Nauti Intentions

Title Page

Copyright Page

TWO

THREE

FOUR

FIVE

SIX

SEVEN

EIGHT

NINE

TEN

ELEVEN

TWELVE

THIRTEEN

FOURTEEN

FIFTEEN

SIXTEEN

SEVENTEEN

EIGHTEEN

NINETEEN

TWENTY

TWENTY-ONE

TWENTY-TWO

TWENTY-THREE

TWENTY-FOUR

TWENTY-FIVE

Praise for the novels of Lora Leigh

“Leigh draws readers into her stories and takes them on a sensual rol er coaster.â€

—Love Romances

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“Leigh writes wonderful y straightforward and emotional stories with characters that jump off the page.â€

—The Road to Romance

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“Fraught with tension from the first page to the last . . . a love story of the deepest kind with a very emotional and sensual base. Combine al these

elements together and [you’re] guaranteed an intriguing story that wil have you glued to the edge of your seat.â€

—Fallen Angel Reviews

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“Blistering sexuality and eroticism . . . bursting with passion and drama . . . enthral s and excites from beginning to end.â€

—Romance Reviews Today

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“A scorcher with sex scenes that blister the pages.â€

—A Romance Review

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“Thril ing . . . explosive . . . a perfect blend of sexual tension and suspense.â€

—Sensual Romance Reviews

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“An emotional read.â€

—The Best Reviews

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“Hot sex, snappy dialogue, and kick-butt action add up to outstanding entertainment.â€

—Romantic Times
(top pick)

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“Ms. Leigh is one of my favorite authors because she creates new worlds that I want to visit and would move to if only I could.â€

—Erotic-Escapades

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“The writing of Lora Leigh continues to amaze me . . . electrical y charged, erotic, and just a sinful y good read!â€

—Joyful yReviewed.com

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“Wow! . . . The lovemaking is scorching.â€

—Just Erotic Romance Reviews

Berkley titles by Lora Leigh

COYOTE’S MATE

MERCURY’S WAR

DAWN’S AWAKENING

TANNER’S SCHEME

HARMONY’S WAY

MEGAN’S MARK

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NAUTI INTENTIONS

NAUTI DREAMS

NAUTI NIGHTS

NAUTI BOY

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Anthologies

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THE MAGICAL CHRISTMAS CAT

(with Erin McCarthy, Nalini Singh, and Linda Winstead Jones)

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SHIFTER

(with Angela Knight, Alyssa Day, and Virginia Kantra)

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BEYOND THE DARK

(with Angela Knight, Emma Holly, and Diane Whiteside)

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HOT SPELL

(with Emma Holly, Shiloh Walker, and Meljean Brook)

THE BERKLEY PUBLISHING GROUP

Published by the Penguin Group

Penguin Group (USA) Inc.

375 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014, USA

Penguin Group (Canada), 90 Eglinton Avenue East, Suite 700, Toronto, Ontario M4P 2Y3, Canada

(a division of Pearson Penguin Canada Inc.)

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South Africa

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Penguin Books Ltd., Registered Offices: 80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL, England

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This book is an original publication of The Berkley Publishing Group.

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This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental. The publisher does not have any control over and does not assume any responsibility for author or third-party websites or their content.

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Copyright © 2009 by Christina Simmons.

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All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printed or electronic form without permission. Please do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of the author’s rights. Purchase only authorized editions.

BERKLEY® SENSATION and the “B†design are trademarks of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.

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PRINTING HISTORY Berkley Sensation trade paperback edition / April 2009

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

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Leigh, Lora.

Nauti intentions / Lora Leigh.—Berkley Sensation trade paperback ed.

p. cm.

eISBN : 978-1-101-02975-6

I. Title.

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PS3612.E357N385 2009

813’.6—dc22 2008054339

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http://us.penguingroup.com

A special thank-you to Natalie.

You help me keep my sanity,

and there’s not enough thanks for that.

You go above and beyond and make life easier.

And my appreciation

for that knows no bounds.

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For everything you do, thank you!

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Janey Mackay should have known something was wrong when Dayle Mackay, the man who’d donated the seed for her conception, left the message

on her cel phone that her brother, Natches, was hurt and she needed to come home.

She should have cal ed someone else, but who was there to cal ? After al , Dayle had made certain Janey was as isolated from the rest of her family as

possible. Private girls’ schools until col ege, and even then, she knew she was being watched. She was always watched.

She should have been suspicious because Dayle hated Natches, his only son. Hated him so much, and feared him to such an extent that Janey knew it

was the only reason she was in col ege rather than married to one of his fanatical friends. Or dead, because she would have kil ed herself first.

