Captured Boxed Set: 9 Alpha Bad-Boys Who Will Capture Your Heart (29 page)

She looked up at the doctor and the
woman who helped her run the place. Their eyes were plastered on the front
door, their faces drawn and taut while trying their best to look unconcerned.

"What is it?" Reya asked,
glancing back and forth between her two best friends. When neither answered,
she followed their eyes to a spot across the room.

"Damn it, not what I need
right now," she grumbled into her mug. Maybe she could make a clean escape
into the kitchen and help Cook cut up something, anything. She could have
kicked herself for not moving fast enough when a slick, oily voice reached out
to touch her from behind. Yuck.

"Good morning, Reya." The
sound rolled over her skin. She almost cringed. Trefor Dionisio, dimwit
extraordinaire, obviously thought just because he was the new director of the
preserve and a meaty hunk that he’d move her. Hell, other than her need to
survive and God, she’d never been moved by anyone or anything. And even God was
pushing it.

But then again, there was the
beautiful man in her bed…

"Hey, Trefor. What can I do
for you?" she replied cordially, though she had yet to turn around to face
him. She’d rather look at the bottom of her coffee cup. Yahoo, it was empty!
Great reason to leave the table.

"I brought your schedule,"
Trefor replied, thrusting the paper out to her, effectively cutting off her
escape. Damn.

She looked down at his hand and the
paper it held as if they would come alive and eat her. Blowing out an
exasperated breath, she snatched it from his hand and read it over quickly. It
took next to nothing for the man to irritate her, but what was on the schedule
was well beyond next to nothing.

"Trefor, this can’t be right,"
she said firmly, with more than a little surprise in her voice. "I can’t
work this schedule. It’s not even close to what I agreed to when I came on
board here."

"I understand that, but that
agreement was with the former director."

She let a clear challenge blaze in
her eyes and he appeared to back down a bit before saying, "Look, Reya,
we’re two men short since the attacks started. You’re the lowest on the totem
pole. Unless, of course, there’s something you’d like to trade…"

He let the word hang in the air,
and so did she. Besides, it was pretty clear what he was trying to say, the
bastard.

"Look, Trefor, I can’t work
this schedule. There’s no way I can help Dr. Matons with patients, run my
B&B, take my customers scuba diving and do patrol eight of the next ten
shifts. If you don’t like it, then fire me."

Her good friend Marc stepped up and
laid a gentle hand on her shoulder. "Trefor, you know this is bullshit.
I’ll take some of her patrols. I’ll even redo the schedule myself and have it
back to you for approval by this afternoon."

A frosty smile plastered on her
face, she handed the piece of paper back to Trefor then smiled warmly at Marc
with a whispered thanks.

A deep
growl rolled up from Trefor’s chest, but Reya couldn’t have cared less. She
snatched her mug off the table and disappeared into the kitchen with Marc,
Bethsaida and Dr. Matons all covering her back.

* * *

The next morning, after her
typical routine of rising early, helping Bethsaida with the guests and avoiding
Trefor, Reya returned to her apartments. Dr. Matons hadn’t been surprised that
their patient slept through all of yesterday and clear through the night. But
today, the doctor wanted him to try to eat something.

Easing her way into her bedroom,
she stood next to the handsome man in the bed with a glass of fresh squeezed
orange juice and a steaming bowl of escabeche-onion broth with stewed chicken.
Her breath caught in her throat when his lids slid slowly open to reveal
slate-gray, soul-stirring eyes. Damn, she couldn’t get over how much they
looked like hers though her pupils were larger because of her panthera onca
genetics.

She mentally kicked herself in the
ass, knowing if her brilliant mind didn’t get her goofy thoughts in hand, she’d
never get anything done. Her task list was full of all the things she loved,
but strangely, she had no desire to do any of it. She’d rather stand next to
her bed and gaze into Aaron’s eyes. Geez, what a wet noodle she was becoming.

Thankfully Bethsaida oversaw the
cleaning and waitstaff of the B&B, but Reya still had to get down to the
boat to meet her diving party. The trip down the Sittee River to the dive site
and back would take hours. And she still had to be back home in time for
tonight’s patrol.

Last night she’d spotted the rogue
that had challenged her for Aaron’s prone body the night his plane went down. A
sense of foreboding caused a shiver to slip up her spine. Oh yes, they’d meet
again soon, her and the rogue. Face-to-face. Perhaps claw to claw.

