A faint breeze fingered the leaves of the trees so that they glittered silver and black in the night. Her scent was ripe and feminine, an allure all its own. He felt a growl rising in his throat, the beast roaring for freedom. Temptation was a woman cooling the heat of her body there by the pool in the moonlight. Riordan sank his nails deep into the branch to keep from going to her. His head pounded, his blood thick and hot. Every movement she made was a seduction. And what the h.e.l.l was she doing walking around half-naked all alone where any predator could come upon her?
Juliette rose with her lithe, sensuous grace, her b.r.e.a.s.t.s swaying in time with the seductive movement of her hips. He couldn"t take his hungry gaze off of her.
Honor and gentlemanly behavior were completely overridden by primitive possessiveness. She was his lifemate. She belonged to him. Her lush body was everything he could ever want. He wanted to start at the top of her head and kiss his way down to her toes, lingering in every intriguing shadow and hollow along the way. His gaze narrowed as he saw her look around, scrutinizing the trees and bushes before stepping up on the highest boulder. She lifted her face into the air and sniffed, as if scenting the wind. Apparently satisfied she was alone, she stepped back to the edge of the pool, her hands going to the zipper of her jeans.
Riordan bit down hard on his bottom lip, hoping the pain would distract him.
He couldn"t have looked away if his life depended on it. She tugged at her jeans. The humidity was high and the material clung to her skin, so she had to squirm and shimmy to get them over her hips and down her thighs. Her b.r.e.a.s.t.s jiggled invitingly as she did a little dance to rid herself of her clothes. Tight dark curls formed a vee at the junction of her legs, a tempting arrow to draw his attention. At once he caught her feminine fragrance, the call of woman to man. Her body was burning, catching fire from his thoughts. He was broadcasting his hunger far too loudly.
Juliette was very susceptible to his needs. Dark cravings ate at him, hardened his body and sent erotic images teasing his brain. She was there waiting for him, her body open for his, craving his with the same terrible need that could never be a.s.suaged. He closed his eyes and thought about how it would feel to plunge inside of her welcoming sheath, hot and tight and wet, slick with need for him.
Juliette made a single sound of distress as her body reacted to the waves of s.e.xual hunger, the l.u.s.t rising in him, l.u.s.t she"d helped to create with her blatant fantasies. Riordan drank her in through half-closed eyes, his lids heavy and his body on fire. He wanted to see her hands travel over her soft skin, taking the path his hands would take. Up her thighs, over her rounded belly, up her narrow rib cage to cup the weight of her b.r.e.a.s.t.s in his palms. He wanted her thumbs to tease and flick her dark nipples, bring them to a heated peak in antic.i.p.ation of his hot mouth suckling strongly.
He could already taste her, feel the soft mound of flesh in his mouth. He needed to pillow his head there, spend the night lavishing attention on each breast, on the dark inviting nipples, yet it wasn"t enough. He wanted to feel how hot she was. How wet. How much she needed his body deep inside of her. His palms itched to feel her thighs, soft and rounded with firm muscles. He would slide his palms upward, feel the heat of her entrance before widening her stance, wanting her legs open to him. Gently he would slide one finger deep inside of her. He actually felt fiery heat, slick and moist, and it nearly stopped his heart. He wanted more. Wanted to feel her body grip and hold, clamp tightly around his.
He couldn"t bear the feel of his clothes another moment and he dispensed with them easily with a single thought in the way of his people. The small breeze instantly caressed his body, touching him all over, adding to his sensitivity. He wished it were her fingers wrapping around the hard length of him. His erection was full and heavy and merciless, a pulsing, throbbing pain he could hardly endure.
d.a.m.n you, what are you doing to me? Her voice was breathless in his mind.
Husky. s.e.xy. Fraught with an elemental need.
d.a.m.n you back. My body is on fire. I want your mouth on me. I want to be inside of you. I do not want illusion. Your stubbornness is going to kill us both.
