Price of Love Read online

  His glistening muscles rippled, his shoulders powerful and strong, chest broad. Each time she looked at him her breath caught and she’d wonder what it would feel like to touch his bronzed skin, to tunnel her fingers into his chocolate brown hair with its pretty golden strands. All the other tigers had black hair with golden, almost red highlights. Not Kersen. A sigh of longing escaped as she studied his naked chest and wondered what he’d look like with the cotton longyi brushed aside to reveal his bare buttocks and cock.

  Her body heated with yearning and each breath came in a tiny pant. A memory of watching him train with the other men, his chest bared and glistening with sweat brought an audible swallow.

  “Is something wrong?”

  Jarita bumped into him because he stopped so suddenly. Everything is wrong. I don’t know how to tell you I need you, which is why I decided to visit the temple in the first place. “No, nothing is wrong.”

  “You look hot.”

  Stupid male. How could he not know? She was hot for him. “It is always hot in the jungle.”

  “There is a pool suitable for swimming where we’re going.”

  “We’re not going back to the village?”

  “Not yet,” he said.

  “But I thought—” Jarita broke off. Maybe things would work out after all. She’d flirt with him and jump him, seduce him into thinking they had a future together. It had worked for her best friend.

  “You thought what?”

  “Nothing.” Jarita sank into thought, putting together a seduction plan and rapidly discarding every single idea. She kept coming back to the fact she was leopard. Although Kersen was friendly with her father and brothers, that didn’t mean they’d welcome a tiger into their family. The alliance between the clans was still new and they were all learning to adjust. Besides, she wasn’t about to bring up the subject, not even when her father had asked her this morning if there was a male she favored for a mate. She really needed to make an offering at the temple.

  The faint trickle of water grew louder and Kersen led her into a small clearing, the track so faint she would have bypassed it had she been on her own. Shards of sunlight pierced the jungle canopy, sweeping away the shadows of the jungle. A stream ran through the clearing while colorful butterflies flitted across the wildflowers growing in the patch of open ground.

  “It’s safe here. We can rest.”

  The slight emphasis on the word “rest” made her study him closely. His face was impassive but his amber eyes glowed with heat. She held her ground when he prowled toward her. Instead of grabbing her as she’d half thought he would, Kersen brushed the back of his hand over her cheek, a gentle caress that made her feel treasured. His lips sought hers again, but this time his kiss dominated, demanded. There was nothing gentle or childlike about the thrust of his tongue, the hard grip of his hands on her shoulders or the hard spike prodding her in the stomach.

  Shock held her immobile. Kersen was kissing her. Properly. Like a starving man, when in the past he’d never indicated interest. Here, she’d thought she’d have to throw herself at him to gain attention, and he was doing all the work for her.

  Kersen lifted his head and frowned down at her. “Is there a problem?”

  A problem? Only if he stopped. But what came out of her mouth was, “Why are you kissing me?”

  He stared, his large body still. “Don’t you want me to kiss you?”

  Answering a question with a question. Huh, she was wise to that sort of prevarication. Her father did it all the time and her older brothers were starting to emulate the pattern. “It depends.” Of course she wanted him to kiss her. She wanted a hell of a lot more besides.

  “Yeah?”

  Now he was waiting for her to hand over relevant information without giving anything in return. Staring at him defiance, she lifted her chin and said, “Yeah.”

  He chuckled suddenly, the ripple of humor tugging an unwilling smile from her. “I’m going to swim.” He backed up and flexed his golden chest. A glint of sunlight reflected off his silver armband, making the embedded rubies sparkle with fire.

  One look at the powerful muscles and her throat tightened. Unable to tear her attention away, she stared. Her mouth felt dry and the need to touch had her taking a step toward him. A flash of challenge fired between them. Her tongue snaked out to moisten her lips and she took another hesitant step.

  “Do you want to touch me?”

  “Yes.” Jarita didn’t try to lie.