She set the food on the nightstand
and touched the pulse point on her patient’s neck. A lazy smile spread across
her lips at the feel of the strong beat under her fingers. Yes, he’d be up in
no time. Damn. Though her back was tired of sleeping on the couch, she could
really get used to seeing him in her bed. He’d occupied her personal haven the
past four days and the man sure looked good in this particular spot.

"Good morning, Aaron. How are
you feeling?"

"No more meds."

A single black brow winged upward
at his answer. Actually, it was more of a demand "Excuse me?"

He took a deep breath, winced and
said a bit more forcefully, "I said no more meds."

"Really?" she asked,
hiding a grin. Pale as a sheet and practically gasping with each breath, but he
didn’t need any meds? Oh yes, this was definitely a man’s man, handsome,
strong-willed and obviously used to being in charge. Kind of reminded her of a
stubborn, freeborn mule.

"I mean it. I can’t think
straight or even stay awake long enough to take a pee," he growled weakly.
When she didn’t respond he added, "I can take the pain. Thanks to you and
the good doctor, it’s at least bearable now."

"Have it your way," she
said cheerfully, not sure what she was so cheerful about. Couldn’t possibly be
this newly discovered stubborn streak in her new roommate, right? She moved to
the closet, pulled out a rain slicker and her dive pack then set them at the
bedroom door.

"What time is it?" he
asked around a yawn. His eyes followed her every movement then squinted against
the light flooding through the bedroom window. A quick glance at her bedside
clock confirmed the time. Seven o’clock in the morning.

"Dr. Matons will be up to
check on you in a couple of hours, all right?"

"You’re leaving? Where are you
going?"

Head cocked to the side with a
scowl, she regarded her patient. Reya answered to no one, except her aunt when
she happened to go home for a visit, but coming from him the questions seemed
so normal and unobtrusive. Aaron sounded so worn out and genuinely concerned,
she answered before she remembered to be offended.

"I’m scheduled to take a group
on a guided tour of the barrier reef near South Water Caye. Maybe when you’re
better, I’ll take you down there for a dive?"

"When will you be back?"

"Just after lunch. I have
patrol tonight so I’ll want to get a nap before then."

Reya helped Aaron pull his big body
up to a sitting position and stuffed several pillows behind his back. Against
her better judgment, she handed him the bowl of escabeche. Not like she had
much of a choice when the blasted man refused to let her feed him. His fingers
shook through the whole process, but he did, in fact, feed himself while she
snuck a final round of pain meds into his IV.

When his eyes closed Reya headed to
the bedroom door with the empty bowl in her hands. Fingers curled around the doorknob,
she stood there a moment. Her gaze slid back toward the bed. God, something
about the man beckoned to her heart and soul. And especially body. Since the
night she’d brought him here, she hadn’t been able to think of much of anything
but him, the deep timbre of his voice and the allure of his physical presence.
And those gorgeous gray eyes sheltered by thick, black lashes. But why was she
so gone over him? Could he be a shifter, like her? She had no idea, and she
sure as hell wasn’t going to ask him.

The next thing Reya knew, her feet
had carried her right back to the bed and she stood looking down at Mr. Aaron
James. Her fingers strayed over the cool skin covering the firm ridges of his
forearm and then up to the mound of his biceps, secretly glad the IV was in the
other arm so she could play with this one.

Leaning forward, she gently rubbed
her lips against his, taking in their firmness along with his unique scent.
Even with the smell of the glucose drip and the mild sedative floating about
his body, his scent was strong, virile. Like musk, man and hot cinnamon candy.

Pressing her lips more firmly
against his, she was surprised when his fingers found their way into the hair
at the nape of her neck. Her innocent little peck became a hot, ravenous kiss as
his mouth opened under hers and he pulled her closer when she would have pulled
away in shock. He moaned softly, the warmth of his tongue laving against hers.
The hum against her lips traveled clear down to her womb with a feeling so
exhilaratingly sweet her knees buckled.

The second her butt hit the
mattress she was caught up in the sexy tidal wave that was Aaron. It poured
over her, pulling her under until the arousal she always kept so tightly
controlled washed up through her bones.