But she hadn’t been. Her only thought had been of Natches, the brother she had never been able to real y get to know, but the one she knew

protected her. She knew, because he’d always managed to get little notes to her through the years. He’d always found ways to contact her, to let

her know he was there if she needed him.

She had needed him. But it wasn’t a life-or-death need, and she knew if she defied Dayle Mackay and publicly chose Natches over him, then it

would end in blood. Possibly her brother’s blood.

Her father had her booked on a red-eye flight into Lexington from the col ege in California that he’d had no choice but to al ow her to attend. She

arrived after midnight, and Dayle and her aunt Nadine were waiting on her.

After that, things got a little hazy. But that could have had something to do with the nasty-smel ing cloth Nadine had capped over her mouth and nose

after they were on their way to Somerset. Or the pil s Dayle had shoved down her throat before she could fight him, as her lashes fluttered open later.

Yeah, she had a pretty good idea that was the reason. And she couldn’t seem to clear her mind enough to think. She needed to think. Dayle was a

monster, twisted and evil, and Nadine was his perfect match. His “soul mate,†Dayle cal ed his sister.

Janey stared up at the ceiling above the bed her body felt weighted to. She wasn’t tied down, but they hadn’t had to tie her; whatever they had

given her made her so sluggish, made her feel so heavy she couldn’t move. She could feel the tears that fel from her eyes, though she didn’t

want to cry.

Shame twisted inside her, congealed into a sick bal in the pit of her stomach as her skin crawled with the horror of the past hours.

She hadn’t begged.

She’d always imagined what it would be like if her father did something this vile to her—and yes, there were times she had expected it—and

she’d imagined she would beg. Cal him “Daddy†and plead with him to make it stop.

But the words had choked in her throat. She had stared at the ceiling, hating him, hating her aunt. Hating that bitch’s hands as they touched her.

Her breath hitched on a silent sob. He’d let that old slut touch her. He’d laughed with amused indulgence as Nadine had pleaded like a little girl

to have just a “little fun.â€

As though Janey were a toy. A toy to be used.

Nadine hadn’t had time to do much, but even a little sickened Janey. She’d nearly thrown up on the bitch.

She turned her head into the pil ow and tried to dry her tears. She didn’t want Nadine or Dayle to see her crying. To know they had hurt her. It would

only make them worse. They thrived on pain. It amused them. Empowered them.

And she had to stop crying. She had to fight past the blanketing haze that fogged her brain. She needed to just get up. If she could just make herself get

up, then she could get out of here. She could find help. If she could get out of here, Alex’s house wasn’t far away. Alex would help her. He would

take her to Natches and Natches would make it al go away.

She sobbed at the thought. Alex would take care of her. Maybe he’d even put his arms around her. She would like that. Just for a minute. Just long

enough to make her feel safe. There was something about him, something that warmed her in the dead of night when she was alone and cold.

Another sob broke from her. She swore she could hear Natches’s voice now. She was hal ucinating. She had to be. Oh God, she had to get out of

here before they gave her more of those damned drugs.

Making her limbs work, making her brain clear enough to force her legs, her arms, to move, had her breaking out in a cold sweat.

If she stayed here, something would happen to Natches. She’d heard them talking about it. She couldn’t remember what would happen to him,

but she couldn’t let them hurt him. He had protected her. He was her older brother. And he loved her.

Breathing harshly, sweat pouring along her face, she managed to rol to the side of the bed. The floor looked as though it were miles below her.

Hel .

She swal owed tightly and blinked the sweat from her eyes. She could do this. She could. If she could rol to the side of the bed, then she could get up

on her damned feet. She could do this.

She forced herself to believe she could do it. It felt as though it took years, but she managed to sit up, swaying, swal owing back the bile in her stomach

as the room spun on her.

Hel yeah.

She could do this. She could feel her feet on the floor. She struggled to pul her T-shirt down, over her breasts, shuddering at the memory of why it was

up there.

Oh man, she was so gonna puke if she had to think about that now.

Janey shook her head, slowly. The fog eased a little. Bracing herself, she forced herself to her feet and went to her knees.

Shit, that hurt.

She bit back a moan, panted, and dragged herself up the side of the bed. She stumbled; her ankle nearly col apsed. The door looked so far away. But

she knew it wasn’t. She just had to get there.

Natches. She had to think about Natches. The night Dayle had beaten him, nearly senseless, until he was bloodied and almost unconscious, trying to