Hunted Intensity Read online

  She idly wondered how the drug had been administered. There were no obvious signs that someone had attacked him. She couldn’t imagine anyone deliberately eating or drinking something that caused such severe reactions.

  Tyson stirred. She watched his green eyes slowly open. His gaze swept the room and then locked on her. He sat up and a smile crossed his face. His long black hair was mussed and he looked so sexy that she wanted to push him back on the mat and have another taste of what she’d had this morning. It had been so good. She’d never felt like that with anyone before. The intensity and the pleasure had driven her right out of her mind. Warmth stirred in her belly simply thinking about it.

  She sighed. It couldn’t happen again. She had to be strong. He couldn’t decide what he wanted now. Not in his present condition. She had to ensure they both kept to their own pallets. As much as she enjoyed the sex, it shouldn’t have happened. He didn’t know her. If he hadn’t been wandering around drugged, she doubted they ever would have met.

  “Come sit beside me, Tori.” He patted the pallet as he sat cross-legged, totally nude on top of the blanket.

  She groaned. The man had no modesty or any idea of how much she wanted to touch him. All that rich brown flesh on display made her fingers itch to feel his muscles rippling beneath his smooth skin. She had to get him into some clothing before she did something she’d regret.

  “Soon.” She nodded just to let him know that she was agreeing to sit beside him and then pointed to the pile of clothing she’d left near his pallet. “Why don’t you try on those pants that I found? In spite of the fire, this room is a little cool.”

  “I’d rather warm myself in you, i’ma.” He chuckled but his eyes were on her face and the blush coloring her cheeks. He stood and put on the pants.

  “If you’re feeling a little more lucid now, we need to talk.” She strode over and sat down facing him.

  “My mind is a little fuzzy and I’m tired, rah’ki, but I always knew what I was doing, especially this morning.” His eyes ran down her body, lingering on the thrust of her breast beneath her shirt.

  A smile kicked up a corner of her mouth. There was a bit of offended male dignity in that tone. “I was wondering if we were in any danger. I don’t know how you normally are, but I think someone drugged you. I wasn’t able to get a clear answer out of you.”

  “I’ma, you should know that no matter what condition I’m in, I would never bring danger to you. You’re too important to me.” He reached out and brushed his thumb across her cheek.

  She closed her eyes as she recognized that intent, but still a little unfocused stare. The drugs still held him. Goddess above, what would it be like to actually have someone feel like that about her?

  “What happened to you, Tyson?” She glanced over at him.

  He’d sat at an angle to her and his legs were stretched out in front of him. Those pants were almost indecently tight. He leaned back, bracing his weight on one hand. His long lashes almost completely veiled his eyes. He looked a little slumberous, but absolutely sexy.

  “I found my nari, my mate, at last.” His slow smile and the downward path of his eyes left no doubt about the direction of his thoughts.

  If there had been a wall behind her, she would have seen dancing sparkles of light in front of her eyes. Her head went back as his latest answer again focused on her. It was useless. All he was thinking about was sex. Well, her and sex.

  Tyson ate as if he was starving when she handed him a bowl of soup and some flatbread. He finished his first bowl just moments after she’d sat down. He didn’t ask or look to her to get more for him. He got up and filled his bowl. She’d expected him to be like most of the men from the village. They expected to be served.

  While she cleaned the dishes, he moved her pallet next to his, making one large bed. He stretched out on his side, watching her as he did every time he was awake. His eyes seldom left her if he was alert. Just as before, he drifted into a deep sleep with almost no warning. As much as he’d slept since he’d gotten here, he shouldn’t be sleepy at all.

  That made things easier on her. She didn’t have to try to argue with him about where she’d sleep. She moved her pallet. Not far. She would still be within his sight. In the dim light, he’d be able to see her if he woke before morning. There shouldn’t be a repeat of last night. He’d gotten up during the night because he’d thought she’d left him. Tonight, he would know she was still here.

