The Soldier's Mate
Prequel to The Billionaire’s Mate

Professional Reviews

4 TEA CUPS: "Angel is a sweet natured divorcee who doesn't believe that at her age there is someone out there for her. Her friend Carly decides that yes there is and sends Angel's email address to a guy oversees in the army with her husband. Sparks fly across the computer screen upon their first video chat. Nick is a wolf shifter on the verge of retirement from the army when he meets Angel. He knew from their first communication she was his mate. Now all he wants is to claim her as his and start a new life with her. Only he doesn't know how to break it to her he's a wolf shifter. From the title alone, I knew this would be a great read. Nick and Angel's meeting is unconventional in the shifter world but very modern of how many couples meet today, so the storyline is quite unique. The only sense Nick has to go by is sight when he first meets Angel, but still he knew instinctively. The scene of Nick's homecoming at the airport is emotionally charged and will touch the hearts of everyone who has ever waited for a loved one to come home. It also should be noted that Cooper McKenzie does a fantastic job of keeping the reader all hot and bothered from beginning to end. This is a prequel to the story The Billionaire’s Mate and I for one can’t wait to see how it turns out for the other character introduced in this story. Recommended reading for those looking for an emotionally charged homecoming of the soldier kind with a much needed anticipatory release of the sexual kind." -- Yadkny, Happily Ever After Reviews

Excerpt

STORY EXCERPT

Angel shifted impatiently as the first passengers from Nick’s flight entered the airport. The butterflies in her stomach suddenly multiplied and morphed into tap-dancing elephants. The queasy feeling threatened to send her racing sick for the restroom.

She was just a few minutes from meeting the man she’d spent more time talking to online over the past two months than she had during the entire year she’d dated her ex-husband. Nick knew her better than her ex did, too. But was she really ready to meet him face to face? What if he had changed his mind? What if he wasn’t on the plane? Turning so she couldn’t see the passengers as they entered the building, she forced herself to take several slow deep breaths to calm down. She blinked rapidly to clear sudden tears from her eyes as well.

Feeling steadier, Angel turned back to face the thick glass security wall that separated her from the passenger’s waiting lounge.

Then she saw him. Tall, tan and wearing the green dress uniform of an Army soldier. He entered the building with a carry-on and a duffle bag slung over one shoulder and a huge suitcase in his opposite hand. His uniform hung from his shoulders, too big for his too lean frame.

Had he missed too many meals while chatting with her? Or was it just from living in the desert for such a long period? She remembered Carly saying something about Peter losing twenty pounds during his last six-month contract job in the desert.

She took a step forward just as the soldier turned and scanned the room. He looked older than the few pictures he’d sent her, but that was Nick. Her Nick. The other half of her soul.

She stared at him until he met her gaze. When their eyes connected, the small smile he’d worn grew until it encompassed his entire being. Shifting his bags higher on his shoulder, he walked faster, his long legs quickly covering the distance between them.

A warm electric pulse began in Angel’s middle. It felt just like the excitement she felt every time she found an email from him in her inbox, or saw that he had come online for their daily chats. The pulse grew stronger with every accelerating beat of her heart.

She began to walk toward him as well. So lost in his sparkling brown eyes, she almost slammed into the thick glass partition separating them. At the last second, she stopped then took a step back.

As the distance between them lessened, she watched his smile grow brighter and brighter. Soon it encompassed his entire being. She could almost see a golden glow surrounding him and wondered if he saw a similar one around her as well. She certainly felt happy and bright enough to light up the night sky.

As soon as he passed through the opening in the security wall, he set down his bags before continuing forward unencumbered. He did not stop until only a foot of space remained between them. Their eyes remained locked, sparkling brown and glowing green, but neither said a word.

Finally Nick blinked, and his gaze dropped from her eyes to take in the rest of her face. Lifting one hand, he cradled her cheek in his palm as he leaned forward and took a deep breath. It was so deep she wondered if he was inhaling her essence. “Oh thank God, it is you. Hello, my mate,” he whispered so only she could hear him. His voice was deeper than she expected.

Angel wasn’t sure her smile could grow any bigger. “Hello, Nick,” she said before taking the last step to close the remaining space between them. “Welcome to New Bern. Welcome home.”

His hand slid down and around to cup the back of her neck as he leaned even closer. Angel closed her eyes as his lips brushed over hers before backing away again as he licked his.

“Mmmm, minty.” His breath warmed her lips.