He broke the kiss and released her,
but not before he delivered a sharp nip to her bottom lip then sucked it into
the warmth of his mouth to soothe away the sting. The ferocity of her response
caught her totally off guard. His next words took her surprise up a level, to the
brink of pure shock.

"Play hooky today," he
said softly against her parted lips.

"Play hooky? You mean skip
work?"

"Join me under the covers and
I promise you won’t regret it, Reya."

Her womb clenched and hummed, but
the intensity of his expression was so male, it actually startled her right out
of her lust. Forcing herself to push gently against his chest, she put a little
distance between them while carefully avoiding his bruises.

"Aaron, we’ve only shared a
single kiss. We don’t even know each other." Oh but didn’t she wish that
weren’t the case?

"If you let me, I promise to
change that, beautiful." Seconds later, he was out.

"Shit!" she growled,
unable to decide whether to be grateful or upset when the pain meds chose that
moment to kick in.

One glance at her watch had her
scrambling to the door, picking up her gear. There was no time to change
clothes, so she’d just have to deal with the wet now plastered to the inside of
her thighs. And all from a single kiss? What was she, a jag in heat?

Looking back to the bed, her brows
bunched together. Well, was she?

Chapter
Three

Aaron sat up and rolled his
shoulders and neck, stiff from sleeping so hard for so long. The moon shone
like a muted bulb, hidden by thick storm clouds. He’d slept all day and half
the night. Closing his eyes, he breathed deeply. Reya’s scent lingered, invaded
his lungs and seeped into his body clear down to his balls.

Everything smelled like her. The
sheets and the pillows. Even the damned air. He felt hungry for the sight of
her. Maybe she’d give him another kiss. Just the thought of her warm, full lips
on his sent a rush of warmth across his skin. What the hell kind of weird
reaction was he having to her?

And where was the woman anyway? He
strained his ears for the soft, barely audible sound of her footfalls but all
was quiet. Where had she gone?

Perhaps she was in the
bathroom…which was where? Gritting his teeth against the soreness, he sat up,
pleased he’d done it on his own. His forearm was a bit sore, but at least the
IV had been removed. Dr. Matons must have come in and relieved him of it while
he slept.

He wasn’t sure what day it was. The
days and nights were one big blur of blood, pain, Dr. Matons and his damned
pain meds…and kissing Reya. Now that he wouldn’t mind reliving.

Legs swung over the side of the bed
and the soft sheets pooled between his very naked thighs. Slightly dizzy, Aaron
took his time and pushed slowly to his feet. Even in this humidity, the skin
around his stitches felt tight. He resisted the urge to stretch and
concentrated instead on the watery feeling in his legs. It was disconcerting
and uncomfortable but made sense. Having been an athlete all his life, he
understood that his legs would protest his heavy weight after lying on his back
for days.

But there was one sign of recovery
he welcomed. He had to pee.

Taking it slowly, he breathed a
sigh of relief when he made it to the door he prayed was the bathroom. The
woven bamboo door opened noiselessly and Aaron stood in the threshold with an
appreciative tilt raising the side of his mouth. Reya had taste.

Her bathroom was a sanctuary. Done
in pale green and blue tiles, it was like looking at an artful rendition of the
Caribbean Sea. With the exception of the double-basin sinks, the room looked
like one huge shower. With a drain built into the floor on the far side of the
facility, it was completely tiled—the walls, the floor, even the ceiling.
Massaging jets stuck out of the walls in various positions and one could
actually enjoy the water on the front and both sides of the body all at the
same time.

The woman obviously loved windows.
A tinted floor-to-ceiling, screened patio-style window stood right across from
the showerheads. But considering there was a sheer twenty-foot drop instead of
a balcony, the window opened from top-to-bottom, instead of side-to-side. He
bet it was one hell of a sunset from in here. Whoever designed it was a genius.

Well, at least his dick was still
in working order. The thing was lucky as last week’s lottery winner. A slew of
bruises healed from neck to knees, but his dick was unscathed. Not even a
scratch, thank God. He couldn’t recall ever being so relieved to go to the
bathroom.

Tiring quickly, he washed up and
headed back to bed. Coming to a dead stop in the middle of the large room, Aaron
tilted his head. What was that sound? It sounded like rain, but he’d just
looked out the bathroom window and for once in what felt like forever, the sky
wasn’t leaking.