Juliette had never felt such unbearable l.u.s.t. It rose up from the very depths of her being and consumed her. She had always known there was pa.s.sion deep inside of her. The heat of the jungle made her feel sensual when others found it oppressive. She often felt s.e.xy, even seductive around men, but never had she felt such building heat. It was uncomfortable and unsettling, an edgy pressure demanding urgent relief. Her b.r.e.a.s.t.s ached for the feel of his mouth. She didn"t want a gentle lover, she wanted him to feel the same smoldering, dangerous pa.s.sion welling up in her. She wanted an explosive joining, his hard body driving deep and mercilessly into her. She itched and burned and hungered and there was no relief, no matter what she did. Are you near me? She couldn"t keep the invitation out of her voice. She looked around her, unconsciously enticing him with her body. She stretched her arms over her head, turned slowly in a circle. She knew she had a beautiful body and she wanted him to see it. He had done this to her, put her in this terrible state of pa.s.sion, and it was up to him to a.s.suage her unrelenting l.u.s.t.
I am watching you. Can"t you feel my eyes on you? You are so beautiful.
Touch yourself for me.
There was seduction in his voice. A purring command, a promise of exactly what she needed. s.e.x-hot, elemental. A fierce lover who would slake her burning need. Juliette turned her head so that her silken hair flew around her like a cape, settling over her shoulders and body, sliding over her sensitive skin. She felt his heated gaze burning over her and she smiled.
I"m so much hotter than you can imagine. I"m slick and wet, dripping for you. She licked her fingers, a slow deliberate curl of her tongue before sucking her own tangy juice from her fingers. I"m burning up. Are you going to just watch me all night or are you going to do something about it? Juliette had never been so bold in her life, but then she"d never felt such intense pressure. She was angry with him for making her so out of control, and if she was out of control, she was determined he would feel the same. And she wanted him right there, right now, and didn"t care that he knew it.
Riordan didn"t wait for a second invitation. He floated across the sky toward the pool, settling to earth behind her. She had a beautiful back and a perfect, rounded bottom. His hands slid over the curve of her hips, starkly possessive, and he dragged her roughly against him, wanting her to feel the thick, hard length of his erection pressed tightly against her bottom.
The breath slammed out of her lungs and hot fluid rushed to pool between her legs. His teeth skimmed the nape of her neck, her shoulder, and his hands slid up to cup her aching b.r.e.a.s.t.s. The soft weight filled his palms, his thumbs slid over her taut nipples, stroking caresses.
"I never thought I would find you. I spent centuries without hope, and you came to me in my darkest hour." His lips drifted up her neck to her ear, whispering the words while his hips pushed into her, rubbed to try, unsuccessfully, to ease some of the pressure.
His touch set every nerve ending screaming for relief. "I found you." Juliette didn"t recognize her own voice. She shook with hunger. His body was everything to her, his mind thrust deep inside of hers, heightening her pleasure at his touch, sharing her pa.s.sion, the intensity of her desire until she couldn"t tell where hers began or where his left off. "I can"t wait anymore. I want you inside of me."
His hand slid between her legs, felt her wet welcome. She nearly sobbed with pleasure, pushing against his hand. Her arm went back, circled his neck, dragged his head around so she could find his mouth, drown in his kisses, devour him, her teeth nibbling at his lips, her tongue dueling and dancing wildly with his. "I need you inside of me, Riordan. I"m going to burn up if you don"t hurry."
He bit wildly at her mouth, her neck, bent her back so he could get to her b.r.e.a.s.t.s. He"d been fantasizing about her b.r.e.a.s.t.s for so long he couldn"t stand not tasting them, drawing her into his mouth, suckling strongly, while his hips frantically surged against her enticing b.u.t.tocks. She screamed at the pull of his mouth, her hand tunneling in his hair, clutching his head to her while he devoured her breast. Every pull of his mouth sent wet heat pulsating through her body and trickling down her leg. Her cries nearly sent him over the edge. He bent her body forward, planting her hands on the boulders while he thrust his fingers deep into her to test her readiness. She pushed back into his hand, riding, bucking, sobbing for him enter her.
He caught her hips and held her, looking down at her beautiful body. His lifemate. Sultry, s.e.xy-everything he could ever want. Crying out for him.
Pleading for him to take her, to unite them. Demanding he take her. He was so hard he thought he might shatter. He surged into her thick wetness, one long stroke that felt as if it blew the top of his head off. Fire raced up his p.e.n.i.s, spread through his body, a volcanic eruption that reached all the way to his toes.
