Wanton Read Free Page A

a frown, concern darkening his gaze as he searched her face.
    It hit her then. The instinct she’d denied earlier would no longer be ignored. It struck her squarely in the solar plexus, squeezing out what little air was left in her lungs.
    Mate.
    Oh, God, help her.
    Mate.
    Her claws dug into his flesh, raking down his chest as she scrambled to get away. He set her on her feet and dropped his hands. He lifted a placating palm when she hissed at him and skittered back. His frown deepened from concern to confusion. “What’s wrong, my mate?”
    She shook her head wildly, the damp strands of her hair whipping across her cheeks. “Don’t call me that!”
    He shoved a hand through his ebony curls and released a breath. “But it’s the truth. You’ve obviously sensed it, Jenise.”
    The way he said her name made it sound as though he savored the taste of it on his tongue. She shivered, crossing her arms over her bare breasts to cover the way his nearness made her nipples harden. Her reaction was more intense than when he’d watched her fuck Eric and Ryan.
    His gaze locked on the bite mark that scored her collarbone. Shane’s mark. Lifting his fingers, Daniel brushed their very tips over it. She flinched away and shuddered as pain and pleasure hit her simultaneously. “I—I was mated before. He died.”
    “When?”
    She swallowed hard, forcing the words out. “Two years ago.”
    “I’m sorry for your loss.” Daniel stepped closer, and her breathing hitched. His lips brushed over the mark in a soft kiss before moving to her earlobe. His breath whispered over her damp skin, and she couldn’t hold back a shiver. His deep voice rumbled in her ear. “But I’m happy for my gain. My mate. Jenise.”
    Fire exploded in her veins, her cunt contracting at just the words on his lips. His mouth closed over the sensitive skin at the base of her neck. His touch, his kiss, made wetness gather in her sex. Dragging in a steadying breath was no help; it only made his scent curl into her nostrils like sultry, seductive perfume. She swayed toward him, her breasts brushing against the rough silk of his chest. Her breath caught and heady pleasure coiled through her.
    Every instinct inside made her want to lose herself in the sensation, the bonding, the endless amazing sex that only a mate could give a woman. A small choking sound wrenched from her throat as she twisted away from him. She couldn’t sacrifice herself again; she wasn’t the girl she once was. She was stronger than that. Her instincts had to be wrong, but even that knowledge couldn’t keep the passion at bay. She so badly wanted him to fuck her. She needed it. Heat still held her body tight, grinding through her in a way it only could at Wild. She scrabbled backward up the shore, her heart pounding with a mix of terror and excitement.
    A wicked smile curved his lips. He balanced on the balls of his feet, tensing to see what she would do, which direction she would go. The hot anticipation in his eyes fed the sexual heat mounting in her body, twisting tight within her.
    Spinning on her toes, she darted away. Her instincts reveled in the chase. The hunt. The age-old mating ritual.
    The sound of her harsh breath echoed in her ears; the pounding of her heart was a distant roar. She crashed through the brush, going for speed over stealth. Leaping over a log, she doubled back on her own path and ran straight for the waterfall. The scent of water drew her forward. He was so close behind her at times she could feel the heat of his body. She sensed he held back, allowing her escape to let the chase go on, ratcheting the anticipation up to a screaming pitch.
    She could see the light coming through the thinning trees as she neared the waterfall. Just before she reached it, Daniel’s arm snapped around her waist and lifted her off her feet. Her back hit the rough bark of a tree, and she automatically wrapped her legs around his waist for balance. Her breasts crushed against his chest