Time slowed as the tip of his tongue eased a line across her plump lower lip then back across her upper one. A heart beat later, he took her lower lip between the two of his and massaged its fullness. He licked every inch of it before releasing it. Tilting his head to better fit their lips together, the kiss became a living thing, growing and expanding around them to create a cocoon that blocked out every sound except the staccato beat of their hearts and the soft whoosh of their breathing.

Heat spiraled through Angel, pooling deep in her belly, and she felt her panties growing wetter and wetter. Her mouth opened and she licked his lip, then the tip of his tongue. Her heart beat faster as their tongues intertwined and began to dance back and forth from her mouth to his. The light touch of his tongue against hers felt like butterflies licking at her. It sent ripples of reaction through her entire body until even her fingers and toes tingled from the simple kiss.

When Nick’s long, hard cock pressed into her belly she shifted against him, the action automatic. Electrical pulses shot from belly to cunt. Her juices ran hot and wet, overflowing her cunt and quickly soaking her new silk thong.

Finally she could take no more without stripping them both and taking him right here in the middle of the airport. Taking a deep breath for strength, she broke the kiss and dropped her head forward to rest her forehead on his chest. Wrapping her arms around his waist, she held on tight as her knees quivered and threatened to buckle.

She felt him brush kisses over the back of her head as one arm rested against the back of her waist and the other stroked up and down her spine.

“Wow,” he murmured hoarsely.

ADULT EXCERPT

Releasing her breasts, she pinched her nipples between thumbs and forefingers. Then she began to roll the coral tips back and forth. That slight pinch set her hips swaying even harder. The combination of touches catapulted her closer and closer until she could see her orgasm rising around her like flames.

“Oh God, baby, you’re so beautiful. Come here,” Nick growled, his voice so deep and rough it added yet another layer to her arousal.

Angel danced around his chair, wondering when he’d stripped off his clothes. How had she missed that? She barely held onto the remaining strands of her control as she worked to drive her man past his limit. When she once again stood in front of him, she stopped. Bending at the hips, she laid her palms on his thighs so the pads of her thumbs brushed softly against his scrotum. Dropping to her knees between his widespread legs, she looked up at him. His eyes glowed gold with arousal.

“I love you, Nick.”

“I love you, too, my beautiful mate,” he said, his voice hoarse, and his tone strained.

Opening her lips, she extended her tongue and licked at the slit glistening with pre-cum. When that small touch elicited a hiss, she repeated the action. Pulling back, she licked her lips and savored the taste of him. Then she leaned forward and slid his shaft into her mouth until the head brushed against the back of her throat. 

Only then did she close her mouth around him with a soft “Mmmm.” She savored the feel of soft flesh over hard shaft as it filled her mouth.

“Oh God,” he groaned as his fingers threaded through her hair and began to massage her scalp. “I can’t hold on, baby. I’m too close.”

Angel slid up and down his shaft several times before pulling off again. “Relax and let go. I’ll take good care of you,” she said, meeting his heavy lidded gaze as she kissed the head of his cock.

Opening her mouth she returned to the task of giving him such pleasure he would never be able to sit in this chair without remembering this moment.

She knew he would take the job Adam offered. Maybe not today or tomorrow, but eventually he would say yes. He would not be able to sit around pretending to be a househusband for long. He was too alive, too smart, and too vital to play golf with the other retirees.

Taking a deep breath, she pushed herself to take him to the root.  She swallowed on him several times before backing off again. The pads of her thumbs rubbed small circles around his balls, stroking the skin softly as she swallowed again and again, caressing his entire length.

For a moment she wished she had a third hand so she could play with herself as well, so they could come together. But that wish disappeared when his cock jerked as she swirled her tongue around the head before taking him deep again.

“Oh, shit,” he growled as his fingers tightened in her hair.

His leg muscles clenched and his hips began to thrust up as his release overwhelmed him. She swallowed his essence as it exploded from him, grinning in delight around his length. She continued on his length until he relaxed back in the chair. Even then, she did not release him. She held him gently in the warmth of her mouth.  Her tongue softly stroked the thick vein that ran the lengthy underside of his cock. She did not release him until he slid his hands beneath her arms, and he lifted her to her feet.

“That was beautiful,” he said in a whisper. Once she was on her feet, he positioned her so she leaned against the desk. “But it wasn’t quite what I’d planned when we came in here. Lean back, love.” He ran a hand between her legs, through her folds and over her clit. She shivered with renewed hunger as his fingers then traced up her body to the valley between her breasts.

He pressed gently until she reclined on top of the desk. He lifted her legs and set her feet on the arms of the chair, opening her to him completely. “Now hold still. It’s my turn to give you pleasure.”