Juliette"s body was tight and hot and gripping his as he withdrew so that he shuddered with pleasure. She sobbed again, pushing eagerly back onto him as he thrust forward. He was large and thick, and driving through the soft folds was sweet torture. "Are you all right?" He was so large and she felt so small. He pressed her forward, adjusting their positions so she could take more of him. "I want all of me inside of you."
"I want every last bit of you in me too," Juliette answered. "Can"t you feel what I"m feeling? Harder. Faster. I need you to be crazy, because I feel crazy." And she did. She felt wild and heated and sensual and she wanted him out of control and driving into her with everything he was. Pouring his heart and soul and his very essence into her. "More, I want more."
Juliette gave herself up to the wild pounding. Every hard stroke sent vibrations of sheer pleasure rushing through her body. Every cell, every nerve ending, every tiny part of her burned and blazed. Her b.r.e.a.s.t.s ached and swung with every thrust, her hair brushed the ground and silky strands fell in her face. Her body was hot and sweaty and exploding in ecstasy. She took him with her over the edge, her muscles clamping around his thick erection and dragging every last drop of his seed out of him.
For Juliette it didn"t end, her body rippling with aftershocks, colors bursting behind her eyes and fireworks going off in her mind. She didn"t want him to move, wanted to savor their joined bodies. He was magnificent, long and thick and more than she could possibly have imagined.
Riordan slid out of her body reluctantly. When she made a soft sound of protest he drew her back into his arms. "We have time. All the time in the world, and I want to touch you. I love kissing you." His hands skimmed her b.r.e.a.s.t.s, moved up to frame her face. "And I hunger for the taste of you. I want to bring you more fully into my world."
She turned her face up to nuzzle his throat. "Do you know what I am?" She kissed the hollow of his throat, her hands sliding possessively over his body.
Stroking his flat stomach and kissing her way along his chest. Her hands caressed his p.e.n.i.s, shaping and teasing and memorizing the long line of him. "I"m jaguar. A shape-shifter. Are you certain I am what you want?"
Riordan answered her in the only way he could. His body was sensitized and reacting with more demands. His incisors lengthened as his p.e.n.i.s did. He bent his head and buried his teeth in the pulse beating so strongly in her neck.
She cried out, threw her head back and circled his neck with her arms, pressing her body closer to his. He had not used his tongue to prepare her for the shock of the connection, but Juliette felt it only as white-hot heat coursing through her bloodstream, as whips of lightning lashed every nerve ending into a s.e.xual frenzy.
He held her possessively, his hands tender, but commanding, shifting her so that the tips of her b.r.e.a.s.t.s rubbed against his chest and her hair was out of the way. So that his straining groin pressed against her soft belly. You taste like an exotic fruit, tangy and spicy and hot. I wonder what you"ll taste like when I crawl between your legs and drink my fill there.
Her entire body clenched. She closed her eyes and pressed closer to him. She wanted everything from him, with him. She wanted it all.
His tongue swept across the pinp.r.i.c.ks on her neck. His hand circled her throat, his thumb tipping up her face so that she was compelled to look into his eyes. See what I taste like. He commanded it in a purring, velvet voice, so mesmerizing she half fell into a dream. Riordan opened a line with a sharp fingernail, caught the back of her head in his palm and pressed her face forward until her mouth was pressed to the heavy muscles of his chest, just above his heart. She could feel it beating, accelerating as her lips moved over his skin, as she drew his dark gift into her body.
He brought her out of her enthrallment when she had taken enough for their second exchange, his mouth ravishing hers. He could kiss her forever, over and over and never get enough. Their mouths clung, tongues tangling wildly. Abruptly he pulled away, scowling at her. There was an ominous danger to his smoldering gaze.
"What?"
"Do not what me. You were thinking of another man."
Juliette ran her tongue over her bottom lip. "I was not thinking of another man.
I merely thought I"d never been with a man as s.e.xy as you. There"s a difference."
His hand circled her bare arm, brought her close to him. "You have been with another man."
"Jaguars are s.e.xual creatures, Riordan. We need s.e.x at times." She leaned forward and lapped at his chest, right above his heart. "Why should that bother you?"
"Juliette, we are bound together. I would know if you had s.e.x with another man. You could not hide it from me."