  “Why?”

  “Enough with the questions,” she snapped. Surely it was obvious. The man was beautiful, strong and very touchable. Sexy.

  His eyes glittered, but this time she had no idea what he was thinking. He moved, kicking off stout leather sandals. With a few tugs his longyi fell away from his body. For an instant he poised, naked, his cock jutting outward.

  Even better than her imagination. She stretched out her hand to touch but he moved before her fingers met the golden flesh of his hip.

  “Are you coming for a swim?” He hit the water with a splash almost before the question had left his lips. She caught a flash of muscled buttocks before he disappeared beneath the water.

  Jarita stared in bemusement and bent to unfasten her sandals. Seduction. Standing, she glanced at the water and saw he’d surfaced to watch her in return. Her hand trembled noticeably. Kersen made her so nervous. If wasn’t as if she hadn’t done this before. She unfastened her blouse and removed it, letting the cotton garment drop to the grass. Before she could rethink, she unwrapped her longyi, leaving her as naked as him.

  Seduction.

  Jarita sauntered to the edge of the stream, putting extra sway into her hips and slipped into the water. The coolness brought a shiver until Kersen’s muscled arms reached for her.

  Effortlessly, he drew her nearer. “You’re beautiful.”

  She knew it wasn’t true, but his words warmed her, as did his arms drawing her against his chest.

  His cock rose between them, digging into her stomach again. Pleasure and satisfaction filled her at the proof he wanted her. She wound her arms around his neck and raised her head for his kiss. All the pent-up desire she’d kept hidden flared into evidence. Jarita rubbed against him, legs tangling beneath the water while she licked his lips, nibbled at his bottom one and chased his tongue with her own. Her heart slammed hard against her ribs, pleasure soaring. Yes, this was exactly what she’d imagined. Deep, breath-stealing kisses, limbs rubbing in exquisite friction. A whimper backed up in her throat as her body strained against his hardness. This was good, far better than she’d imagined in the middle of the night. His kiss gentled but he didn’t lift his head. His hands brushed over her back, tossing her into a maelstrom of pleasure filled with touch, taste and sight.

  Good things like this never happened to her, which was why she’d decided to make the trip to the temple, but it seemed as if her path had changed for the better.

  Without warning Kersen lifted her from the water, wading to the bank of the stream, he strode to where they’d dropped their clothes. She shivered but not from cold. No, heat suffused her both inside and out.

  He let her slide down his body until she stood on her feet before stooping to smooth out his longyi on the soft grasses. Leisurely, he turned to her, a question in his eyes.

  “Do you want this?”

  “Yes. Yes, I want you.”

  “Why are you out here?” he asked, sliding the question in while her mind was sluggish and still drunk on his kisses.

  “I…I can’t tell you,” she said finally, lifting her chin to face him. A wash of heat flooded her cheeks, seeping down to her breasts. He might laugh at her.

  “I am a great believer in truth.”

  He might like truth, but she had her pride. How could she tell him she was so desperate for a man, for him in particular, that she’d decided to make an offering of her blood and forest flowers at the small secluded temple dedicated to the goddess of seduction? She lifted her head to face him prou
dly. “There is no man in my life.”

  “There is now,” he said softly, scooping her off her feet. “An impatient one.” He dropped her onto the longyi, following her down and trapping her with his larger body. His amber eyes glowed while the droplets of water on his skin sparkled in the sunshine. “Mine.” Kersen kissed her again, driving every single thought from her head except pleasure. One hand shaped a pert breast, fingers strumming across her pouting nipple while his lips continued to create havoc, nibbling at her lips before moving to the tender skin of her neck. Her heart thudded erratically, part of her wondering if this were a dream.

  Kersen lifted his head without warning. “Do you want this?”

  “Yes.” Nothing less than the truth.

  “Touch me back. I want you to touch me.” He rolled so suddenly she was looking down at his smiling and encouraging face. “Show me how much you want me.”

