Amber Fire by Lisa Renée Jones Read Free Book Online Page A

hands went to Jareth’s chest, and she leaned away from him.
    â€œLike Chris is fine?” she demanded. “Was it a Yaguara that hurt him?”
    His brow arched. “Is that an accusation that I hear in your voice?” he demanded. “Because it sure doesn’t sound like the trust you promised me.”
    â€œWas that cat Yaguara?” she repeated, needing to know if she was sleeping with someone whose kind could do something like that to a young, innocent man.
    The air crackled with an instant charge of tension. “You mean the one that died from the bullet Chris put in her?” he asked, his voice blistering with anger. “No. She was not Yaguara.”
    Amber absorbed that news like a punch in the gut. “I . . . I’m sorry. I didn’t mean—”
    â€œYes,” he said. “You did.”
    Voices sounded nearby. Shouts followed. “They’re back! Mike and the crew are back!”
    Amber and Jareth turned to find Mike and several of her workers walking down the cliff, all of them in handcuffs, two uniformed men acting as their captors. Amber’s eyes traveled from one uniform to the next, noting the men were both of dark coloring, both with long hair, both wore an air of danger that said they didn’t need a gun to kill. They were Yaguara; she knew it in her gut.
    Amber cut her attention back to Jareth. “I thought they were coming in the morning,” she said, certain these were the wildlife officials he’d talked about who were bringing a warrant.
    â€œThey were,” Jareth said, releasing his hold on her arms. “Until your people started firing on jaguars.” He turned to start walking toward the men.
    Amber instantly grabbed his arm. “Jareth.”
    He stopped short and turned back. “Let’s deal with what is before us before someone else gets hurt, shall we?” His eyes were steely and cold. “We’ll deal with what is between us later. Alone .”
    She drew back, hugged herself. Alone with Jareth meant sex. Sex with Jareth meant total mental and physical meltdown. She would not think straight. She would want him. She would want more of him. She had to gain some semblance of control. Everything was spinning and tumbling out of control, especially her emotions. She took a step backward. “I’m not so sure that’s such a good idea.” Chris was in an ambulance near death. She barely knew Jareth. She needed time to think.
    Jareth grabbed her arm, dragged her close. “Do not even think about saying a word of what we have discussed to anyone, Amber. People will get hurt. You will get hurt.”
    She was shaking. Inside. Outside. All over. “Is that a threat?”
    â€œSweetheart,” he said, his voice raspy, almost a growl. “If I had wanted to hurt you, don’t you think I would have done it back at that waterfall? Or perhaps you’ve forgotten the pleasure, and I need to remind you?” Teal eyes bore into her with a challenge. “Make your choices wisely, Amber. Lives are on the line.” His grip fell away from her. “Go to the hospital and be with Chris. Call his family. Do what humans do in these situations. And I’ll do what I do—keep everyone alive. We’ll talk later.” His voice firmed and he repeated, “Alone.”
    He turned and walked away, leaving Amber staring after him in total shellshock, much like she’d felt when she’d first seen Chris, wounded and bleeding. Jareth was overwhelming. He’d come into her life and taken it over. There was possessiveness about his way with her that was forgiven only because, well, before now, it had made her hot. Now, it simply made her confused. Okay—it pissed her off, too. Who was he to act like he owned her? One hot romp under that waterfall did not give him any say in her life. So damn it, why did she feel like calling him back to her?
    She inhaled, watching him stalk away