Beautiful Beast (Gypsy Heroes)

‘Are you threatening me?’

‘Take it as a warning.’

‘What are you going to do, hmmm?’ I challenge.

‘For a start, this.’ And he bends his head and crushes his mouth against mine. The kiss is possessive and demanding. It is nothing like the other. This one is pure punishment. With this one he is branding me. Putting his seal of ownership on me. I twist my head and try to push away, my knees preparing to connect hard with his crotch, when suddenly the kiss changes and I am helpless to resist. It is a kiss like nothing I have ever experienced. There is no discordant note. Everything about it is hot and wet and wild.

My mouth opens and his tongue thrusts in, boldly, the way his cock would enter my pussy. I suck on it and electric energy snaps through me, scraping the back of my neck, as if I have received a shock from an old electric appliance. His hands lift me off the floor and put me back down with my legs farther apart. I feel him pull my dress up and over my bum. I hear the small scrap of lace and satin tear and then I feel his finger slide into my heat. I moan helplessly into his mouth.

‘What the hell is going on here?’ a voice demands.

His broad shoulders block my view of Shane, but I freeze with horror. My torn panties are lying on the floor, and Jake’s hard fingers are still inside my naked pussy.

Very casually, Jake lifts his head from mine, extracts his fingers out of me, and smoothing my dress over my hips, turns around to face his brother. He keeps his hand firmly around my waist.

‘What do you think is going on, Shane?’ he asks coolly.

Shane stares at me, hurt etched in his beautiful eyes.

I try to twist out of Jake’s grip, but it is iron hard. ‘I’m sorry,’ I whisper.

He smiles. A bitter twist of his lips and I know what he is thinking. He’ll just use you and discard you. No longer able to meet my eyes, he draws himself up with great dignity. And at that moment I see what a fine man he is. And how much he must have liked me before this. And I find myself wishing that the sparks between Jake and me had flown between him and me instead.

He nods distantly and looks out of the window. ‘You will see her home safe.’

‘Of course,’ he replies.

‘Goodnight then,’ he bids and walking out of the door shuts it behind him.

Jake takes his hand away from around my waist, but his eyes never leave mine. Feeling strangely bereft I wrap my hands around my waist. ‘You knew he was going to be here, didn’t you?’

Green swirls in his eyes. ‘I asked him to come.’

I nod slowly. So easily I had fallen into his trap. ‘That was a very cruel thing you did.’

His voice is strangely soft, almost regretful. ‘I did warn you.’

‘To your brother.’

‘He’ll survive. He knows I have his best interest at heart,’ he dismisses callously, but I see the glimmer of a fierce loyalty to his brother, his family. His pack.

‘Why do you think I’d be so bad for your brother?’

‘I think I just proved my point a few minutes ago.’

‘You don’t know me.’

‘I beg to differ. I know exactly what you are.’

‘I’d like to go home now.’

‘You’re staying the night. I’ll get my driver to run you home tomorrow.’

My mouth drops open. ‘You think I’m going to sleep with you after what you just did? I wouldn’t sleep with you if you were the last man on earth,’ I declare with great unoriginality.

A slow masculine smile splits his face. If he was good looking before he is devastating now. I stare at him. Jesus! I am crazy about him.

He reaches out a hand and touches my face with the backs of his fingers. I flinch away. He drops his hand to the side of his body. ‘Don’t flatter yourself. I have a date for tonight.’