He turned and his body seized. Even
the hair on his arms and legs stood on end, unmoved by the breeze flowing in
through the always-open window.

Sexy and beyond desirable, his
personal angel stood out on a private veranda. She didn’t look at him, but he
caught the way her eyes glowed just like a cat’s when the moonlight hit them.

Reya.
Stark naked. His knees weren’t sure if they wobbled from the force of lust that
hit him square in the chest or from sheer exhaustion. Screw exhaustion. No,
he’d rather screw her.

* * *

Taking advantage of her outdoor
shower while everyone else was in bed, Reya shivered as her keen senses picked
up an inviting, totally male scent wafting through the nearby bedroom window
and out onto the veranda. The hairs on the back of her wet neck danced
deliciously at the thought of being watched. Aaron stood not ten feet from her
on the other side of the screen as she showered. She felt his eyes move over
her naked flesh, and his gaze burned a path down her back as he looked his
fill. She’d never let a man take such liberty, had never craved for one to do
so. But something inside of her reveled in the knowledge that all her
gloriously naked, wet, sleek skin was open to him.

Ducking her head under the gentle
flow of warm water, her hair became a dripping riot of curls and waves
obscuring her face. Turning her head just enough to peer at him with a single
gray eye, she looked at the man staring at her from her bedroom. Her hand
wrapped around a bar of glycerin soap with the scent of Jamaican punch, spicy
and sweet. Lathering up her hands, she spread the scented suds over her body,
keeping her single-eyed gaze locked with his.

Bubbles covered her neck, her
shoulder and her arms. She caught his swift intake of breath as her fingers
slowly made their way toward her moist nipples that were now dark stabbing
points. Encircling them slowly, the fragrance of the soap a mild aphrodisiac,
Reya’s eyes closed all on their own. Her head fell back when her hands came up
underneath, then encircled her swelling breasts. When had a shower become such
an erotic undertaking? Of course, it had nothing to do with the stranger who
gazed at her as if she were his after-dinner dessert. The stranger she could
see clearly through the screen over the pane of reinforced glass. The stranger
whose large hand was wrapped around a bone-stiff cock as he took in the
gleaming length of her body.

He was so beautiful to look at.
Even with the fading yellow and blue patches on his arms, chest and face, he
was the most handsome man she’d ever gotten this close to.

The muscles of her stomach chose
that exact second to ripple and clench in response to the way he was looking at
her. She took a deep breath and lowered her lashes.

"I apologize but while you
were asleep, I went through your things," she said with a purr, running
her hand through the silky cropped curls at the juncture of her thighs as she
stressed the word "things".

"But I figured someone would
probably be worried about you." She turned away from him to rinse the soap
from her breasts and reveled in the stream of bubbles that rinsed down her
stomach and flowed across her labia. Mmm, that felt good. Outrageously good.

"And?" he asked quietly,
with just a hint of lustful menace as he stepped closer to the thin mesh screen
separating them.

"And I took the liberty of
calling your brothers."

"You what? Aw, shit!"

His bellow filled her bungalow and
spilled out into the surrounding jungle. A few birds took flight into the night
sky and her pulse flew up into her neck to join them. He tore himself away from
the window, the slap of his bare footfalls loud on the hardwood floors. But not
as loud as the stream of expletives following him out of her bedroom.

Not
quite what she was expecting from a man with a raging hard-on.

* * *

Reya was out of the shower in a
flash and heading into the living room, a trail of water behind her. And Aaron
was right there to meet her. He was pissed she’d called the James clan down on
him, but one look at that bare, beautiful chocolate skin and the pearls of
water glowing in the moonlight all over her body, and she could have called in
an army and he wouldn’t have cared.

She took three steps into the room
and right into his arms. He gasped when his hard cock rode the ridge of the
well-defined muscles of her stomach, scalding both of them. His arms
automatically enclosed her body and wrapped tight as his head dipped to lick a
few drops off her collarbone.

"What are you doing?" she
squeaked.

"Making up for the time I was
unconscious," he drawled, holding still, waiting for her to object. Her
expression was both puzzled and hot. Needy but oddly confused, as if she
couldn’t understand how she’d ended up naked in his arms but wanted to be
exactly where she was.

