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She looked confused Puzzled "Why would I? I don' want anything from them"

"It wouldn't have mattered," he said truthfully "But it would have caused complications Come here"

She heard the note of finality in his voice and she knew she was in danger His wo her toward the wall He stalked her like the leopard he was, gaze focused on her, his ried toward the surface over and over in elation So close They were so close

Her back hit the wall and she held up her hand as if that would ward him off Stop a leopard Stop an enforcer Stop aman He towered over her, his shoulders wide, his chest broad He dwarfed her in size One of his hands easily spanned her throat, his thu her head up He stood close, so close he could feel the brush of her soft breasts against his ribs So close he felt every breath she took

"You Are Mine" He enunciated each word carefully so there was noHe knew she would protest, but he didn't want to argue There was no arguing with fate

He bent his head and took her mouth Her lips were soft and trembled beneath his She didn't part her lips for hi his lips over hers Tiny kisses when no part of hiht her lower lip between his teeth, that bitable lip he fixated on often, and he did exactly what he'd been fantasizing about for asped He took instant advantage, both hands cupping her face, fingers sliding around to find her thick hair while he kissed her Deep Hard Passionately Sparing neither of the and they both knew it

She wasn't very experienced, but that made it all the sweeter for him Her untutoredto hi extraordinary He caet what they wanted He'd been no different He'd fucked woet off and he'dbut knew he'd walk away immediately after And he had--to save their lives He'd done that Got up Got dressed Left without a word Fast

He'd never enjoyed kissing It was too--intimate He took a woman from behind so he didn't have to look into her eyes So he didn't have to pretend to s at all but his body's reaction He took her hard and fast He was every bit as savage as his leopard, and he found woot off and just walking away

He hadn't touched a woeline and he certainly hadn't wanted to touch one since First, it was because his leopard hated the woun to fear that in thathis tattered control and killing the woman Then it was because neither eline

Kissing Evangeline opened up an entire world to him He had felt protective of her He wanted her body with every cell in his She brought hiifts Of tenderness Gentleness Of slow, leisurely exploration Coaxing her response Reveling in it Feeling that first glide of her tongue along his Savoring it In a way kissing was a first for hiave that to him

The fire started with a slow burn and spread like h his veins Blood pooled Low Wicked He had never been so hard or so in need He pressed close, snug, wanting to lift her up, but he didn't He was careful of her Found a gentleness he didn't know he had Had never seen before Never felt before

She moaned into his mouth and the fire went fro slow, but hotter than hell Every nerve ending came alive until not only his mind and body knew she was his--he knew it deep down in his soul She was the woman ould center hi? She already was

He didn't know the first thing about relationships He'd been born into a family of killers Men Women Children None of those lives mattered Only wealth Power Only the , but he kneouldn't survive without her She was the one The only one

He kissed her over and over Exchanged breath Took the kiss froentle to passionate but was careful to keep his wild nature in check For her He could do that for her The fire began to rage Her breasts pushed against hi in

Alonzo forced himself to lift his head, lips inches fro Her lashes lifted and he saw heat and soer than mere affection in her eyes For hied to confusion Wariness Not quite a protest but building It was too late She'd already shown hireen eyes and all the emotion any man could want to see for a lifetime He couldn't wait to look into her eyes when he claimed her body

He kept possession of her, refusing to allow her to ether, you call me Fyodor" He was so close his mouth was a whisper from hers His voice so low that she had to use her leopard senses to hear him "That's my name Fyodor Only for you Just you When I make love to you, that's the name you call me"

Before she could answer, before she could protest or say a single word, he spun her around, her front to the wall, holding her there, his body pressed tightly against hers He kept his face close to hers "I' that to you and it's my life in your hands Do you understand, solnyshko moyo?"

One hand stayed on the nape of her neck, pressing her face forhile the other unzipped her camisole and opened it slowly Her breath hitched and she tried to pull away fro, and she couldn't move

"Trustto claiht now, is she pushing to rise?" He whispered each word into her ear

She tensed even more as his hand pushed the athered it into the fingers at her nape, leaving her back exposed

"What are you doing?" she whispered,his tone

"Answerher in place as he kissed his way from the little indentation at the base of her spine all the way up to her shoulder

"Yes" Her voice trembled Her body did as well

"Trust me This is for them For us" He felt the joy in his leopard He'd never felt that before He didn't know his leopard could feel anything other than sheer savagery The beast leapt for the surface

For just aand the leopard killed her? Could he take that chance? He bent his head to her shoulder and kissed her Once Twice His leopard was so close he felt the ache in his bones In his jaw In his mouth So close

Evangeline moaned and suddenly cinnamon and spice ild Feh pheromones that his leopard feared the otherin At once he raked and clawed for freedoeline's bare back and his cat rubbed up her spine and over both shoulders, scenther in the way of their kind

Evangeline cried out, a soft plea of shock and pain His leopard was being gentle Like he'd been Unnatural for his beast, but Alonzo felt hi closely just to be safe, but he shouldn't have worried The leopard held her with care, waiting for her female to rise To accept him

5

THE leopard's teeth hurt, but not nearly as bad as Evangeline had expected She couldn'ther pinned to the wall She couldn't scream for help The only ones that would hear her were Alonzo'sher His leopard was clai her female That oing back from that

Bebe, I'm sorry, I couldn't

protect you

She held herself very still, pressed her forehead into the wall and closed her eyes tightly against theThe slide of fur against the walls of the tiny building she was huddled in She had only her blanket to cover her small little body She wasn't yet four, her les around her face She re out She didn't have that luxury now Her hands were trapped against the wall

Her heartbeat was a druainst her, his fur al The sounds of her screams deep in her head filled her ears She ree cat had pushed against the fliht--a structure deep in the swaed and cried but he told her to be quiet To not make a sound or the bad leopard would coht

Way back then that wild thing inside of her had unfurled and reached out to co insane with fear Even then, at the age of four, she knew that hideous cat pawing around the building was looking for her--for as inside of her--and she had to protect it They had to protect each other She stayed very still, that little child, her fist jao away