  She fell asleep satisfied that she’d be able to keep her distance from him. She wouldn’t wake up aroused and desperate for him.

  A dizzy sensation and the feeling of her back leaving the pallet pulled her from sleep. Her eyes flew open and her arms flailed, trying to grasp something. Her right elbow dug into solid muscle and she turned toward it, holding on even as she realized who it was. Tyson’s arms tightened, holding her against his hard chest as he carried her the few paces to his pallet. He put her down and stalked away. She saw his shadowy form kneel and he moved her pallet next to his. He came back, lifting the blankets, and slipped in beside her. His arms encircled her, hauling her body against his.

  “What did you think you were doing over there, woman? You know you belong with me.” His hot breath feathered over her ear and his words sounded like they were grated from between clenched teeth.

  She resisted the urge to say “sleeping”. Starting with a bad attitude wouldn’t help. “You need your rest, Tyson.”

  And I need to keep my conscience clear. The sad fact was being near him was enough temptation to push her worries to the side. Add in the strange, incendiary way his scent fired her desire and she didn’t even want to resist. Keeping her distance had been the only way she could think of to counter that. She placed a hand on his chest. The feel of his hard body stirred warmth low in her belly, but that was nothing compared to what his scent did to her. She could feel her body loosening, the slide of warm, thick cream on her thighs and he did no more than hold her in a loose embrace.

  “I’ma, don’t you know that I would sleep much deeper if I know that you’re in my arms?” His breath sifted through her hair as he pulled her closer against him.

  She closed her eyes. The man was possessive and a cuddler. He liked to touch. When he was awake, he acted like he’d always known her. In sleep, he wrapped his body around hers as if he wanted to make sure she didn’t move without him knowing. Only moments later, she felt his breathing deepen and his body relax. Tyson was a menace. How was she supposed to sleep when her body hummed with arousal?

  * * * * *

  Tori slowly became aware that the slow, steady drumbeat penetrating her dreams wasn’t a drum or even the pounding of rain. It was the even, relaxed pulse of Tyson’s heart. Her ear pressed against his chest as she sprawled across him. His arm curled around her waist and his palm lightly cupped her hip. One of her legs was thrown over his and her pussy pressed against his hard muscled thigh. She could feel the slick liquid of her desire on her inner legs. If he was awake, he wouldn’t have any doubt that she wanted him.

  “It’s past time you woke up, rah’ki. The sweet scent of your need has been tormenting me. I was tempted to wake you as I did yesterday.” He rolled his hips and made sure she felt the length of his hard cock.

  She groaned. Resistance was impossible. Even now her body screamed for his talented hands stroking over her. The fact that she knew his desire wasn’t really for her didn’t seem to matter to her body. Her response to his touch was automatic even if it was going to nag at her conscience when she could think about the consequences.

  He lifted her astride his stomach. His cock nestled in the cleft of her buttocks. He was so sexy. His long, black hair spread around his head and shoulders in disarray. His green eyes smoldered with heat and a wide, satisfied smile spread across those kissable lips.

  “Come down here. I want to taste your breasts.” He tugged at her arm.

  She braced her hand beside his head and leaned forward. Hot breath puffed over the hardened tip
of her breast. She still was amazed at her body’s reaction. He hadn’t touched her sexually, yet she ached for him. A moment later, his warm, slightly rough tongue curled around the taut peak. His lips closed over the bead and he began a drawing suction that had her head tipping back and her eyes closing.

  He sucked her nipple deep into his mouth. His teeth scraped over the swell of her breast as he drew back. She felt a slight pinch as he tugged at her nipple. His tongue lashed and lapped at the hardened point. A shiver raced up her spine.

  “Goddess, you taste good, i’ma.” He pressed his lips into the valley between her breasts.

  Tori groaned as his sharp teeth nipped at her skin. He couldn’t know how good that felt. As the wet heat of his mouth closed around the tight, aching tip of her other breast, sharp pleasure shot down to the whirling pulse low in her belly. Each drawing tug of his lips seemed connected to the growing knot of tension inside her. A shiver of need rolled through her and her hips rocked against his stomach. An empty feeling throbbed between her legs, begging to be filled.

