Page 27 of Marked By Moonlight

Reaching beneath the bed, she grabbed Molly’s collar to drag her out. A pair of sharp fangs sank into her hand. Claire cried out and let go. Sitting back, she stared at the bite mark on her hand, a haze of red clouding her vision. Rage consumed her, blocking out all reason. Before she knew it, she’d wedged herself back under the bed, her curses filling the air, intent only on wringing that cat’s neck.

She was crammed halfway under the bed when his voice penetrated her haze of rage.

“Cats don’t care for canines.”

With a screech, she wiggled out from under the bed. Once free, she toppled to her side and looked up at his towering figure. Heart hammering, she eyed the man filling her bedroom doorway, Molly forgotten.

Gideon leaned against the doorjamb, arms crossed over his broad chest. With his mussed hair and several days’ growth of beard shadowing his jaw, he looked like he hadn’t slept in a week.

“How do you keep getting in here?”

He thumbed behind him, the gesture somehow weary. “Sliding glass door. Easy to jimmy. Miss me?”

“No,” she snapped, her lips—and other places—suddenly tingling, refuting her words.

His gaze shifted to the suitcase on the floor. “Going somewhere?”

“No.”

“I can’t let you leave.” His words rang ominously. His vow to kill her if she didn’t cooperate echoed in her mind.

He stepped fully into the room, his shadow falling over her. His pale gaze slid over her bare legs splayed on the carpet. The air thickened. A ripple of awareness crossed between them and she watched the dark centers of his eyes dilate. The pulse at his neck beat faster. Their gazes locked. A loud drumbeat filled her ears.His heart.She knew this, just as she knew it was impossible to hear the pounding of his heart across a few feet. And yet she somehow did.

He advanced until he stood between her ankles. His eyes glowed green fire down at her. He extended a hand. She hesitated a moment before placing her fingers in the warm grasp of his. He pulled her up in one smooth motion, bringing her flush against him, flattening her breasts into his chest. Her nipples hardened, throbbing against the hard wall of him. The corners of his mouth lifted in a knowing smile. Her heart contracted at the sexy curveof his mouth, wanting, craving it on her own, remembering the taste of him.

Cocking an eyebrow, he wrapped one arm around her waist, holding her to him by the small of her back.

“You’re hot for it,” he mused, his voice a husky rumble.

She shook her head in fierce denial, her hair brushing her cheeks in soft strokes.

“No?” His hand slid around her waist, inching up her stomach and ribs, singeing her skin through the thin cotton of her shirt. Warm fingers closed unerringly over one nipple, testing, measuring, caressing the distended tip through her shirt and bra. She choked back a sob as his fingers played with her, his touch growing firmer until he was rolling and twisting the aroused peak between thumb and forefinger.

“What about now?” he rasped.

Mouth watering, she shook her head, refusing to surrender even if her body already had.

“No?” His hand dropped from her breast. She bit her lip to stop her cry of disappointment.

In one deft move, he popped the button free on her shorts and unzipped her. The backs of his fingers brushed her navel, scorching like fire as he delved inside her panties, his touch swift, sure, taking. He probed between her curls, playing with her, brushing the spot hidden within the folds of her sex. She jerked at the contact, moaning, and parted her legs wider.

He groaned, dipping his head close, long strands of dark blond hair brushing her face. Finding her clitoris, he rolled it between his fingers, exerting enough pressure to make her shudder against his hand.

“Definitely hot for it.” He thrust a finger deep inside her. Her head fell back, a silent scream lodged in her throat.

“God, you’re tight,” he muttered, easing in a second finger,stretching her, the pleasure a sweet pain that built the tension inside her.

“See.” His voice rolled over her, drugging, hypnotic. “You don’t want to go anywhere.”

His words sunk into her brain, a wash of cold where there had been nothing but heat before. She jerked away, his hand slipping from her gaping shorts. The backs of her knees bumped the bed, stopping her from total retreat.

The hand that had caressed her fell limply to his side. For several moments she could only stare at those fingers that had wreaked total havoc on her, longing for them to do so again. Horrified at herself, at her reaction to him, she squeezed her eyes in one tight blink.Get a grip, Claire.

“I can’t let you leave,” he repeated, regarding her with grim resolve, reminding her that while she might have been caught up in her body’s reaction, he was still someone who believed she was a werewolf.

Instinct gave way then.

Her leg lashed out with lightning speed, striking him directly between his legs. He hit the ground like a slab of stone. Snatching hold of her suitcase, she ran for the door, not allowing herself a moment of regret.

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