Claiming the Jackal

Slowly he closed the distance between them, a predator stalking his prey. Power and lust thickened the air between them, pressing against her skin, filling her pores with aching need. She saw his response to the energy flare in his eyes as he stopped again. So much beauty, so much power, so much sheer focus of will. If he touched her now, she’d be overwhelmed.

“If you’re unsure, you should leave now, Rana,” he told her, his voice dark and seductive. “You keep standing there, I’m going to kiss you again—and probably more. You don’t want that, walk away. If you do want that, stay where you are.” He grinned at her. “Or better yet, run.”

She shivered at the erotic dare in his words, her nipples tightening under the weight of his hungry gaze. “Run?” she repeated, still breathless from the thought of what he meant by more.

“I like the chase. It...invigorates me.”

If he were any more invigorated, she’d be in trouble. Who was she kidding? She was already in trouble, and they had yet to touch.

“Think you’ll be able to chase me with that extra limb in the way? You might trip yourself up, damage something.”

His mouth unzipped in a feral grin, a baring of teeth that jolted her heart and sent a burst of adrenaline crashing into her veins. “I’m going to chase you. Then I’m going to catch you. And then—then I’m going to make you scream for all the right reasons.”

Light-headed from a sudden bolt of lust, Rana took a step back. “You think you’ve got it like that?”

“I know it. I’ll prove it.” Another step closer. “I’ll give you a head start. One.”

Hiking up her skirts, she spun on her heels and ran, trailing laughter and shimmering with excitement. She could have run toward the safety of the community house, but she didn’t want safe. She wanted Hector, with all his dangerous intensity. So she ran away from the lake, away from the community house. Deeper into the trees, knowing he would follow, would chase—

Would catch her.

She’d gotten perhaps fifty yards deeper into the trees—or rather, he’d let her get fifty yards—before she felt strong arms clamping around her waist. In an impressive show of strength he swept her off her feet. She couldn’t stop the short shriek that escaped her lips as he caught her up and the world went sideways.

Next thing she knew, she lay flat on her back on a cushion of moss, Hector pinning her beneath the bulk of his very hard and very excited body. “Two.”

Desire thrummed through her, her blood rushing with the heady adrenaline of being chased and caught by this virile male. “You’ve caught me,” she breathed, tangling her legs with his. “Now what are you going to do with me?”

“Everything,” he ground out, his voice just this side of human. “I’m gonna do everything.”

He claimed her mouth in a kiss that slaughtered her senses and reduced her to nothing more than raw, aching need. As if someone had tossed a match on her, Rana went up in flames. She grabbed his hair, pressing her body against his, anchoring herself as she kissed him back with the same level of ferocity. Tongues tangled, teeth clashed as each tried to devour the other.

Was this a magical or chemical reaction, a long-slumbering need roaring to life or the will of their patron gods? At the moment, she didn’t care about anything beyond Hector’s scorching presence and getting even more of him.

“Too many clothes,” he muttered against her throat when they broke for air.

“You’re not wearing any,” she said just as she realized she was still fully dressed. “Oh. Yeah.”

She loosened her grip on him long enough pull her blouse over her head, her bra quickly following. Hector jerked at her skirt, and she lifted her hips so he could pull it and her panties away.

She expected him to immediately cover her again, and she would have welcomed that, welcomed the wildness that pulsed between them. Instead he paused, on his hands and knees above her, staring down at her. Knowing these jackals were night creatures, she knew he could see her much better than she could see him.

He leaned down, pressed his nose against her throat and inhaled. “You smell incredible.” His tongue stroked over the pulse at the base of her throat, a long, slow glide that left her shivering. “You taste even better.”

Her heart thudded in her chest as he licked his way down her throat to her chest. His lips hovered just over her heart, his breath scintillating warmth against the cool of the night.

“I can hear your heart pounding,” he whispered, words skating over her exposed skin. She couldn’t tell if his tone was concerned or pleased. “You’re not afraid, are you?”

“Not afraid. Not of you.” She reached up, cupped his jaw. “Maybe afraid of how much I want this.”

“Yeah, that,” he said, his voice like crushed gravel. “Need to taste you again.”