The Mating Ritual Read Free Page B

Even if he had managed to swim across he
wouldn’t have been able to climb up the embankment. More likely
than not he’d been washed down the river and had drowned. At least
she didn’t have to worry about the men anymore. Once she returned
to the cabin she’d call Detective Todd and tell her what happened,
and with a little luck, the local police were already searching for
her.
    Toni didn’t realize how close she was to the
edge until she felt the heel of her foot begin to slip. She
screamed when the reality that she was falling rushed over her.
Once again a muscular arm came out of nowhere and encircled her
waist. Then, with surprising ease, she was hauled against a huge
male body. She knew it was male because he was naked, and there was
no denying the feeling of a large, flaccid cock against her
backside.
    She glanced down, thanking God his arm wasn’t
as hairy as she’d been expecting, but still screamed and tried to
wiggle free. He was much too strong for her. He kept her tight
against him, grunting when she dug her nails into his flesh. He
pulled her away from the cave entrance and tossed her against the
cave wall. She hit it forcefully, crying out, and clutched the fur
as it started to slip down.
    Toni swung around and stared at the man in
shock. One thing she knew for certain, he wasn’t Bigfoot, but he
was big, possibly seven feet tall. And he was definitely human, his
features were rugged and strong and not totally unpleasant. He had
long brownish hair that appeared streaked with blond, his brown
eyes conveyed intelligence and something else that she couldn’t
quite put her finger on. His naked body revealed that he was well
muscled, from his thick neck, defined biceps, pectorals, and
sculptured abs. His thighs were as solid as small tree trunks, and
his flaccid cock was surprisingly thick and long. The light dusting
of hair that covered his body was like any other man, allowing Toni
to see his scars and other imperfections. As he stood there staring
at her he made her feel something wild and primitive. He was
magnificent.
    Ohmygod! Was he part of the wild
people that the locals spoke of, the ones who lived in the
mountains? Did they really exist? Toni felt her heart begin to race
with growing fear. His gaze moved over her in much the same way
that she had examined him, and it was then that she recognized that
it was interest in his eyes.
    She clutched the animal hide tighter to her
breast. His mouth quirked in the semblance of a grin, which, under
normal circumstances would have calmed her nerves somewhat. But
these were not normal circumstances, and when he moved she gasped,
and leaned as far as she could against the cold stone behind her.
The closer he got, the smaller she felt. Toni had to look a long
way up to meet his eyes.
    “What… who are you?” She didn’t even know if
he understood or spoke English.
    “My clan calls me Cormac. I brought you
here.”
    His clan? His gaze continued to roam over
Toni, slowly, as though he could see right through the fur that she
held in front of her. She cringed when he reached forward and
grabbed a handful of her long, brown hair, bringing it up to his
nose. She pulled it away from him. His response was a grunt, and a
tightening of his mouth. It was clear that he didn’t like what
she’d done. She swallowed hard, recognizing that he could probably
kill her with one blow. The sheer size of him was intimidating. A
flashback of the night before reminded Toni what he was capable
of.
    “My name is Toni.” She didn’t know why she
felt the need to introduce herself, except that he’d saved her
life, and maybe if she were friendly to him he would help her. She
wondered how she was going to find her way back home. One thing she
did know, she couldn’t stand there all day and do nothing.
    “Well, it was nice meeting you.” It seemed a
silly thing to say but he wasn’t very talkative, and Toni had no
reason to think she couldn’t leave.
    She pushed herself away