Instinctive - By Cathryn Fox Page 0,92

unkempt weeds and gangly blades of grass climbed up his breeches and pawed at his ankles.

He blinked his eyes to adjust to the dim light and took two measured steps forward. Because there had just been a week of heavy rain, the heels of his patent leather shoes sank in the wet, moss-laden ground. Ray turned the collar of his wool sack coat up against the cool autumn breeze and carefully picked his way forward, his heart pounding harder and harder with each approaching footstep.

Overhead the tightly knitted clouds peeled back to reveal a full moon. The bright beams broke through the canopy of high leaves to provide sufficient light for him to see the dark metal latch on the door, still just a few feet out of reach. His lips turned up in a smile, and he shook the can again to let Sunni and the menagerie of tomcats seeking warmth and shelter inside know that it was he who approached, not some gang member sneaking up on them unsuspectingly.

Taking him by surprise, a low noise came from behind. A noise not at all unlike the growl of a wild wounded animal. Survival instincts kicked in, and he glanced over his shoulder in time to spot a shadow moving in the distance, weaving in and out of the trees in a drunken, nonsequential pattern and keeping a wide berth as it circled.

Ray narrowed his eyes and peered into the darkness. The shadow sat low, crouched on all fours. He took it to be some sort of dog, but bigger than any canine he’d ever encountered. Ray was not a small man by any means, but to take on a rabid dog without weaponry would certainly make him a dense one.

As his pulse kicked up a notch, his skin prickled in warning and propelled him forward. Moving swiftly, his long legs ate up the short distance to the building in record time. Before he could reach the latch, a low noise serrated the air and stopped him dead in his tracks. His blood ran cold and he swallowed hard, the strangled sound carrying in the wind as he slowly turned in the direction of the growl. He took great care not to make any sudden movements while he tracked the shadow as it continued to come closer—closing in on him. A moment later a large canine stepped into the clearing and two pewter orbs flashed beneath the full moon.

What the hell kind of animal has pewter eyes?

A burst of adrenaline propelled Ray on, and he yanked the door open with much more force than was necessary and charged inside. With his breath coming in quick, unsteady gasps, he slammed the door behind him and collapsed against it, using his body weight to seal it shut.

The light from the candle flickered as Sunni approached. Her palm closed over his cheek and the warmth of her hand drove back the cold of the night. “Ray, what is it?” she asked.

With concern dancing in her eyes, she looked past his shoulder at the secured door. “Were you followed?”

He shook his head, and let the tension drain from his body as he took pleasure in the alluring sight of Sunni and the seductive way the soft candlelight fell over her petite frame like a halo. As he drew in her distinctive floral scent, his heart swelled and his cock thickened, forcing him to struggle to find his words.

He widened his hands to show the animal’s excessive size. “Wild dog,” was all he managed to get out as his blood raced south.

She frowned. “I thought I heard the same dog earlier when I snuck in here.” Just then one of the many tomcats hissed at the door and then turned its attention to more pressing matters, like the food in Ray’s breeches. He brushed up against Ray’s leg and pawed at his pocket, and the can of sardines he knew would be inside. As a few other cats moved closer and joined in the chorus, Ray pulled out their food.

Sunni carefully positioned the candle on the ledge next to them, away from the boarded windows, and went to work on feeding the hungry felines. After opening the can and placing it on the floor, she turned back to Ray and furrowed her brow. “What should we do?”

“Let’s wait it out.” Every instinct he possessed warned him of danger, causing a foreboding shiver to prowl through him. It took effort to keep his voice even when he added, “With any luck it will just lose interest and wander off.”

Her fingers intertwined in his hair, and in an obvious attempt to lighten the mood, she went up on her tiptoes and whispered, “I’m not afraid of any wild dog attacking me when I’ve got a protector like you, Ray.”

Ray slid his hands around her back to anchor her to him. His edgy laugh churned with passion. “Maybe it’s me you have to worry about attacking, Sunni.” His erection pressed insistently against her stomach, and he diligently fought down the overwhelming urge to tear her clothes from her body and ravish her like an animal in heat. A torrent of emotions washed over him, but he knew he’d never act purely on primal impulses, not with her, not with his Sunni, because it was never just about sex with her and she deserved so much more from him.

Her blue eyes gleamed with mischief and she caught her bottom lip between her teeth. “Speaking of attacking, what on earth shall we do to occupy ourselves while we wait for the mongrel to lose interest?”

She looked at him with pure desire and his body responded with a quiver. God, he loved her openness, her sense of adventure. He’d never had the inclination to divulge—let alone indulge—his secret fetishes to the girls in his social circuit. Sunni had never looked at him like he was a circus sideshow for wanting to tie her up and have her at his mercy. He wasn’t sure where that deep-seated need to dominate her had come from, only that it was strong, and was not to be denied. Ray could just imagine how the women in his neighborhood would react to his unusual desires. Nevertheless, Ray only ever wanted to share those intimacies with Sunni.

His mind raced back to her playful question and considered the invitation in her voice. “Do you have something in mind?” he asked.

She palmed his muscles then slipped a hand between his legs to cup his aching cock. She gave a breathy, intimate laugh and playfully responded, “Maybe not something in mind, but definitely something in . . . hand.”

As desire jolted through him, they exchanged a long, lingering look, and any fears he had about the rabid dog abated. His fingers tightened around her waist, and he pulled her impossibly closer, crushing her small body to his.

“Sunni,” he murmured as he captured her mouth in a slow simmering kiss, “you do have a way with words.”

Eager hands slipped under his coat to massage his muscles, and her throaty purr resonated through his body. “And here I’d rather you had your way with me.”