Instinctive (6 page)

As she shifted from one foot to another in her sensible flats, it occurred to her that this man was Dangerous with a capital D, and she needed to keep her distance, especially if she wanted to modify her wicked ways.

That realization soured her smile. She shot him a wary glance and, needing to escape, took a measured step backward. When her leg connected with something solid she spun around.

Oh shit.

“I’m sorry,” she said quickly as she watched the little girl’s big scoop of strawberry ice cream splatter to the sun-scorched sidewalk. “Let me get you another,” Jaclyn hurriedly offered.

Watery eyes took in the big, gooey blob and then stared up
at Jaclyn in quiet distress. A second later, the child made a move to retrieve the liquefying ball, but Jaclyn bent down on one knee and stopped her. Unfortunately, the five-second rule didn’t apply to ice cream.

“It’s dirty, sweetie.” Fearing the child was about to burst into tears, Jaclyn grabbed a handful of chocolate mints from her handbag and placed them in the girl’s palm—a temporary peace offering. “Have these and I’ll be back in two seconds, okay?” Jaclyn climbed to her feet just as the mother came through the door.

Jaclyn caught the disappointed look on the mother’s face as her glance went from her child to the puddle of melting pink cream.

Hands out, palms up, Jaclyn said, “It was my fault.”

Ignoring Jaclyn, the mother grabbed her child by the arm. “Candace, look what you’ve done. How many times do I have to tell you to be careful? You should have listened to me when I told you to choose a cup over a cone.” She pulled the child away from the spreading mess and whispered, “So clumsy,” under her breath.

Jaclyn’s heart skipped a beat as she looked down at the whimpering little girl. Having been the recipient of many disappointed parental glares over the years, Jaclyn felt sorry for the child. Little Candace couldn’t help her clumsy nature any more than Jaclyn could help her sexual one.

Jaclyn intervened. “Uh, it was my fault.”

The woman spun around and Jaclyn felt herself wilt under her pewter glare. If looks could have killed, Jaclyn’s family would have been picking out their funeral attire.

Seconds before the child put a chocolate in her mouth, her mother’s eyes widened and she grabbed all the mints from her hands. “Where did you get these?” she shrieked.

The child pointed to Jaclyn.

Oh shit, Jaclyn thought again, realizing her day had just gone from bad to worse.

The mother waved the candy in Jaclyn’s face. “What do you think you’re doing? You can’t just give candy to children.”

Jaclyn shrugged. “I never thought—”

Enraged, the mother cut her off. “That’s right. You never thought. This stuff will kill her. She’s allergic.”

Jaclyn frowned. Sure chocolate made babies sick—heck, it could even kill dogs—but she’d never heard of anyone being allergic before. “I’m sorry. I didn’t know.”

“Is there a problem here?”

Jaclyn spun around and came face-to-face with Mr. Testosterone in a T-shirt. Well, actually it was more like face to chest. Her face. His chest. And oh what a magnificent chest it was. She quickly tipped her chin to meet his eyes. When their gazes connected and locked, she felt like she’d just received a blow to the midsection.

His commanding manner drew the attention of all those surrounding them. A hush fell over the sidewalk. The mother physically retreated, even the child stopped whimpering in his presence.

Jaclyn strived for normalcy. “We had an accident.”

He stepped toward her to peer over her shoulder, and she was certain she heard him inhale. She took a quick moment to wonder if he liked her new jasmine-vanilla perfume.

He inched closer. His nearness made her breathless, and the earthy scent beneath the clean smell of soap made her feel a little wild and wicked. When bewitching green cat eyes turned back to hers, Jaclyn faltered, her legs turning to overcooked noodles beneath her. Warmth flooded her system as one large hand circled her waist to support her, preventing her from escaping, which, ultimately, would have been the smart thing to do. Too bad common sense wasn’t ruling her actions at this particular moment.

At first contact, sexual energy swirled throughout her body and exploded her senses. As life surged in her veins, she became hyperaware of the way her flesh began to itch and burn. She clawed discreetly at herself, scratching her arms as though she were trying to shed a layer, to crawl out of her skin.