  A gift. Stunned, she stared down at him. This was a dream. To test her theory she reached down and pinched one of his flat nipples.

  “Ouch! What did you do that for?”

  Perhaps it wasn’t a dream. Instead of murmuring an apology, she leaned over and licked the abused nipple, soothing it with the delicate lash of her tongue. This time he shivered, his arms coming around to hold her in place.

  “Maybe you could do it again,” he murmured, his words full of dark promise.

  The opportunity to explore his large body at her leisure. This gift she would grab with both hands. With trembling fingers she brushed his chocolate hair away from his strong jaw, brushing her thumb over the thrust of his nose. His large body was relaxed but he was open with his reactions, letting her see his response to her every touch. Full of wonder, Jarita traced his sensual lips with the pad of her finger. He opened his mouth, taking the digit inside and sucking on it. A gasp escaped as she felt his touch clear to her toes. She shifted on his body, aware of the wet arousal between her thighs.

  “I thought this was my turn,” she said.

  “Just want to keep you on your guard.”

  Well, yeah. He was doing that all right. Since the moment they’d met earlier in the jungle he’d kept her off balance, scrambling to understand. “Put your hands under your head and don’t touch me.” He obeyed, but the glitter in his amber eyes told her it was only to humor her.

  “Close your eyes.” She didn’t really expect him too, but once again he complied.

  She shuffled farther down so she could see his cock instead of feeling it poking her in the ass. A flicker of sensation shot from her clit, the sensual drag of skin over skin a source of pleasure.

  “I can smell your arousal,” he murmured. “You have no idea what it does to me to know you desire me in return.”

  But she could make a pretty good guess because sexual tension thrummed through her, desire a tight ball in her lower stomach. She ran the heels of her hands over his muscled chest, wondering where to touch him next.

  “I’m going to lap up all those juices your body is making for me. I can’t wait to taste your sweet honey.”

  A shiver worked through Jarita, her hands hesitating as she visualized his tongue sweeping down her slit, nibbling at her swollen folds and thrusting into her tight channel. He was so big. His cock would stretch her. She’d heard gossip about him from one of the women who had been lucky enough to attract his attentions. Kersen had shared her with one of Jarita’s brothers, and the woman had said she couldn’t sit comfortably for three days. Jarita hadn’t wanted to learn of her brother’s sexual pursuits, but anything about Kersen interested her. Jarita frowned, knowing she would never agree to share Kersen with another female. She stared down at the swollen head of his cock, visually measuring length and girth. She wriggled as another surge of juices dampened her folds.

  “Do you have no comment?” he asked in a casual tone.

  Jarita checked to see if he’d kept his eyes closed. They were. Her eyes flickered back to his cock. The dark red almost purple head jerked. Sucking in a deep breath, she said, “I won’t share you.”

  His body tightened beneath her straddled thighs before a faint smile twitched his lips. “I don’t share either.”

  “That’s not true,” she blurted.

  His eyes opened and she caught the blaze of passion. “It’s true I’ve shared before, but those women meant nothing. They were mere diversions.” The blaze of truth shone from his face and she relaxed, still unsure of what was happening but willing to go along with whatever he wanted.

  She nodded.

  “Your time is up.”

  Suddenly she looked up at his laughing eyes, the move so fast shock filled her. “But I hadn’t finished exploring your body.”

  “I’ll give you another chance later.”

  She sighed loudly but grinned inside. Somehow she didn’t think letting him take a turn would be a hardship.

  Chapter Two

  The little leopard wanted him. Her words and actions were clear even though she still wouldn’t admit why he’d found her in the forbidden territory.

  He stared down at her, memorizing her beautiful body. If he had his way, they’d never be parted again. He cupped one breast, kneading the fleshy globe while scrutinizing her reactions. Ah, she liked being stroked and petted. He leaned lower to take the brown nipple into his mouth. She gasped, a soft sound that made his cock jerk, and when he nipped, giving a little pain, she whimpered, arching upward in an attempt to get closer. Kersen pulled away, admiring the glistening tip.