"I wouldn"t try to hide it from you." She pushed at the wall of his chest but he was a rock, and even with her unusual strength, she couldn"t move him.
"I would kill him."
"Why would you kill him? He isn"t the one bound to you."
"Exactly." Riordan turned away from her, a black anger he didn"t understand enveloping him. To cool off, he waded into the pool and looked back at her. She stood there with the moonlight spilling over her luscious body, her expression a mixture of amus.e.m.e.nt and exasperation. She was so beautiful he hurt just looking at her. "I am not human, Juliette and you can never think for one moment that I am. I am a predator and I will protect what is mine."
"Did I say I wanted another man? No! I was thinking no one else could compare with you. I was not thinking I wanted someone else. How could I, after what we just shared? Are you going to be an idiot and act jealous all the time? That would make me crazy."
He ducked under the water to rinse the heat from his skin. He stood up, the water lapping at his hips. "Come here."
"You didn"t answer me."
He sighed. "Yes, I am going to be an idiot and act jealous all the time. The idea of another man touching you, making love to you, makes me want to tear out his heart."
"Well." Juliette smiled and waded out to him. "I"d want to tear out the heart of any woman that tried to seduce you." She reached him, tipping up her face for his searing kiss. "We"ll both have to work not to be jealous idiots. I can"t see myself wanting anyone else when I have you."
"I will not mind if you wish to seduce me." He kissed her again, long, addictive kisses that had a bite to them.
"How lucky for me." She bent down and hit the water with her hand, sending up a spray that doused him thoroughly. Laughing, she dove away from him, swimming beneath the water to the center of the pond.
Chapter 6
RIORDAN watched her swim, her pale body slipping sensuously through the water. The clear liquid shimmered over her feminine form, enhancing every curve and secret hollow. Catching the glimpse of another man in her mind had been a shock, and he wasn"t certain why it would be. She was a very s.e.xual woman. She was bold and knew what she wanted. He wanted that kind of woman, as s.e.xual as he knew himself to be, yet the thought of another man leaning down to suckle her breast or plunge deep into her body made the beast in him rise. It was dark and ugly and utterly dangerous.
Juliette would attract the attention of men with her shapely body. She was the epitome of a s.e.xual creature. Riordan dove under water and began to swim laps, back and forth, driving himself to keep his fury at bay. If she ever wanted another man...
I thought lifemates wanted only each other. There was curiosity in her voice.
You are the only lifemate I have ever had. I am new at this.
He sounded so disgruntled she laughed and swam to the other side of the pool.
There was a smooth shelf formed from boulders beneath the surface near the edge of the water. Juliette sat on it and watched him swim back and forth like a shark.
Does it really bother you so much?
Riordan heard the soft tremor in her voice. Of course it bothers me. I am a possessive man. But it matters little, Juliette. We are lifemates. We are bound from this time forward and there will be no other.
Is that a decree? She didn"t know why she was suddenly close to tears. She wasn"t ashamed of her past. She didn"t want any other men now, but she couldn"t help that she had been born into a species that made it nearly impossible not to have s.e.x at certain times. She wasn"t about to apologize for who she was.
Riordan caught the echo of her thoughts, the painful tightness in her chest, and knew he hurt her. Had that been his intention? He hoped not. He would despise himself if his newly acquired emotions were so out of control that he could punish his lifemate for something she did before he met her.
He swam slowly across the pool until he was directly in front of her. "I do believe I am the idiot you called me. I apologize for my jealous streak. I also find I have a rotten temper which I shall do my best to control." He grinned at her, a sudden melting smile that brought life to his dark eyes. "It is the pa.s.sion in me. My blood runs hot and I am caught. Fortunately..." He moved closer to her, his hands circling her ankles. "I can make up for my shortcomings in other ways."
"Don"t you dare." She could see the mischief on his face.
He yanked on her legs, catching her by surprise, so that she slid toward him, her legs over his shoulders. I thought I would find out how you taste. If you"re as tangy and spicy all over as I imagine you are. Without giving her the slightest opportunity to squirm away, he lowered his head between her thighs.
Juliette jumped, but his hands cupped her bare b.u.t.tocks, fingers digging deep to hold her still. His teeth sc.r.a.ped the inside of her thigh. She heard herself moan softly. Felt the first surge of moist welcoming heat.
