The Hunted (The Chronicles of the Hunter Book 1)

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The Hunted (The Chronicles of the Hunter Book 1) Page 6

by Jackie Ivie


  “You are beyond gorgeous.”

  Oh.

  He heard that.

  The awe in her voice triggered all kinds of reaction. As if someone had lit a fuse. He could sense it sizzling somewhere near. He could almost smell the black powder wrapped around the inner string as it burned...nearing combustion.

  “I suppose you already know it. That’s why you wear these all the time.”

  She gestured with his glasses and then dropped them. He didn’t notice or care. She was too close! Her mouth near his. The last of her words were whispered against his lips, cursing him with another hint of breath. Kane held his. Her lips touched...

  And a shaft of brilliance went through his chest. Sheer blissful pleasure.

  And absolute wonder.

  If he hadn’t recognized what emotion he felt for her already, the kiss would have done it. Kane slammed his eyes shut, barely catching an arc of light that flashed through the showers. He could still see it behind closed lids, though. He could swear he watched it intensify, before spewing a blizzard of sparks that flared and then dissipated.

  She moaned. Moved her lips. Each touch carried life. Passionate regeneration. And every kind of intensity. He couldn’t get enough, despite trying. Groans erupted from him as he plundered her mouth. Met each and every caress she sent. Throbs of baritone filled the room accompanying her higher-pitched moans. The sounds blended. Became a physical force.

  It overwhelmed.

  And then it shattered.

  There was little means of controlling anything, despite his strength. Not against this much power. Energy. Voracious hunger. And an insatiable level of need.

  The shower stalls were cool to the touch. Or he was on fire. Kane’s back slammed into one. He heard it crack. It didn’t matter, either. Nothing did, except her lips. This kiss. And the amazement of sensation that came with it.

  The automatic shower turned on.

  The water temperature should be pleasantly warm. It felt anything but. It was hot enough to cause steam and alter reality. Rivulets streamed over his head, across his shoulders, down his back, affecting his ability to breathe. He didn’t much miss it. Her kiss was too precious. This connection beyond value. He’d never dealt with anything so wondrous. It was light. Power. Paradise.

  It was her move that broke their kiss. LeeAnn pushed from him, arching back to pull in a long breath. That just put her perfect breasts beneath the water. Kane watched, fascinated as the yellow bikini got saturated again. Little nipples from each breast tip puckered the fabric. He turned the spigot toward the wall, and when that didn’t feel sufficient, turned sideways in order to block the water with his back. All so he could lift her. Bend forward. Shove material out of his way. Nuzzle her nubs. Lick. And then suckle.

  Her flurry of gasps filled his ears. They became cries. Almost screams. Each one sent a flash of something roaring through his veins. It was huge. Heated. And as necessary as air. It was nearly uncontainable. Every limb trembled warningly. Kane lifted away from her bosom and locked his arms before he dropped her. Narrowed his eyes as she looked down at him. Met her gaze. Got struck by something electrifying. And that did it.

  He fell.

  The stool took the brunt of it, wood creaking ominously as his rear smacked onto the flat surface. His swim trunks flexed, but not enough. His balls got pinched. His erection smashed. Pain got mixed with pleasure as she jolted to a stop atop his bent thighs. And then her breasts bounced.

  Kane shoved his head back, knocked it against the stall, and sent a roar into the space. He didn’t stop until he ran out of air. And then he sucked in another breath and did it again. It didn’t help. If anything, it made things worse. He brought his head back down. Glared across at her. Sent harsh breath after harsh breath her way. Her eyes were wide. So was her mouth. He was still blocking most of the water, although some of it splashed off his shoulders and neck and onto her skin. It gathered in little pools so it could drizzle down her perfection. Drip off her nipples. Reach him. And each one felt like it carried fire. Especially when they touched his groin.

  ‘Wow.’

  She mouthed the word, and then she ran her hands down her torso. To her hips. She linked her thumbs under the sides of her bikini bottoms and ran her hands backward and then forward, reaching the little triangle of fabric covering her front. Her motion sent things from pleasure/pain to an excruciating level. And then made it hover there.

