Instinctive by Cathryn Fox Read Free Book Online

automatically locked the door behind her, a habitual response compliments of big-city living.
    She walked the footpath to the backyard and cringed when she spotted the huge swimming pool. She was not a lover of water, even preferring quick showers over long, luxurious bubble baths. Still, it’d be a great spot for a barbecue should she need to host one.
    Leaving her car in the driveway, Jaclyn hitched her handbag high on her shoulder and glanced behind the houses across the
street from hers. She spotted a beautiful, albeit deserted, tree-fringed jogging park. Oddly enough, there wasn’t one dog walker to be found—not that she was a dog person. She shivered at the thought, really. But still, since it was such a familiar sight in Chicago, she expected to see a few people in the small town playing catch, or at least running the track with their pets.
    Taking in her surroundings and looking for the department store, she made her way down Main Street and walked past the candy store. The enticing smell of ice cream and chocolate called out to her and slowed her down. Mmm. Chocolate.
    The next best thing to sex, she decided. And since she was off sex . . .
    A bell above the door jingled as she dashed inside the air-conditioned building. After purchasing a bag of dark chocolate mints, she popped one into her mouth, dropped the rest into her handbag, and made her way out into the early-afternoon sunshine, to take another look around at the small town.
    Back out on the sidewalk, a woman and her child sidestepped her, barely sparing her a glance as they made their way inside for some candy. A few other people milled about, no more friendly than the mother and child. Jaclyn gave a heavy sigh and leaned against the hot brick building for a second, fearing this stint was going to be a hell of a lot harder than she had expected.
    The warm sun beat down on her as she glanced up and down the streets in search of the department store. Her gaze settled on Vibes, the nightclub adjacent to the firehouse, one that brought back rich, decadent memories of Risqué. Not to mention Brian.
    Or Kane.

    Her salacious mind conjured up heated memories of her night with the two men, the provocative slide show sending shivers of warm need all the way to the tips of her toes.
    Okay, speaking of alphas . . .
    She spotted a man with more testosterone than both Brian and Kane combined stepping from the club. Heck, he had more than all the muscle-bound men who frequented Risqué, actually. Her blood began pulsing in hot waves, and her nipples tightened almost painfully beneath her crisp white blouse. Tiny beads of perspiration broke out on her upper lip as she studied him from afar.
    Oh yeah, now there was a man who could corrupt her virtues with a blink of an eye. Looking sexy, completely groomed, and not at all uncomfortable in the blazing heat, he turned toward her. The mere sight of him from some twenty feet away had managed to reduce her to a wanton hussy. She could only imagine how she’d react if he was up close and personal. Her entire body shivered with longing, and deep between her thighs, her flamelike birthmark began to warm, tingle even. How odd.
    The guy was temptation. Pure and utter temptation.
    And so not what she needed right now.
    As heat flared on her cheeks, she pressed her thighs together in an attempt to rein in her lust. The last thing she expected to find was a badass like him in Serene. A badass who was tall, with broad shoulders, sun-kissed skin, and a delectable body designed to satisfy.
    A badass who was coming her way.
    He moved like an alley cat with slow, easy, confident strides.
Something about him told her he was a man who knew what he wanted and took what he needed.
    Damn, that excited her.
    He turned those gorgeous green eyes of his on her, and she considered what he saw. Stepping into her role of the good girl, she’d forgone makeup that morning, and had pinned her long hair up in an artful coiffure. Thanks to her