Free His Darkest Salvation by Juliana Stone Page B

away.
    She walked toward him, and he sensed her jaguar scratching just below the surface.
    Her clan tattoos seemed to move along her skin, and the sudden urge to run his tongue along them, to taste them, pulled at him.
    Hard.
    Julian clenched his teeth and frowned darkly as he accepted the glass from her. She smiled, a sly lift to her mouth, and turned away, letting her long hair down as she did so, the thick waves slipping from the clip to caress her bare shoulders and fall nearly to her ass.
    “Don’t play this game with me,” he said harshly, before draining half the glass in one gulp.
    Jaden laughed softly, leaned against a sofa, and raised her glass to him before letting the liquid slide down her throat. His eyes were drawn to the delicate lines there, to the muscles that moved slowly as she finished the entire contents of her glass.
    The energy in the air changed. It was now electrified, potent. She licked her lips and stared at him, her dark eyes glistening.
    “I don’t play games, Castille.” She shrugged and returned to the cupboard, pouring another generous amount into her glass. “I’ve no time for that shit, so why don’t you come clean, and we can move on.”
    She turned back to him, but he remained silent. “Let’s face it, the sooner we end this, the sooner we can forget—”
    “Forget what?” he asked softly, and his body moved in a blur of energy and power until he stood inches from her. He felt the heat of her skin, saw the blush of warmth along her cheeks, and the powerful clawing inside him increased tenfold.
    “Us . . . forget that we ever met,” she whispered.
    He wanted her. As insane as that was, he couldn’t deny the fact.
    His body began to hum with an energy long forgotten, and he inhaled sharply as a myriad of sensations spread across his flesh, caressing the raw scars that lay there.
    “Move back, Castille.” Jaden’s voice was low, rough, and he studied her eyes closely, watching the irises darken and swell until they were deep pools of inky black velvet.
    Her small nose twitched, and her tongue darted out to run along her top lip quickly. He followed the action and found himself bending down.
    He would have one more taste.
    “Don’t,” she said softly, and he paused. His mouth hovered just above hers, with only the caress of her breath between them.
    Julian closed his eyes and breathed in her seductive scent. He felt her hand against his chest, there where he was damaged, and his eyes flew open as they connected.
    She shook her head. “We don’t even like each other so this, this . . . whatever it is we’re feeling is unnatural.” She pushed at him, harder, and he let her go as the pain along his flesh twisted and burned.
    He grimaced as the wave rolled over him and exhaled slowly, his eyes never leaving hers.
    “Lady, I’m probably the most unnatural thing you’ll come across, and trust me, we don’t have to like each other to fuck. In fact, considering the world is heading for the shitter, the whole ‘no strings’ thing suits me fine.”
    His eyes narrowed, and he flashed a smile at her. “Hell, if you’re sharing your goods with Nico, why can’t you at least give it up for your mate?”
    She looked startled at his crudeness, and hissed, “If you need to relieve tension that bad, I suggest you take a long shower and go it alone or hang at the bar because I’ll never let you touch me again.”
    Jaden pushed away, and he let her go, not really sure why he was goading her so. He only knew that getting a reaction out of her made him feel alive somehow.
    She slammed her empty tumbler onto the counter and whirled around. Her face was dark, the finely arched eyebrows drawn together as she stared at him, tight-lipped. He knew she was pissed. Actually, the woman was beyond pissed and closing in on furious.
    “I can’t work with you if you’re going to be an asshole.” She shook her head violently. “There’s too much at stake.”
    Her eyes nailed him with