  “What do you think? Like what you see?”

  Kane’s answer was a growl that grew in volume. She flicked her tongue out onto her upper lip. Lifted her eyebrow. And flashed a glance down to where the jammers were contorted and stretched. Back up to his eyes. And then she smiled.

  “Want to see more?” she asked.

  “Yeah.”

  He should have growled that reply, too. The guttural word sounded like a beast being tortured. It sent shivers through him. His tone affected her, as well. He watched little bumps form on her skin. Race her body. They tightened her nipples into even tighter, smaller peaks. A tremor shook him next, rattling the stool, and sending all kinds of clacking sounds through the shower stall.

  She pushed off him. Stood. He watched with baited breath as she slid the bikini bottoms down her legs, bending forward to free her ankles. Her golden hair was saturated with water, making it an indeterminate dark shade. She didn’t wear it much longer than her shoulders. That was way too long at the moment. Kane bit back any reaction at being momentarily blocked from the view. And then she bent her head enough to look across at him. Locked gazes. And winked.

  Kane jerked. The stool tipped before re-righting beneath him. And she smiled as if it was funny.

  “Well...I want to see more, too,” she told him.

  His ears got an instantaneous buzzing noise. He shook his head to clear it. She mistook the move. And him. And sounded especially hesitant.

  “N-no?”

  He shoved upward, sliding his shoulders along the wall, leaning back just enough to get his thumbs beneath his waistband. The move gained shower spray onto his chest and belly that splashed outward, misting the scene. The jammers were doing their job a bit too well. They were supposed to stay in place. Keep drag from slowing him down when he swam. Now, that asset was beyond irritating. It was enraging. He ripped the fly apart. Yanked the waistband open. The damn trunks might as well be glued into place. The material went inside-out as he peeled it down.

  And.

  Finally.

  His erection sprang free.

  The relief was palpable. She made a sound. He sent a glance her way. Her hands covered her mouth, and her eyes were especially wide. Intensely blue, even through the haze of vapor between them. He didn’t know what her expression meant. She could be awed and impressed.

  Or frightened.

  Kane looked down to finish disrobing. He shoved the trunks down his thighs with brutal moves. Shimmied them off his knees. They fell to his ankles. A kick sent the garment sailing out into the shower room. And then, he steeled himself. Wrenched every muscle. Shook in place as his body obeyed. All so he could look toward her again. Withstand something beyond containment. Somehow be gentle and lover-like. When everything wanted to pounce. Grab.

  Maul.

  He probably resembled an enraged beast.

  Exactly like he felt.

  The shower wall vibrated along with him. He leaned farther into it, making the frosted glass support him. The move put everything on prominent display. As if he did it purposely. And he wasn’t a small man. Anywhere.

  “Are you...for real?”

  The words were barely audible. Kane glanced at her again. Then down.

  “Last I checked.”

  “Oh. Wow.”

  A portion of him registered that she didn’t sound frightened. She sounded pretty damned impressed. He would have grinned, if he wasn’t holding so tightly to everything, his body pulled taut like a finely tuned bowstring. Armed and ready to fire.

  “Oh. My.”

  He
watched her reach for him. Felt the connection of her fingers with his abs, and despite the impossibility of it, he pulled them tighter. Bowed backward even more. Launched a low-pitched, agonized-sounding reply into the space.

  “Sit.”

  He dropped. It wasn’t graceful. It probably should have hurt. The stool shuddered beneath his ass, but held. But he didn’t care. Or feel anything attached to his drop. His eyes widened and his mouth followed. Because she lifted a perfectly curved leg and put it over him. Straddling him. Her fingers wrapped about his dick. Positioned him. And then she lowered her body onto his. All while cooing the sweetest sound in existence.

  Kane arched backward, lifting to meet her move. Steam-laden water misted the scene. It upped the moist pleasure that belonged just to this. Her body sucked him in. Caressing. Melding. Massaging every inch as she slowly lowered into place. And then she was there! She gave a soft cry as she engulfed him. Joining her body with his. Fully. Completely.

