Mating Instinct: A Moon Shifter Novel Read Free Page B

she didn’t want this from a stranger. Not truly. As she started to walk around the truck to Scott’s side, she turned at the sound of a motorcycle pulling into the driveway behind them.
    Fury popped inside her at the sight of Jayce. Well, fury and something else that she refused to define. It might have been relief, but she wasn’t going to go there. Not tonight. Not when anger was so much easier.
    Stalking toward Jayce as he slid off the bike, she tried to keep her gaze from trailing down to those incredibly muscular legs. Didn’t matter that he was wearing jeans. She’d seen every inch of his naked body and the image was seared into her brain. He moved with such fluidity—it had always amazed her.
    Even now, when she wanted to pummel him for having the audacity to follow her, she still had to admire the strength and power he radiated. He would never be called handsome, or even good-looking, but there was something dangerous about Jayce that was incredibly sexy. Without even trying, he exuded a raw sexuality that made women stand up and take notice. With his shaved head and a scar that crisscrossed over his left eye, he had . . . a presence that refused to be ignored. The scar only added to that edginess. And he was directing all of that at her with a
very
heated stare.
    “What the hell are you doing here?” she practically shouted.
    Before he could answer, Scott was next to her, in front of her actually, partially blocking her from Jayce. “Can I help you, buddy?”
    Kat smiled haughtily at Jayce. At least Scott wasn’t a total wimp.
    But then Jayce trained his gaze on the other man. Jayce was scary when he wanted to be, and as she watched his normally gunmetal gray eyes turn to black, she actually had to force herself to stand her ground. He growled low in his throat. “You can go inside your fucking house and leave us alone.”
    Scott cleared his throat nervously, then looked at her. “You, uh, know this guy?”
    She could smell the fear on him. Bitter and acidic, it stung her nostrils. So much for not being a wimp. Ignoring Scott, she turned back to Jayce and set her hands on her hips. “Did you
follow
me here?”
    “What do you think?” he practically purred as he took a step closer.
    Now she scented something dark and rich, like chocolate.
Lust.
As a human she’d never had a clue that lust or desire actually had a smell, but now . . . this was addicting. She inhaled and for a moment she felt light-headed. But when she saw the knowing look in Jayce’s eyes, she snapped. “I think it’s pathetic that you’re following me around like a little puppy dog.” She knew he still wanted her and the knowledge made her feel powerful. Even if she was playing with fire by taunting him, it gave her perverse pleasure to see the anger flare in that newly darkened gaze.
    “Puppy dog?” His voice was low, a soft, menacing growl that made the hair on her arms stand straight up.
    Next to her Scott actually took a step back, using her body to block his own. Oh, yeah, total wimp. “Should I, uh, call the cops?” His voice was pitched a little higher than it had been earlier.
    “No. Just go inside and forget you met me.” She didn’t look at him and he didn’t question her directive. She heard him shuffle away, then fumble for his keys. They hit the pavement once, then seconds later she heard the front door slamming.
    Jayce continued to stare at her, his chest falling and rising erratically. Oh, yeah, she’d pissed him off really good.
    “Get. On. My. Bike.” The words tore from his throat with apparent difficulty.
    She really should just give in. Especially when he was in a mood like this. But she wasn’t in the mood to be passive or appeasing. She was in the mood to fight. “No.” With her gaze still on him, her eyes mocking, she pulled her cell phone out of her pocket. Before she had a chance to call someone for a ride, Jayce plucked it from her hand and shoved it in his front jeans pocket.
    Kat