"Lie back for me," he said softly, "relax, float. Just feel. Just feel this time, Juliette."
She loved the way he said her name with his peculiar, very s.e.xy accent. She loved the way his eyes went dark and smoldered and hungered and burned over her body. His hair touched her sensitive skin, her body trembled. She felt his hand pushing against her heat. She stared up at the night sky, watched the droplets of rain come down in slow motion. Some landed on her face, some on her bare b.r.e.a.s.t.s. Water from the pool slid over her stomach, a silken blanket arousing her further. Juliette gave herself to him completely.
His finger pushed into her, stroking deep caresses, teasing and dancing until she moaned with pleasure. His mouth replaced his hand, a hot pulsing of fire that left her breathless, unable to scream, unable to breathe. Pressure built fast and hard and raged through her body for release. When her o.r.g.a.s.m hit, it was explosive and violent and shook her to the very core of her being.
Riordan slowly lifted his head from between her thighs, holding her secure when she might have drowned, might have just sunk to the bottom in a heap of heated feminine flesh. He pulled her through the water to him, rocked her gently while her body continued to sizzle and spark and ripple with pleasure.
Juliette wrapped her arms around his neck and laid her head on his shoulder. "I accept your apology."
His arms tightened possessively. He floated over to the small shelf near the water"s edge. "I hoped you would feel my sincerity."
"Do you think a woman can fall in love with a man she barely knows?"
"I do not know, but she can fall in love with a man after she has walked in his mind and knows who he is and what he stands for."
She kissed his neck. "I never once dreamed I would have a man in my life.
Never once."
"That is only because you could not conjure up the image of such a charming man." He sank down onto the shelf looking pleased with himself and pulled her onto his lap, cradling her close. "I have four brothers." He pushed the wet hair from the side of her neck and threw it back in a long, wet trail over her shoulder.
"Our prince sent us out so many years ago this country has become our home. I am the youngest in the family, and my brothers worry for me, all of them. Nicolas and Rafael are out of the country at the moment so you are safe from meeting them en ma.s.se. We have very close ties to a family of humans..."
"The ones who work your cattle empire," she interrupted.
"Ranch. It is large, but it is no empire. Yes, they run the ranch. They have young orphaned relatives in the United States and two of my brothers went to help them smooth the way to bring them home."
She looked up at him suspiciously. "What does that mean? Smooth the way.
By using their voices with hypnotic suggestions? Their eyes mesmerizing people?"
He grinned again, softening the lines in his face. "Is that what you think I do?"
"You"re shameless about it," she confirmed.
"It worked on you, and that is all that matters."
"You wish it worked on me. I just happen to like the way you"re put together." She laced her fingers through his. "So you have a big ranch and live there with four overprotective brothers and a human family as well."
"My other brothers, Manolito and Zacarias, the eldest, are probably heading this way as we speak to check on me as if I were an infant."
She brought his hand to her mouth. "I"ll testify you"re long past the infant stage if you"d like."
"I doubt if it will be helpful. I can handle my brothers. I am just warning you that their protection will extend to you. We have to avoid them until I know you"re so completely captivated by my charm, you will not run away from them."
"I live with my younger sister, and my cousin. Jasmine, my little sister, is beautiful inside and out." Juliette frowned. "She is able to shift once in a while if she is under tremendous stress, but she can"t count on the ability as I do. My cousin and I are the protectors in my family. Not just in my family but for all women in our bloodline."
He was silent, waiting for her to continue. He sensed a terrible sadness and tightened his arms around her to give her comfort and support.
Juliette leaned her head against his shoulder, her hair floating on the water around them like seaweed. "I have to go back home and make certain my sister and my cousin are safe. I have a duty to my family, Riordan, just as you have one to your people. We don"t have men to protect us. Our men do not mate for life, nor do they stay with us. Some of the men try to kidnap and hold our women prisoners just to be able to keep the bloodline pure. Very few of us are capable of shifting into our other form. And it will continue to become fewer and fewer. They treat these women like breeding machines. It"s a horrible thing. They don"t love them or try to create an atmosphere of happiness, they simply force them to produce babies."