  LeeAnn looked toward him. Her eyelids lowered seductively. That look sent a tremor in its wake. The stool shuddered in concert.

  And then she started back up.

  Kane grabbed her waist before she got very far. His hands shook as his fingers clamped tight about her. And, he didn’t know how he managed it, but somehow he got his fingers to ease up. Changed his grip to one of guidance, rather than direction. Assistance-giving, not control oriented. Helping her strokes...rather than dictating them.

  Again.

  And again.

  Hot, tight coils of pleasure surrounded him. They gripped so tightly, squeezed so pleasurably, held him in a grasp of wet satin. Every move she made toyed and prolonged. And added. No. It multiplied. Her movements sped up. Her breathing became more strident. Kane tightened his grip and used it to pump her. Up. Back down. Each thrust going deeper. Harder. Carrying more power, his efforts assisted and enhanced by the continual shower of water that hit his head and shoulders, and sent droplets spraying from there. Turning the scene into a fantastical vista of glistening perfection.

  He helped her lift again.

  Thrust back down.

  Again.

  And again.

  And so many times! Her gasps for breath grew heavy with moans. Her skin rosier. The temperature hotter. Steamier. And then she went into a tight series of piston-quick motions atop him. Her breasts bounced in accompaniment. Her screams filled the enclosure.

  And Kane lost control of everything.

  The stool wasn’t constructed for this kind of use. He felt it crack beneath him. An instant later he was on his feet, had her back pressed against the opposite shower wall, his hands cradling her buttocks, and he was thrusting in a non-rhythmic fashion that sent pounding sounds throughout the shower area. Sensation fueled every move. The quest for fulfillment grew fiery hot. Lightning-charged.

  Any hint of gentleness got obliterated, overwritten by the need to dominate. Totally. Grunts accompanied each shove, adding to the cacophony of sounds they were making. LeeAnn was at the center of it. She had her legs linked behind him again, and was using the position with vicious efficiency, alternately pushing him away and yanking him back.

  Pressure built in his lower back. Slithered through his legs. Grabbed his core. Fused with it. Hovered there, poised in place for an infinitesimal amount of time while his breath caught. His heart lurched. His throat closed off.

  And then it detonated.

  Kane launched upward, gripping LeeAnn to him as the world exploded, and took him along for the ride. Wonder obliterated reality. Incredulity filled any gap. And absolute bliss permeated everything. His chest took a series of hammer-like blows as his heart tried absorbing this. His eyes watered. His legs locked up. His belly erupted. And his throat tore as a long, agonized-sounding cry burst from him.

  And through it all, LeeAnn held on, her limbs locked tightly around him. Her arms hugging him to her. Meshed with him. Linked. Completely and totally.

  His cry ended on a sobbed note. He bent his head. Sucked in another breath. Started trembling. The world began reassembling. It wasn’t going to be good. His muscles had gone on hiatus somewhere without permission. Or warning. The sounds of water intruded next. It was no longer hot. It wasn’t even pleasantly warm. The shower now felt cool. Making his trembling worsen.

  “Kane?”

  LeeAnn’s whisper added to this unbelievable weakness. She put a hand to his forehead to push a lock of dark hair out of his eyes. Kane squinted as she regarded him. He’d never seen anything as beautiful as the look on her face.

  Ever.

  “That was pretty...um. Unbelievable.”

  “Uh...”

  His throat was raw. The word sounded like he’d been smoking three packs of cigarettes a day for a half-century.

  “What on earth do you do for an encore?”

  “Uh...”

  He tried again. Got the same result. Her lips curved and that’s when Kane started laughing. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d laughed. And never with this much abandonment. He should have known what would happen, too. He collapsed into a corner of the shower, and forced the walls to hold them.

  CHAPTER TEN

  His silence was bothersome. As was the way he shied away from eye contact. She was having trouble getting her arms and legs to work properly, too. She could really use a nap about now. LeeAnn stifled a yawn and went back to drying off. These were really nice towels. Thick. Moisture-sucking. Wet skin didn’t have a chance. She bent forward and ruffled one about her hair a few times before wrapping her head, making a large, unwieldy turban the size of a small laundry basket. The weight wasn’t balanced properly, either. She tilted her head to one side to keep from toppling. Then, she tipped it the other way. She should probably start over. Do a re-wrap.