  “You like that?”

  “Yes.”

  He admired her honesty—honesty in all things apart from why she was in the forbidden territory. “Why were you wandering the jungle alone?”

  Fascinated, he watched delicate pink flood her cheeks.

  “It’s embarrassing.”

  “How so?”

  Her full lips tightened into stubborn. Her brothers had warned him of her determined streak. They’d called it obstinate and willful. He quite liked the personality quirk because it made her interesting. And he’d noticed something else. The harder he pushed her sexually, the more information she offered.

  “I don’t want to talk about it. Honestly, it’s nothing bad.”

  The tightness around his chest loosened at her words, and he began to release thoughts of a mysterious lover.

  With forefinger and thumb, he plucked at her nipple until it hardened and her body arced beneath his. His responsive leopard craved more. He’d give her more. He trailed his fingers over her rib cage and dipped his tongue into the indentation of her bellybutton. A groan squeezed past her lips.

  “More?” he asked.

  “Please.”

  “Please, who?” He wanted to hear his name on her lips, know that he was the one she was thinking about.

  “Please fuck me, Kersen.” Her eyes opened to glare at him despite the sugar-sweet tone.

  “Soon,” he promised. But not before he pried the truth from her. First he needed to tease her a little more. He placed a kiss to the right of her bellybutton and sucked hard enough to leave a mark. He liked the idea of leaving signs on her so others knew she belonged to him. She smelled great. His. He had to taste her and imprint her with his scent.

  “How long are you going to make me wait?”

  “For as long as it takes.” But as he spoke, he moved down her body, tempted by the scent of her arousal and the need to savor. Her hips strained upward, legs parting when he shifted his weight. Pent-up desire flared in him, a fine sheen of sweat coating his chest and shoulders. He hoped he could hold back his release until she told him the truth.

  Her pubic hair was dark but clipped short and no real barrier to sight. His eyes widened when he saw the juices coating her folds and couldn’t resist trailing a finger down her slit, a featherlight touch designed to tease. Aware she watched him, he lifted his finger and curled his tongue around the tip, cleaning off her honey.

  “Delicious,” he said.

  She tried to move, to touch him, but he used hi
s superior strength to keep her on her back. Jarita sniffed and glared but held her tongue.

  Time to ratchet up the pleasure.

  He settled between her legs and lifted her to his mouth. With his gaze on hers, he ran his tongue down the same path his finger had taken seconds ago. He watched her mouth slacken, her eyes glow. Smiling, satisfaction simmering through him, he settled in to sample her more fully. When her eyes fluttered closed, he smiled against her moist, swollen flesh. Just one more taste. His tongue circled her clit, the tiny nub peeping from its hood, before lifting his head.

  “Why were you in the forbidden territory?”

  Her eyes flew open and they stared at each other.

  She exhaled, her chin jutting up in a show of obstinacy. “You’re not going to let this go, are you?”

  Suppressing a smile, he shook his head. “No.”

  Her breasts rose and fell rapidly, the sight making his balls ache. He wondered if she realized how close he was to fucking her without control, without finesse or gentleness. A snort erupted. Hell, she didn’t have the slightest idea or she wouldn’t be staring at him, she’d be trying to push him into losing control or running for home.

  “I was going to the temple,” she said, the words almost blending together in her rush.

  “Why?”

  “I needed to make an offering.” She wouldn’t look at him now.

  “Why couldn’t you use the temple in the village?”

  Her mouth tightened. “Because.”

  Kersen presumed she meant to visit the one honoring the goddess of seduction. Frowning, he kissed the paler skin of her inner thigh. Why would she want to make an offering there?

  “So you weren’t meeting another man?” He raised his head in time to see her shock.

  “Idiot,” she said, fire flashing this time. “I don’t want another man.”