Free Soul of the Wildcat by Devyn Quinn Page A

are telling me. You do carry the scent of a Tlvdatsi female.”
    Without really knowing why, Dakoda stepped into his arms, pressing against the hard planes of his chest. “I wish I could believe that. Desperation can do such strange things to a person’s mind. If you told me you could fly, I think I’d believe it.” She meant the move to be innocent, one human taking comfort from another, but something about the stiffening in his frame said he read something entirely different into it.
    His fingers slid into her hair, tugging her head back. His face moved closer to hers. His gaze collided with hers, simmering with predatory heat. “I am desperate, Dakoda,” he murmured. “Whether or not you believe me doesn’t matter at all. I’m trying to make a connection we can hold on to, something positive for both of us to focus on. If we hang on to each other, we might be able to survive.”
    There was no way she could answer. The events of the day were still raw wounds etched deeply into her mind and on her heart. His offering was more than a balm, it was a promise things had the potential to get better. His presence, his pledge, offered a sense of peace.
    Hope she willingly took and held on to.
    Before she could form a coherent answer, Jesse’s mouth covered hers. His kiss wasn’t the ravenous assault of a desperate soul, but a soft tentative pressure. His tongue brushed the seam of her lips, seeking invitation.
    Blood racing at the pull of his sex toward hers, Dakoda willingly opened. Something about Jesse drew her like a magnetic force, as if she could draw from his strength and shift into a cougar right then and there. A honeyed warmth pushed against her fear and fatigue, renewing her reserves of determination and strength.
    â€œPromise me you won’t leave me,” she murmured against the pressure of his mouth.
    For an answer, Jesse’s hands slipped lower, traveling down her sides. Big warm palms came to rest on her hips. He pulled her body closer to his. With the shift between them, the blanket around his hips dropped to the floor around his feet. The strong length of his torso pressed against her. His throbbing shaft nestled between them. “I won’t leave you, Dakoda,” he promised.
    Feeling the pressure, Dakoda pulled back a little. She glanced down, eyeing his erection with appreciation. “That thing doesn’t give up,” she giggled.
    A shudder ran though him. “Not when there’s a sexy woman in my arms.”
    â€œSexy,” she breathed. “You think I’m sexy?”
    His grin widened. “Hell, yeah.”
    â€œAnd you’re not just saying that because I’m the only woman around?” she teased.
    Jesse pulled her back into his arms. “I think I’d better let my body do the talking.” He kissed her again, his mouth easily conquering hers.
    Allowing him full access to plunder and pillage, Dakoda felt the fine tremble beneath his skin, the quivering sensation filling his entire body as he tried to hold back the full force of his intense passion. A man’s mouth might lie, spinning some good tales to get into a girl’s pants. But his body definitely could not. A bond, a real connection, was forming between them. One going far past the physical, into territory Dakoda had never dared to explore with any man before. For the first time in her life she wanted to find out what it would be like to give herself to a man in every way.
    She wanted to belong.
    Catching her lower lip between his teeth, Jesse slid one hand up her torso, palm closing over her left breast. Though covered by her clothing, she felt the caress sear all the way through the material. Her nipple instantly came to life, tightening into a hard little peak. God, she was desperate. It had been too damned long since she’d had sex. As though dulled by all lack of sensation, her senses were slowly awakening, blossoming to brilliant