  Kane was way ahead of her. But he’d cheated. He didn’t exactly dry off before moving onto other things. He was already covered and cinching the belt on a thick white, terrycloth robe. It was a match to the one he’d brought out for her.

  After he’d quit laughing.

  Back in the shower.

  LeeAnn looked over at the rather forlorn-looking shower stall. The stool was upside down, one leg a little crooked. There was a big bulls-eye of broken glass in one wall. Cracks radiated outward from it, sending sparkles of color if she moved her head far enough. She sighed softly. It still looked heavenly.

  What was she thinking?

  It had been absolute heaven.

  She’d never felt anything like making love with Kane. It wasn’t just her body adrift in a perfect blend of satiation and sense of well-being. Her soul felt like it radiated happiness, as well. His laughter had seemed the perfect accompaniment. It had sounded carefree. Infectious. She’d almost joined him. But then he’d just stopped. Without any slow-down of mirth and zero warning. His laughter had ceased. He’d lowered his chin. Narrowed his eyes. Regarded her for long, heart-stopping moments.

  And then he’d disengaged her legs from about him and set her onto her feet.

  She’d been shaky. Perhaps he’d known. That could have been why he’d taken her arm. Guided her from the shower stall. Grabbed a towel from the stack of them. His gestures had seemed a little brusque. Almost angry. It matched how he’d unfurled the towel and held it out for her.

  He’d wrapped the next one about his hips. These towels were large. She still wore the first one. It covered from armpit to knee. Not his. Oh, no. On Kane, these towels didn’t look remotely bland and innocuous. Or he needed to wear it higher. Chest level. Not low about his hips.

  She’d watched him walk from her. Open a tall cupboard. She hadn’t noticed it before because it was painted white. LeeAnn had looked about as she realized it. The lighting was really dim. It cast the slightest shade of pale yellow into the area. That didn’t do much to alter the impression. Everything was in the same white color. Walls. Floor. Ceiling. Furnishings...

  The color was spotless.

  Pristine.

  Weird.

  He’d
walked back to her. She watched that, too. It wasn’t hard. She could look at him for hours. She didn’t want to delve into why. Not just yet. Maybe not ever. It was enough that he was gorgeous. A fantastic lover. His body beyond ripped. And with that white towel barely doing its job, he was showing off a lot of those assets.

  That’s when he’d brought the white robes. Probably would have handed one to her, except she had her hands full with her hair towel. The garments got set on the floor. And then he’d stood back up and worked his hair into a loose braid of sorts. He had really nice hair. Coal-black. Long. Thick. Shiny. LeeAnn was envious. If she had hair like that, she’d wear it long, too. There was a bonus to watching him. The movements rippled and flexed all kinds of interesting muscles throughout his torso.

  Until he’d caught her at it, anyway.

  LeeAnn snickered softly at the memory of his expression. It looked like he’d flushed. Been a little self-conscious. But that was just fanciful thinking. Any man that looked like him and had the skills he exhibited, along with the package to back it up...? Well. That man probably had an entire army of women on speed dial.

  She’d been easy.

  Now, it was her turn to blush. A little late in the day for that. Stupid, besides. So...she’d gone a little sex-starved crazy and practically attacked him. She couldn’t be the first woman.

  Big fib, LeeAnn.

  There was no ‘practically’ to it. She had attacked him. But he’d been a willing participant. She hadn’t heard any complaints, anyway.

  The lights inset somewhere in the ceiling flickered.

  She looked upward. Back down.

  “LeeAnn? We need to go. This room...isn’t private.”

  “It’s...not?”

  Oh. Crap.

  She’d been beyond easy. Her voice displayed the mortification. She pegged the emotion easily. Her blush rapidly receded, leaving her feeling a little dizzy.

  “Wait. When I muck things up, I sure do it well. I misspoke. This place was very private...but that flash is a signal. We’ve got a new arrival. He’ll head for the showers. We need to be gone before that happens.”

 

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