Kraven Read online

  “Give them to me. I’ll wash them in the river and they should dry fast if I squeeze out the water. They’re thin enough, it shouldn’t take long.” He held out a hand.

  She hated the blush that heated her cheeks when she dropped the waded material into his outstretched palm. He fisted her panties and shoved them inside the back pocket of his jeans.

  “We should get back to camp.” He met her gaze, a grim look on his face. “I’ll eat before we need to start moving again.”

  Kraven yanked his leather jacket off a smaller rock and put it back on. He pulled up the collar to his throat. She figured it was his attempt to hide the mark she’d left on him. It irritated her. That was a player move, only there were no other potential women around to hide it from.

  She’d just nailed a lunatic playboy sort. Yeah, I can sure pick them. She sighed.

  “What’s wrong?” He stared at her a little too intensely for her comfort.

  The color of his eyes seemed to darken. She knew it had to be just a trick from the light. The sun had sunk low enough in the sky to explain it away; it wasn’t possible otherwise. “Nothing.”

  “Do you want me to carry you or can you walk?” He glanced down at her bare feet. “I don’t want you getting hurt.”

  The offer made her opinion of him soften just a tiny bit. He might be a player but he seemed concerned about her, even after getting what he wanted. That was new. “I can walk. I don’t enjoy being thrown over your shoulder and now I have to be careful not to flash my goods.”

  He grinned. “I don’t wear underwear. You’ll survive.”

  “You’re not wearing a skirt.” She tore her gaze from his to carefully watch the ground, to avoid stepping on anything sharp.

  He suddenly invaded her personal space and she halted, her chin rising. He cupped her face with his hands. They stared at each other for what seemed a long time. His thumbs slid down her throat, gently caressing her.

  “Why?”

  “Why what?”

  His gaze narrowed.

  She licked her lips. She understood that he was asking why she’d hit on him, and even sympathized with the confusion he had to be feeling. She was experiencing it herself. No one had ever made her madder, yet hotter, than Kraven. She breathed in his masculine scent, her body responding again, and she fought the urge to climb the guy to get closer.

  “Concussion? Maybe I’ve lost my mind.”

  One hand released her to trail down her throat, over her shoulder, and lowered to her waist. His big hand curved there, holding her. “Maybe not. Your Lycan blood is dominant. You’ve probably never been near a male Lycan and your body must really yearn for mine.”

  She closed her eyes and jerked her face out of his hold. “Right. God, what was I thinking?” She opened her eyes to stare at him sadly. “I so wish you weren’t a nutjob.”

  He yanked her tight against his tense body; the hand on her hip dove lower and he grabbed her ass. His other hand cupped the other side, both palms gripping her through her skirt, and his face buried in her neck.

  “You want proof?” He growled low and his mouth opened against her throat. “Explain this, Hellion.”

  He nipped her throat, growled again, and Bat clutched at him. He kneaded her ass, grinding his body against hers. His hot, wet tongue teased her skin. Desire shot through her at an alarming rate. Sweat broke out all over her body and she moaned. Her fingers gripped his short hair. She ignored the feel of the gel he had to use to make those spikes that weren’t really styled anymore, more of a wild mess on his head, yet still made him appear sexy.

  He bit her skin, the sharp nip of pain making her cry out. She could feel damp desire on her thighs. Her nipples tightened, ached, and her belly had funny butterfly feelings fluttering there. He lifted her to her tiptoes, bent his knees, and his hard cock rubbed against the cradle of her thighs through their clothes.

  “Kraven,” she begged, lifting her leg. She hooked it around the back of his thigh and tightened her arms, trying to pull him even closer.

  His mouth left her skin and he lifted his head. She stared deeply into his sexy eyes. Passion flushed his handsome face and his lips pressed together tightly into a near frown.

  His Adam’s apple bobbed when he swallowed hard, turned his head away, tucking it to hide his features, and took a deep breath. His voice came out so deep it didn’t sound human as he spoke.

  “Damn. I shouldn’t have done that. I could throw you on the ground to fuck you and you’d let me. You’d want it as much as I do.” He cleared his throat, took a few deep breaths, and then glared at her. “I bet that pisses you off. You’re a hotshot attorney and I’m just some crazy bastard. Explain to me how I can do this to you. Take a deep breath, Hellion. It will only make you want me more. Your scent drives me insane. I’d drop to my knees and fuck you for days in every way imaginable if I had the time. We’d go at it like two animals. My Lycan side attracts yours. No human would turn you on this much.”

  She released his hair but couldn’t pull away from him. She’d love to tell him he was full of shit but she couldn’t deny the truth. She’d let him do anything he wanted at that moment. She hurt for him again, wanted him more than her next breath. She didn’t understand why. No guy had ever affected her the way Kraven did.

  “Let go,” he ordered.

  She didn’t want to but finally dropped her leg. It took real effort to force her arms to lower from around his neck. He pulled back as he eased her onto her feet, releasing her ass. She fought the urge to throw her body back against his.

  Something was seriously wrong with her. She should slap him, yell, tell him he was full of shit…but he hadn’t lied. She not only would agree to him taking her on the ground, she wanted to find out what his imagination could come up with and how many ways he could think of to fuck her.

  Kraven backed away more, staring at her with a hungry look. She didn’t miss the way his chest rose rapidly as he seemed to be having a hard time catching his breath. One glance down to the front of his jeans assured her he was as turned-on as she was. The hard bulge of his cock couldn’t be denied.

  “It’s the Lycan inside you. It wants the strong male in me…craves me.”

  That statement made her mind snap back into functioning mode again. “You’re full of shit. I don’t have any dog in me.”

  His lips curved into a chilly smile as some of the desire cooled in his gaze. “You were just full of me. Want it again?” He growled. “For that dog insult, you can beg me to fuck you. I’ll take you like a bitch, from behind on your knees, and show you just how much of a dog I am.”

  It was an emotional slap. “Asshole.”

  He turned away. “I’m hungry now.” He sniffed the air. “Let’s go.”

  Bat hated the way tears filled her eyes but she blinked them back. It stung that he’d talk to her that way after what they’d shared, as crazy as that seemed. She had hurt his feelings, but he’d hurt hers too.

  She trailed him back to the nearby fire. He did walk slow enough that he was easy to follow. He could have just left her to find her own way.

  It took every ounce of Kraven’s control to keep his back to Bat. His dick throbbed and he wanted to fuck her again. The taste of her blood on his tongue was torment. He’d bitten her throat when he’d grabbed her that last time, too curious to know just how much other she really had inside her. Her blood seemed mostly human with a tiny bit of Lycan. But it was enough.

  He’d tasted her—and it had changed everything.

  Now it made sense why he was attracted to her…and he didn’t know how to deal with the reality of the grim situation.

  I just had to taste. He cursed himself for doing it. Her reaction to him wasn’t a mystery anymore. He’d resisted biting her while he’d been balls deep inside her pussy but the urge had been there, strongly. He’d fought it until he had to know if it was just Lycan attraction or more. Now he knew.

  Nature could be a cruel bitch at times.

  He crouched, e