULT EXCERPT

Derek's cock felt like a length of hot, living steel, driving him almost beyond control with the primal beat of lust pounding through his body. With every wave, his painfully tight flesh whispered demands.

Fuck. Claim. Mate. Now.

Perspiration poured from his body, as he fought the need to move faster. He wanted to pound into her, fill her, mark her as his forever. First, he wanted to hear her scream her satisfaction, scream his name, and beg him for more.

With an impatient motion, he shoved the jeans, with her sodden panties, down her legs. The material easily slid away, falling to the floorboard. The sweet scent of her arousal filled the steamy air.

The smell beckoned him, drugged him, as he slipped his fingers into the soft, wet folds of her pussy. She moaned, her hips jerking up toward his caress as his finger rubbed against her clit and began a slow circular motion that mimicked the slide of his tongue around her nipple.

She was hot, wet, ready and he nearly exploded in his jeans just from touching her. Silken muscles tightened as he plunged two thick fingers into her tight, clenching core. The muscles of her cunt tightened with biting force on his questing finger, driving Derek nearly mad with the need to replace his hands with his driving cock.

Ignoring her moans of protest, Derek lifted his head from her breast. Wanting to imprint the image of her open, wet with her desire, Derek stared down at her, not missing any detail of her delicious sex.

His body tightened at the sight of glistening female cream on her silken curls. The small lips pouted, parted, revealing her swollen clit, the tiny entrance to her tight sheath. His cock jerked, demanding release.

Unable to resist one taste, just one, he lowered his head to her pussy, his hand abandoning her breast for his jeans. With his other, he spread her pussy lips wide, examining the sweet heaven he was about to lay claim to.

Bending his head, he flicked his tongue out to taste the thick cream coating her sensitive lips. He licked one side then the other, making her moan and buck beneath him as he slipped past her clit, carefully avoiding the sensitive nub.

"My mate, hot, wet, hungry for me," Derek growled a second before plunging his tongue into her passage, making her cry out. "Mine, all mine."

Derek lifted one leg over his shoulder, opening her further for his conquering mouth. He showed no mercy as he fucked his tongue into her spasming cunt, licking upward to tease and flick her clit occasionally. Her other leg fell off the seat as her lower back lifted, offering him whatever he wanted.

Derek grasped his erection, stroking himself in an attempt to prolong the exquisite agony. He was not ready to give up his delicious treat, but his cock was making adamant demands. It wanted to be inside her, pounding into her, and his dick wanted that now.

The tenuous control he had maintained so far snapped. Promising himself he would dedicate hours later to tasting that sweet cunt that now belonged to him, he lifted himself up. Sliding his hands beneath the soft globes of her ass, he angled her toward his cock, placing the head against her opening.

He clenched his teeth against the pressure tightening his balls, fighting the exquisite agony of holding back, as he slowly forged into her hot, wet passage. Her muscles rippled, convulsing as he fed her his full length.

Her sweet pussy ate every inch, the slick walls hugging his inflamed flesh, pulling on him, begging for more until there was no more to give her. Seated fully inside her, he held himself still, savoring her tight hold, enjoying the feel of pleasure bubbling from his balls and up his spine.

It had never been like this. Now it would never be any other way. She was his mate, the woman who fit him perfectly, completed him.