His brow furrowed in concern, and a lock of dark hair fell over one eye. She fought the sudden urge to flick it back.

“Are you okay?” he asked, meshing her body to his.

She nodded and tried not to think about the powerful tingling sensation rushing its way through her bloodstream as her flesh connected with his in such a personal way.

As though he could read her every thought, feel her every desire, the corner of his mouth twitched. His smile was slow, inviting. “Then why are you turning red?”

Jesus, she hadn’t even realized she’d stopped breathing. She inhaled and filled her oxygen-deprived lungs with the aromatic country air. She waved one hand in front of her face, fanning herself.

“Heat,” she managed to get out, and tucked a wayward strand of hair behind her ear as she righted herself and escaped the enticing
circle of his arms. She watched the way Mr. Testosterone carefully tracked her every movement, studying her intimately as she took a tiny step back. The hungry look he sent her way had her body quivering almost uncontrollably. As her body shifted into overdrive, foreign emotions and sensations ripped through her and practically rendered her speechless.

With remarkable success she managed to form a coherent sentence and answer the unasked question still lingering on his lips. “I spend most of my days in an air-conditioned building. I’m not used to prolonged exposure to sunshine. I think I’m prone to sunstroke,” she rambled on. God, was that her voice? She hardly recognized that deep, desirous tone.

A flurry of emotions passed over his face. “I see,” he said slowly, deliberately, as though tasting the electrically charged air around them.

She perused his sensuous mouth while lust sizzled between them. As his primal essence overwhelmed her, she spent one agonizing minute considering how that sexy mouth would feel on her skin, between her legs. Oh hell.

“Then we should get you inside before you pass out.” A bad-boy grin curled his mouth as his warm breath brushed over her skin, eliciting a shiver from deep within her core. Jesus, he had to be the sexiest man she’d ever encountered. “I’m not quite up on my CPR,” he confessed.

Desire slammed into her as she visualized herself lying horizontal while he pressed his mouth to hers. She placed her hand over her stomach, where need gathered in a ball. It was a need unlike anything she’d ever felt before.

Oh God, she really needed to pull herself together before she dragged him into the nearest alleyway and had her wicked way with him. Lord knows she was trying to be a good girl, but his body called out to her in ways that even she couldn’t understand.

He turned his attention to the child and spoke in a calming voice, reassuring her that she’d have a brand-new ice cream in just a few moments. With his back to her, Jaclyn took that opportunity to pull herself together.

When Mr. Testosterone turned her way, Jaclyn physically pulled back, arched her spine, and put on her best professional face, cloaking her true sexual nature. Her sudden change in demeanor seemed to perplex him.

He held his hand out, eyeing her cautiously. “I’m Slyck.”

Oh he was Slyck, all right. So was she. Slick between her thighs.

She accepted the offered hand and worked to summon a defense against his charm. “Jaclyn.”

He gestured to the candy shop. “Shall we?” There was a rich cadence to his voice that heated her from the inside out and did the most amazing things to the moist little spot between her legs.

Okay, so maybe her trip to the department store could wait a minute or two. When she nodded, he pressed his hand to the small of her back and guided her into the store. The intimacy of his gesture caught her off guard and had her pussy clamoring for his attention. Not to mention his tongue.

“You can cool off while I grab the child another cone.”

And here she’d rather
get off
.

Mercy!

After Slyck had bought Candace another ice-cream cone, he’d escorted Jaclyn to the department store and then briskly walked away, spending the next two days trying to figure out what it was about her that called out to him like a beacon in the night. Christ, just knowing she was in town, living across the street from him no less, had his mind in an uproar, and his cock rising at will, like he was nothing more than an untrained kitten. But there was something special about Jaclyn—something that brought out the animal in him, and had his panther itching in a way it had never itched before.

Night had fallen as Slyck left Vibes and made his way home. He shook his head in bewilderment, trying to make sense of it all, yet still unable to figure out who Jaclyn was, and what it was about her that intrigued him to the point of distraction.

In a town that never slept, streetlamps lit his path along the sidewalk and fanned out into the streets, illuminating a handful
of vamps who’d just recently awakened and were now making their way to the blood bank for replenishment before they hit the nightclub.

