NocC 005 - Caridad Pineiro - Amazon Awakening - Harlequin 2011-12 by Nocturne Read Free Book Online

beneath the weight of his body for a moment with an apology. “I’m sorry. I’m too heavy,” he whispered, but she encircled him in her arms.
    “You feel fine,” she said, loathe to lose the contact with him and the sensation of being filled by him. Their connection was more than just physical. Something else had come to life, binding them.
    “As much as I hate to leave you now, our time here is limited,” he said and reluctantly slipped out of her.
    She protested when he eased to her side, but as he did so, she realized that although it had been night just seconds before, it was now daylight and the warm rays of the sun were spilling down on them, drying their bodies.
    “Where are we?” she asked, curiosity finally driving away the last vestiges of want.
     
    Rey rose and helped her to her feet, but kept a steadying arm around her since she was decidedly out-of-balance. He motioned to the rain forest around them, which was alive with all kinds of flowers and plants. Many more than had been in the space surrounding the plantation. The air was redolent with their vibrant scents. High above, monkeys swung from the trees and their actions roused protest from the many birds in the branches.
    As with the plants, the monkeys and birds were in amazing abundance, but the forest was filled with a multitude of fruit trees and banana plants to feed them. No one would go hungry in this place.
    The monkeys chattered loudly, and the colorful plumage on the birds competed with the riotous rainbow of colors in the flowers. It was so vibrant it almost hurt her eyes.
    “This is incredible,” she said, but a sudden low rumble sent a frisson of fear up her spine.
    With a loud roar, an immense jaguar ambled from the underbrush and came directly toward them.
    “Rey,” she warned and stepped back, trying to take him with her as her flight reaction kicked in.
    “There is no need to fear here,” he said and, as if to prove his point, he released her and walked toward the jaguar. When he was barely a foot away, he dropped to his knees and held out his hand.
    The jaguar walked right up to him, wrapped its two massive paws around his shoulders and began to lick his face. With a rough laugh and a noise that sounded like an answering purr from Rey, he dragged the cat down to the mossy ground. Playfully, he rolled around with it, scratching behind its ears and massaging the long powerful muscles along its flanks. The big cat purred with pleasure before giving a shake of its massive head and facing her.
    The cat’s gaze was surprisingly intelligent and appraising. The jaguar pushed off of Rey and approached her, but her earlier fear had vanished. When the jaguar reached her, it plopped on its haunches before her and tilted its head to the side, as if examining her. Then it raised one paw as if for a handshake.
    She glanced past the animal to Rey.
    Smiling, he met her gaze and said, “The jaguar is my guiding spirit. It came to welcome me back. Now it’s welcoming you.”
    She had to be dreaming or maybe hallucinating. Maybe there had been something in the wine she had drunk earlier. For good measure she pinched herself.
    The pain unfortunately confirmed that she was awake.
    The jaguar growled and pawed at the air before her and she relented, taking its large paw with both of her hands. A shock of power, like plugging into an electrical socket, traveled through her and settled in her center. At that spot, a strange vibration and heat sprung up before shooting out along her extremities once again.
    “She is strong,” she heard in her head before the animal retracted its paw and loped back into the jungle.
    Rey stood a few feet away, likewise considering her. When he walked toward her, as powerful and predatory as the jaguar, desire coursed through her body yet again. He was a beautiful man and she wasn’t sure she would ever tire of seeing him.
    Clearly he felt the same way about her. His eyes were dilated with desire and his erection,