  “Please, Tyson.” She twisted her hips against him.

  With a wet pop, Tyson released her nipple and looked up at her. “What do you want, rah’ki?”

  She rose to her knees, intending to move back and onto his cock. His hands gripped her hips and held her still. Her startled gaze collided with his as she realized he wasn’t going to let her move.

  “You have to tell me, i’ma.” His teeth grazed her nipple and tingling sparks danced through her. His tongue rasped over the reddened crest. “What do you want?”

  “Goddess above, Tyson, I want you.” She tried to arch her hips back and sink down onto his cock. She was desperate to be filled.

  “You have my full attention, Tori.” He tugged at her nipple with his teeth. “What more could you want?”

  “You know,” she groaned and a shiver rippled down her back. The muscles of her vagina clenched.

  “Tell me.” That slightly rough tongue lashed her nipple. “Tell me what you want.”

  She threw her head back and closed her eyes as fire scorched through her. “Fuck me. Please, fuck me.”

  “You took long enough to ask, i’ma.” His hands pulled her down, flattening her body to his, and rolled with her. “I’ll let you ride me another time. I need to sink deep into you this time and feel your hands clutching at me.”

  He drew back and fitted the rounded head of his cock to her slit. With a roll of his hips, his shaft pushed into her. His hips pressed against hers and his balls brushed against the curve of her buttocks.

  “So tight and hot.” His eyes burned into hers as he braced his weight on his arms. He rotated his hips and sank a little deeper into her.

  His pelvis pressed against her clit. Tingling pleasure danced through her. Her eyes drifted closed as she arched her back, rubbing her aching nipples against his hard chest. Her hands brushed over his ribs, sliding across his back and down to his round, tight buttocks. She gripped those cheeks as she pulled him closer and held him tight with her thighs.

  Gana’s hells, he felt so good. She needed more. She wanted him moving and thrusting into her. “Tyson, fuck me.”

  His green eyes were shot with silver and gold as he looked down at her. She could read the hunger on his face in every taut line of his body.

  “You could get to be a bossy woman.” His lips tightened as he slowly pulled back until only the rounded head of his cock was inside her. He thrust into her pussy. “In this case, i’ma, we want the same thing.”

  Her hips punched up, meeting his descending strokes. With increasing force, his shaft plunged into her pussy. Each thrust sent a bolt of heat to that pulsing core. She was close, so close to orgasm that she quivered and panted with need. Everything inside her reached for the bliss.

  She loved the force of his thrusts and the sound of their flesh slapping as they moved against each other. The combined scent of their lovemaking floated around her. The musky wild scent excited her.

  His head dipped in a quick, graceful arc. His teeth nipped her lips. That stinging bite ricocheted through her. The tension within her exploded. Her eyelids slammed down as fire raced through her body. She arched. Her nails sank into his buttocks as she pulled him against her. Her body seemed almost hypersensitive. His long cock slid deeper. Every ripple of her inner muscles seemed amplified and the pleasure was sweet and intense.

  She still basked in the pleasure, enjoying the ripples cascading through her as Tyson thrust deep into her. A rumbling growl rolled from him as he came. Jets of hot liquid spurted into her as his moist breath brushed over her ear.

  She drew in a ragged breath as she came down from the heights Even now when she had found such hot ecstasy in his arms, her mind and body turned to thoughts of repeating the experience. His lovemaking almost seemed addictive.

  The sorry fact was she would never have known his touch if he hadn’t been drugged. When the drug did finally fade, she’d probably never see him again. Part of her wanted to seize the opportunity and take what pleasure she could. The other part shouted that she had to be strong and think since he couldn’t. She knew she couldn’t resist him once he touched her. At the slightest brush of his finger, her body came alive for him. She would control her own actions. She wouldn’t take advantage of his condition even if she felt drawn to be near him and learn everything about him. It was something he might regret. She knew he had someone and this wasn’t right. Somehow, she had to put some distance between them.