With an abundance of deer in the outskirts—deer that continually jumped the fence—keeping the vamps well fed never posed a problem. The deer, as well as the coyotes that managed to dig their way under the gate, also served to keep the lycans satisfied when they went for their compulsory monthly run. Since they’d rather avoid a bloodbath, the townsfolk remained inside on lockdown during that particular night.

Restless and edgy, Slyck walked down Mulberry Lane, slowing his pace as he passed Jaclyn’s house. His gaze strayed to her backyard, to the milk carton hanging from a tree. Was that some kind of homemade bird feeder? He shook his head. Honestly, the woman kept surprising him.

He turned his attention to her big bay window and hunger consumed him when he spotted her inside, dancing sensuously as she prepared dinner in her small kitchenette. Music blared from her stereo and cut through the still air. His muscles bunched, and his cock thickened as he took in the erotic sway of her body. Jesus, his attraction to her just wasn’t normal.

Slyck inhaled the enticing scent of warm barbecued chicken that seeped from her open window, making his stomach growl. Unfortunately, despite his own hunger, the delicious aroma did nothing to override the pressure brewing deep in his groin.

He took a long moment to gaze at her, then turned his attention to her fluttering curtain. Slyck spotted two glowing eyes cautiously watching him from behind the sheer lace.

“Hello, kitty,” he murmured. “You’d better stay inside where it’s safe.”

Sidestepping a blue vase, her kitty studied him carefully and swiped its paw at the window. He suspected the poor kitten had to be shaken by its new home and all the creatures roaming the streets. Especially the lycans. That thought even made Slyck shiver.

Slyck crossed the road and slipped through his back door. His house was cool, a welcome contrast to the hot outdoors. Without bothering to turn his lights on, he made his way to his upstairs bedroom. The perfect spot to keep his new neighbor under surveillance. He tried diligently to focus on the job, and keep his mind off his raging libido—he really did. But he had to admit that watching her had more to do with wanting her in his bed with his tongue tasting her skin, and less to do with keeping tabs on her actions for the town’s safety.

His exceptional night vision allowed him to easily see Jaclyn inside her kitchen. He scrubbed his hand over his jaw and inhaled. Her heavenly scent, a sexy combination of jasmine and vanilla, still lingered on his skin. He’d bet she’d taste just as exquisite between the legs.

As he watched her, he loved everything from the way she moved to the delicate way she ate her dinner and licked her fingers clean. She was mind-blowingly sexy, and it was all he could do not to cross the lane, grab her, bend that sweet little ass of hers over the sofa, and fuck her until sunrise. Christ, what was it about her that spawned such peculiar reactions in him?

Rattled by the lust rushing through his veins, he ripped open
the front of his jeans to release the pressure on his cock, and let his lust-drunk mind wander. He ached to unleash himself on her, to greedily pull her marbled nipples into his mouth, to part her nether lips with the tip of his tongue and taste her sweet cream.

God, he’d never felt so aroused by a human female before. As a were-cat he was only attracted to his own kind. He stroked his engorged cock as he mulled that thought over for a moment. Was it possible that underneath that prim exterior she was panther? Surely that wasn’t possible. Because if it was, she’d never be able to suppress her wild, sexual nature or keep her body buttoned up beneath that starched white blouse. She’d also have a distinct feline scent. A rich, earthy aroma that would be recognizable to him, as well as every other lycan in town.

Then again, there had been moments when he caught a glimpse of something primal beneath her staid clothing, and when he’d anchored her body to his outside the candy store two days previous, he felt desire stirring inside her before she quickly banked it. But how could she suppress it? It was impossible for a “she panther” to keep her femininity hidden. It went completely against their natures.

An uneasy feeling closed in on him. It couldn’t be possible.

It just couldn’t be.

Of course, there was one surefire way to find out.

After Jaclyn finished her meal, she deposited her dishes in the sink, switched all her lights off except the dim bulb above her range, and made her way into the front room. She moved in front of her bay window. Her position afforded him with an unobstructed view of her gorgeous body.