Free His Darkest Embrace by Juliana Stone Page B

disgust.
Whether she was disgusted at herself or him, he couldn’t say. But the fact that she stood rigid in his embrace, looking at Jagger like he was the biggest piece of crap on the planet, totally enraged him.
He could feel the blackness that lived inside of him tickle along the edges of his mind, and his skin began to burn. Energy sizzled along nerve endings, trailing a path of fire all over his body.
“Two things,” he said roughly. “I want to know who the hell this Cormac dude is, but more importantly, what the hell he is.” His hands gripped her tightly and he took some measure of pleasure as she winced in pain.
“And secondly, someone needs a lesson in manners.” Jagger’s voice dropped into a whisper and he watched closely, feeling a keen sense of satisfaction as she swallowed heavily. He could hear her heart rate increase and her mouth opened slightly as she tried to control the rapid breaths that filled her lungs. She flinched and turned slightly. “Take your hands off me.”
Jagger pushed her back until she was trapped between his body and a large tree. He grabbed her chin and forced her to look up at him. “I spent most of last night covering the backs of our asses because I made a decision to protect you.” He had to pause as his anger threatened to get the most of him. “Seems to me a little bit of thanks isn’t much to ask for.”
She spit at him, “Thanks? Are you for real? Well, thanks for nothing. I had a chance at Cormac and now you’ve totally screwed it.”
Skye began to squirm and her face became flush with anger.
Jagger felt his own rage begin to boil and he thought he should do exactly as she wished and leave her the hell alone. Why was he risking his own neck for a total stranger?
And yet, as he held her body even closer, all he could think about was the intoxicating scent that fell from her, and the fact that her skin, slick with the humidity of the jungle, kept the tank top she wore molded to her curves.
His eyes dropped to her breasts and a new heat began to pulse through his body. It was hard, unrelenting.
It felt so fucking good, it was painful.
His body became rock hard and as his eyes bored into the depths of Skye’s, he resented the hell out of what she was doing to him.
He could tell himself he wanted her so badly because he’d been alone in the jungle for months. That would make sense. He had needs that were long neglected.
Except there was more to it and he growled in frustration, as the biggest complication he’d encountered in as long as he could remember continued to struggle against him. What was it about her, this particular woman, that he craved so?
She was making him crazy, tapping into the dark part of him that was best left alone.
When she arched her back and tried to bite him, he swore and tightened his grip until she yelped in pain.
“You’re no better than the DaCostas,” she spit out in between ragged breaths.
“Sticks and stones,” Jagger whispered.
“Filthy animal,” she replied, and he watched her flinch as the anger he felt toward her words cloaked his face in a cold grimace.
He wanted to hurt her. He wanted her to feel pain.
Jagger flung Skye away from him, suddenly afraid that he would become the very thing she’d just accused him of. The air around him began to shimmer and he could sense the mist beginning to rise against his legs.
He was on the edge.
He closed his eyes, using inhuman strength to still the animal that raged inside of him.
“Get your shit together. We need to leave now if you want half a chance of getting out of this jungle alive,” he managed to get out from between clenched teeth. His eyes flew open and he made no attempt to hide his fury. “Because it’s crawling with an entire clan of filthy animals, and you’ve got a bull’s-eye pretty much tattooed to that pretty blonde head of yours.”
“I’m not going anywhere with you.”
Jagger raised an eyebrow and laughed harshly. “Is that so?”
He moved toward her,