NocC 024 - Katie Reus - A Jaguar's Kiss - Harlequin 2012-10 by Nocturne Read Free Book Online

There’s no one to cause trouble, even minor mischief. None of these attacks make sense.”
    Staring into the dancing flames, she took a bite of chocolate before putting one of the marshmallows over the small fire.
    “How’d you know I’d be here?” The quiet question snapped her gaze toward him.
    Swallowing hard, she tried to shrug casually but the action came off jerky and awkward. “It was only a guess. I didn’t know if you still came here, but…” She shrugged again, feeling stupid because she couldn’t find the words.
    His eyes seemed to darken as he watched her. Mesmerized, she couldn’t force herself to look away. It was as if he’d captured her and she had no willpower left. Even though his eyes didn’t move from her face, it was like he was undressing her, remembering what they’d shared that morning. Or maybe that was just wishful thinking on her part because she couldn’t seem to get rid of the deliciously erotic memory.
    The image of his head between her legs kept flashing in her mind no matter how hard she tried to banish it. Feeling her cheeks flush she tried to look away. She really did. But it was impossible.
    His eyes narrowed a fraction, as if he actually could read her mind. “What are you thinking about?” His already deep voice dropped an octave, taking on a wildly seductive quality and she felt herself drowning.
    “This morning,” she breathed out. No! Why had she admitted that out loud?
    A flicker of surprise crossed his features, but it quickly faded as he scooted a few inches closer to her. He placed his marshmallow roaster on one of the logs next to the fire. “I haven’t stopped thinking about it, either. Not the way you taste…or the way you look when you come.”
    Now her face flushed even hotter. Maybe she should feel embarrassed but the only thing running through her veins was a hot, burning need that ate her alive from the inside out. It was like a live thing inside her, growing, building, scorching .
    And Owen was the only one who could help her.
    With shaking hands, she unzipped her dark jacket with the faux-fur lining around the hood and shrugged it off. Underneath she wore a simple long-sleeved, green T-shirt…and no bra.
    It didn’t matter that she harbored hurt feelings deep inside her; the most primal part of her was drawn to him. She knew it was her jaguar and had a lot to do with biology. But he was the only person she’d ever loved. Right now she didn’t want to think about the past or any of that. She just wanted to spend a night in Owen’s arms. After the hellish past few months she’d had, dealing with the deaths of her entire team on an Op turned so very bad, she wanted to feel alive again. And damn Owen, he made her feel safe in a way she didn’t understand. Even while he scared the crap out of her because of those feelings, she knew she’d be completely safe in his arms. Anything was better than the smothering guilt at being the only survivor.
    Owen knelt in front of her, the muscles in his arms flexing as he reached for her leg. He always had an earthy scent but now it was so much stronger, drawing her to him. Silently, he unzipped her knee-high boot and slid it off, then did the same with the other one. Still kneeling, he braced his hands on his knees as he stared hard at her.
    She wanted to drop her gaze from his hungry stare but she held it, wondering what he was thinking. In the past she’d never had much of a problem reading him but now she felt a little lost.
    Finally he spoke, his words low, guttural. “I never meant to hurt you. I’d rather cut out my own heart than ever do that again. Words mean nothing. I know that. I still want you to know—”
    Gabriela shook her head, silencing him. “I don’t want to talk about the past. I just want to be with you tonight and not worry about anything else.”
    He sat there with a preternatural stillness and if she hadn’t seen the uneven rise and fall of his chest, she’d have wondered if