Autumn Sacrifice Read Free

full moon, he could see the soft gray of her eyes as she watched him warily. If she had any idea what he was thinking right now, she’d be halfway across the country before he knew what hit him.
    When he’d sat next to her at the wedding and caught a whiff of her scent, he’d known. He’d known she was his mate. He’d been surprised that he hadn’t realized it years ago. But he’d just been coming into his power and could barely control his shifts, let alone recognize a mate. There had been a few other shifters in the area, but none that he and his brothers had had any kind of personal relationship with. Luckily, he and his brothers had had her father to help them through the adjustment. Though Joe wasn’t a shifter, his father had been, and he was able to help them cope with all the difficult changes.
    A slight breeze blew Brenna’s hair, and he caught the scent of vanilla and spice. It took almost all the control he possessed not to bury his fingers in the long, dark auburn strands and hold her head steady as he devoured her mouth. He managed to restrain himself, though. Barely. The restraint vanished as soon as she dragged her fingers through his hair and down the back of his neck. It was the tiniest caress, and yet, it sent need racing through his blood.
    Any pretense of dancing ended as he slid his hand up her back and fisted his fingers in her hair at the base of her skull. The action drew a surprised gasp from her parted lips. Her gaze dropped to his mouth. For a moment, he thought she was about to close the distance between them, but her eyes flitted up to meet his then darted away as if she’d lost her nerve.
    “Bren…” It was all he could choke out. He wanted her so badly. The scent of her arousal mixed with the warmth of her skin and her light perfume. Combined, it nearly swamped his senses.
    At the sound of her name, her tongue darted out to moisten her lips, and she lifted her eyes to his, making contact. She continued to hold his gaze as he lowered his head, finally closing her eyes as he claimed her mouth. He’d intended to make the kiss gentle, to tease her lips open so he could taste her. But the road to hell was paved with good intentions, and he just tossed down another paving stone. Slanting his lips over hers, he delved inside her mouth. Wine and her sweet flavor assailed him as he deepened the kiss.
    Hunger, sharp and needy, twisted his gut as he backed her against the trunk of a huge tree. A soft moan slipped from her mouth to his as he fitted her curves against his body. She gripped his hair and angled his head, kissing him as if she wanted him as fiercely as he wanted her. He needed to slow down, to tell her she was his mate, but he couldn’t find the words. When she slid her hands across his back and slipped her hands beneath the fabric of his shirt, stroking his overheated skin, he was lost to her touch. He groaned as her cool fingers moved, skimming over his stomach, brushing the button on his waistband, making him wish she’d just unfasten the damn thing already and take him in her hand.
    Instead, she smoothed her touch upward and slowly unknotted his tie before tugging his shirt buttons free from their holes. Breaking the kiss, she leaned forward and pressed her lips to his chest. The feel of her hot breath on his skin tightened his balls, and his hips jerked against hers. Her breathing turned ragged, coming out in strangled little bursts as the flesh of his nipple tightened against her lips. Trailing her fingers around the waistband of his pants, she drove his need higher. She flicked her tongue over the sensitive nub then scraped her teeth across it as he stifled a groan. His frayed control nearly snapped.
     
    In a move so fast, Brenna felt rather than saw it, Caleb grabbed her wrists and pinned her arms to the tree above her head. Breathing heavily, he stood back and stared at her. In the light of the moon, she saw that his eyes were no longer dark brown but shot through with