His Darkest Salvation (Jaguar Warriors 3)

He shook his head. “I have no words, Jaden, other than sorry.” He pushed her away. “It’s too late to make things right. I would if I could.”

Julian dragged great gulps of air into his lungs and tried to focus his mind. It was hard when her scent was everywhere. He wanted her. Badly. He thought of the night before and how he’d taken her in the temple, and he knew he could not use her again. Not like that.

He might be a grade-A bastard, but he was drawing the line.

“You say it’s too late,” she whispered. Julian tensed when her hands slid along his arm and across his abs as she stood in front of him.

“You may be right, but we only have a few hours left before we leave for Vegas. I have no clue what’s going to happen when we get there.” She rubbed his chest and surprised him when she ripped his T-shirt from neck to hem, her long nails exposing the damaged flesh beneath.

He hissed as her fingers gently traced the scars that were there. “My control isn’t what it should be,” he managed to get out from between clenched teeth.

“Good,” she said, her voice thick, “because right now my control is gone, and what I want is standing in front of me.” She bent, and he saw red as her tongue gently traced the symmetrical scars on his chest. “And that would be you.”

She pushed away, turned, and his gaze immediately fell to her ass. The jeans that she wore should be fucking illegal. His mouth watered, and he felt the beast stir within.

“I have a surprise. You coming?” she tossed over her shoulder before disappearing from view.

Julian was stunned. A few minutes before, he’d pushed her away, yet he couldn’t deny the part of him that ached for her. For her touch and scent and taste. For the calm that he felt when she was near.

The echo of her steps faded, and, suddenly, it was as if a fire had been lit under his ass. He moved quickly to follow.

Hell yeah, I’m coming.

Chapter 23

Julian followed her scent down the hall until it connected to a long corridor that ran perpendicular to the main house. He heard her ahead, her soft footfalls, and he quickened his pace, enjoying the game as his animal reveled in the hunt.

The light in the corridor was muted, and he caught trace signatures of his brothers and their women. They’d all been this way within the last several hours. When he reached the end, he paused in front of a door. It was open several inches, and a whisper of heat caressed his face.

His nostrils flared, and the scents that he pulled into his lungs were entirely out of place here in the land of snow and ice. He inhaled the warmth of jungle, cool water, and abundant greenery. It ignited such a need in him that he growled loudly as he pulled back the door and stepped inside.

His white teeth slashed through the charcoal darkness in a feral smile as he looked around, surprised to hear the call of a wailer monkey and the cry of a toucan. He’d heard about Jaxon’s jungle room back at his former headquarters for PATU and wasn’t surprised he’d replicated it here in the Canadian wilderness.

A splash sounded to his right, and he started to pant as he carefully picked his way through the vines and earth at his feet. Jaxon had spared no expense, and Julian marveled at how rich the room felt. A soft glow fell from above, and he realized the entire ceiling was glass, enabling him to look out onto an arctic sky and yet he was toasty warm inside a jungle.

Unbelievable.

He felt layers of darkness slip from his skin as Jaden’s subtle scent settled inside him. She calmed the beast and allowed some sense of peace. His eyes narrowed as his heartbeat increased, and he focused on one thing—Jaden.

He slid through a mass of vines, discarding his torn shirt as he did so, and flexed his powerful muscles as he shook out his limbs. He held himself loose and continued along silently, stalking his prey with savage glee.

Up ahead he heard a waterfall and was just able to make it out through the abundance of trees that stood like silent soldiers. When he parted the leaves and stepped into a small clearing, he felt a rush of emotion pummel him.

Before him was a large basin of water. It glowed softly, as if lit from within, and the gentle sounds of the waterfall were like a symphony. It was beautiful, yet it was the woman who floated like an angel that pulled at his gut.

Jaden lay upon the water, her arms spread out to the sides, moving slowly as she kept herself afloat. Her hair rippled outward, riding the liquid and encircling her head like a halo. She was naked, her skin glistening in the soft light. His groin tightened, and his mouth went dry.

Her full breasts were pert, the nipples hard, and he ached to touch them. His mouth watered, and his nostrils flared in excitement as he envisioned his lips upon them. His gaze traveled slowly over her body, taking in the translucent tattoos that moved against her neck, down past the taut belly, until they settled on the patch of hair between her legs.

Christ, he was sure her legs were parted, just so, to drive him crazy. The secrets that lay there, hidden between the folds of her sex, were tantalizingly exposed, and he felt his cock swell painfully as his eyes fixed on her.

He could look nowhere else. He wanted her. All of her.

With a low growl, he quickly shed his pants and stood at the edge of the water as Jaden turned over. Her gaze swept the length of him, and a smile drifted over her lips as she stopped at his straining cock. It was hard, aching for her softness.

“Aren’t you coming in?” she asked, her voice was breathless, and the catch in it drove him crazy. “The water is sheer heaven.”

She began to drift away, the round globes of her ass taunting him. “Catch me if you can.”