Instinctual by Amanda Mackey Read Free Book Online Page B

left them enchanted by the picture-perfect beauty of the coastal region.
    Not very much had changed since his first visit and he imagined it would remain unchanged in the future, which was part of its allure.
    His toes started to tingle, spreading quickly to his legs and thighs. Before long his entire body was buzzing with static. An erotic thought sped across his mind so fast he stopped short. Kate.
    His keenly tuned radar led him further down the uneven cobbles of the main street, towards the town square where revelers were already drinking and becoming merry.
    “I need you, Kate. Now. More than ever. I need your help. Where are you? Feel me and guide me. I know you can. You are the only one. Use your gift.”
    He closed his eyes and waited for a signal, drinking in the warmth of the oversized sun, letting the buzz and constant hum of his energy settle down. Market stalls lined the small piazza, making it even more cramped than normal. Fishermen, fruit sellers, and crafters were all out to cash in on festival day. Buskers sang for their lives, nodding intermittently as coins were thrown into makeshift piggy banks. Restaurant tables made up the cramped space with chairs and umbrellas spilling out onto any available space. There was barely room to move with hordes of people zig-zagging through the clutter.
    The quaint harbor sparkled like blue diamonds with its small fishing boats filling the marina.
    Jake suddenly felt as alive as the festival itself, which was in stark contrast to his mood half an hour ago. Music soothed him. He let it wash over him, mingling with the smell of freshly baked breads, pizza and limoncello.
    Like a magnet drawn to metal he moved through the crowd with agility, letting the pull guide him. His six foot tall frame towered over much of the crowd, enabling him to scope the entire square down to the wall that sheltered the small marina.
    Men, women, and children haggled at the market stalls noisily, waving their arms and raising their voices to be heard above the already raucous din.
    “Come on, baby. Find me.” It was hard to focus on any one thing with all the activity.
    He closed his eyes, trying to tune in to her. Flashbacks rocketed forth at a million miles per second. Kate running into the water as he chased her, laughing and squealing, carefree and wild, pretending to push him away when he caught her, then falling into him, letting him wrap around her before they fed off each other hungrily. Bam! Another image. Running again. More shots. Falling to the ground. Unable to breathe. Drunken nights drowning his sorrows with low-priced booze and even cheaper women.
    He struggled to pull free from the deluge of images pouring into his brain as he stood stock still, his left hand grabbing onto the stone harbor wall for support. He stifled a cough as his throat constricted. Feelings of dread and fear hovered way too long. Kate again. Basking in the glow that was Kate. Her allure tantalizing him to the point of insanity. She didn’t even have to be in the same room to affect him. His mind wandered again.
    “Do you feel that, baby?” They were in the back of a cab in Rome, not touching but sitting close.
    “Jake! I feel you. I always feel you. I crave you so much right now.”
    The entire day had been spent fighting off the urge to strip each other naked and go at it like rabbits beside the Trevi Fountain. Even to touch had been painful. A burn so intense, they’d chosen not to even hold hands until they’d arrived back home where they could douse the flames with an erotic marathon that lasted for hours.
    That same intense sensation hovered in the air now, pulling him. Tempting him like a forbidden fruit in an enchanted garden.
    Swaying from the heat of the sun and the buzz coursing into him, he had to place two hands on the three foot high wall.
    “You feel so close, Kate. Like I can almost touch you.”
    He turned and walked away from the harbor, becoming absorbed into the mass of