Dipping his head—and he didn’t have
far to go given her height—he gently nipped her bottom lip then laved away the
sting. He’d never heard a woman growl like that before, but it was damned sexy,
so he nipped her again. This time she opened for him, following the movement of
his mouth with her own, trying to capture him with her lips.

His mouth crashed down over hers as
something primal rose up in him. The need to brand her as his, even though she
wasn’t. To sear himself into her brain so she would never want another. He knew
his thoughts were ridiculous, but his cock didn’t care.

He broke the kiss, turned her away
from him and slammed her back against his chest. She let out a whimper and
arched into his hands as they came around to caress her breasts. Her growl
became a loud wail when he squeezed her sweet nipples between his thumb and
forefinger while his tongue toyed with an extremely sensitive spot on her neck.

She reached back, one strong hand
holding his head as her body squirmed, trying to get closer. When his teeth
clamped down on the muscle between her neck and shoulder she let out a wild
yell, arched her back and pressed her ass flush against his cock. The fingers
of her free hand dug into the cheeks of his butt, holding him hard against her
as she writhed.

He put his whole body in motion
now—his hands roamed over her breasts, stomach and thighs, his mouth was hot
against her neck, her shoulders, nose buried in her wet tresses while his cock
ground against the inviting crease of her lushly perfect ass.

But his body had more sense than
his head or his cock. He wasn’t up to this and when his knees started to buckle
he reluctantly eased away from her lovely body, breathing like he’d run up the
side of a mountain and down the other side.

"Oh, god, I’m so sorry,"
she said, her hand flying up to cover her mouth.

"Sorry for what, beautiful?"
he asked quietly, unable to stop himself from reaching for her again. She took
a step back, so he just followed her until she’d backed up against the door
that led out onto the veranda.

"You just survived a plane
crash. There’s no way I should be coming on to you like this."

"So you only want my kisses
and nothing else?" he teased. "Why? Don’t you like me?" Tangling
his fingers in her hair, he loved how thick and soft it was, even wet he was
tempted to play in it. She was such a beautiful woman. Tall and lushly curved.
Her body was strong, well defined and perfect for the kind of loving he
enjoyed—hard, rough and long.

Her mouth opened and closed a
couple of times at his question. "It’s just that, uh, well, you’re a…and
I’m not a…and see? Well, shit!"

He
laughed and his stomach muscles pulled. It hurt like hell, but he just couldn’t
help it. Obviously her brain wasn’t working any better than his so he decided
to stop trying to make her think. Instead a slow, sliding seduction of lips
began, this time gently and unhurried until she pressed closer and moaned
softly into the kiss. Damn, a naked woman sure did a lot for a man’s waning
strength! Grunting, he leaned into her strong, warm body and corralled her into
the bedroom.

* * *

Aaron settled her into her own
bed and slid in next to her, his big body crowding hers. What the hell was she
thinking? She couldn’t make love to a man she didn’t know—even if his mere
presence made her forgetful, scatterbrained and so hot she could barely stand
to transition into her fur.

Yes, that was it. She needed to get
out of this bed, transition and head for the dense, lush sanctuary of the
jungle and chase rabbits until she collapsed, too drained to feel any arousal
whatsoever.

But when the man pulled her up onto
his chest, it was clear he wasn’t inclined to let her go anywhere just yet. She
had to get a hold of this madness consuming not only her but obviously him as
well.

"Aaron, we shouldn’t be doing
this," she said in hushed tones, even as he arranged her legs on either
side of his hips.

"Don’t you like…"

"Don’t you dare ask me if I like
you," she said on a whoosh of breath as his fingers slid between the moist
lips between her legs. "You’re injured, and…"

"Not so injured I can’t take a
little taste."

Taste? Taste of what? Then she
understood exactly what he meant when, in spite of the cuts and bruises on his
arms and chest, he lifted her over his head, settled her soaked pussy right
over his face and feasted.

His talented tongue lapped and
licked until she shivered like a leaf caught in a gusty breeze in the fall.
Every limb quaked and shook as her muscles bunched and released with the
pleasure he stirred in her.

Looking down, she saw he was really
into what he was doing. Gray eyes closed, his head moved around, back and
forth, as he devoured her throbbing pussy. His tongue glided up through her
moist folds. A talented tongue dipped into her eager hole while his mouth
clamped down on her entire mound, humming his pleasure.