  Chapter Four

  Tori breathed the mountain air deeply. It had finally stopped raining and the sky was clear. Although she was outside, she stayed near the cabin. Tyson was sleeping, but she’d felt the need to get out of the room. She couldn’t leave him in his present condition. Not unless he’d improved dramatically since the last time they’d talked.

  She didn’t even try to get the full story anymore. She simply asked him one of a few questions which had triggered a response back to her before and waited. He still kept steering the subject straight back to her as if he’d known her for years. He was improving in other ways. He didn’t sleep as much and he didn’t automatically think she’d left him if he woke and she wasn’t in sight. That at least was an improvement.

  She ran a hand through her hair and grimaced. He still wasn’t well enough for her to leave him. The conflicted feelings raging through her at the thought of walking away from him hadn’t changed either. She knew she had to do it sometime, but the thought of actually going sent a pain twisting through her. Part of her felt as if she belonged with him.

  “Hello.” The greeting in a male voice startled her.

  Tori spun and saw a blond-haired man walking toward her through the trees around the cabin. A wide smile curved his lips and he seemed open and friendly as he approached. She didn’t see any weapons on him, but that seemed wrong. If he was walking around the forest, he should at least have a knife or bow for protection. While there wasn’t a threat from humans here normally, there were predators in these woods. A chill crawled up her spine and something told her to keep her distance from him.

  “Are you lost?” She looked him up and down and noticed that he wore shiny boots better suited to walking on cobbled streets than tramping through the forest. Although right now, those fancy boots were spattered in spots with mud and the toes looked scuffed, there was definitely something off about him.

  “No, I’m looking for a friend. He got drunk out of his mind and wandered into the forest. You can’t miss him. He has a birthmark, spots across both sides of his jaw. Have you seen him?” He stopped a good body length away from her.

  She thought he didn’t want to spook her or seem like a threat, but it was too late for that. Something about him set off a warning. There was no way he was really Tyson’s friend. Tyson wasn’t drunk. He’d been drugged. This man had done something to him and was trying to hunt him down.

  “I haven’t seen anyone, but then I wouldn’t expect to this far from any village or cit
y. Why do you think your friend wandered here?” She didn’t even hesitate to lie and kept her arms hanging loosely at her side. She didn’t want to give any indication that she was anything but completely at ease.

  “I don’t know that he did, but that cabin is the first shelter I’ve found and I thought he might have used it when the storm hit.”

  “I’m sure he’d have a problem finding it if he was out just before the storm. It’s not that easy to find even in good weather especially if you don’t know it’s here.” She shrugged. It was a secluded area. The man must really have been searching for a while to find it.

  “Are you sure you haven’t seen or heard anything?” His head tilted to the side.

  “I would have remembered seeing a man during the storm. If he was out and you still can’t find him, you might want to check the rivers or maybe an animal got him. This isn’t the city, you know. At times, just walking down a trail can be dangerous.” She smirked as she looked him up and down.

  “That’s good.” She saw his eyes focus briefly beyond her.

  She turned, half-expecting to see Tyson. Her eyes caught a dark shape and a blur of movement before pain exploded against her head. Black spots swam across her eyes and her knees buckled. She hit the ground hard and felt a sharp pain in her elbow and side, but she couldn’t focus.

  “We should take her with us. We can find a buyer for her, no problem.” The voice of the man to whom she’d been talking drew closer to her.

  “Maybe, but we already have a buyer for the male we’re looking for. She’ll slow us down. Check that cabin. She could have been lying.” Another male spoke and she felt a boot nudge her shoulder.

  “Then why did you hit her? If we’re going to leave her, it would have been better to let her think we were his friends.” The first man sounded confused.

  “We can’t leave her. If his friends start searching for him, we can’t have anyone lead them to us.” The other man’s voice was frighteningly flat. “Now go. I’ll take care of her.”