Leopard 01 - The Awakening

throbbed and burned and nothing she did gave her relief.
    Brandt watched as she was caught in the throes of the sexual heat of their race. She was the most sensuous creature he had ever seen. His body was on fire, painful, as she moved against the sheets. He watched her fingers move over skin that belonged to him. Touch places that were made for him. A snarl escaped, a low moan of hunger. The lust, the need was so strong he no longer cared about honor, about the future. He would have her tonight. Now. There would be no waiting.
    And then she buried her face in the pillow and wept as if her heart were breaking. The sound stopped him cold. He stared at her, seeing her easily in the dark, and felt her fears, her loneliness. Felt her confusion and humiliation for things she couldn’t hope to control or understand. He hadn’t thought what changing her life so drastically would do to her, only what it would do for him. He crouched on the balcony and listened while she cried herself to sleep. Unexpectedly, his heart nearly shattered.

    Three
    Maggie dreamt of a man’s soothing voice. Of comforting arms. Of fursliding sensuously next to her skin. Over her skin. Of padding through the darkened forest on four legs, not two. Of behaving outrageously, seductively, rolling and crouching to entice a male to her. She dreamt of torches flashing and the sound of gunshots. She dreamt of a man with a scent that filled her with longing.
    She woke in late afternoon, her body sprawled naked, tangled in the sheet, with the memories of strange, disjointed dreams etched clearly in her mind. She became aware of sensation first, then sound.
    The raucous calls of birds. The hum of insects. The chattering of monkeys. The rain.
    It was already humid and the fans were whirling to provide a semblance of relief from the sultry air.
    She turned her head toward the window and was surprised to find mosquito netting surrounding her bed. She reached out idly, not quite all the way awake, and pulled the netting to one side. She found herself blinking up at the most compelling, mesmerizing eyes she’d ever seen. Molten gold. Liquid.
    Hypnotic.
    Her heart jumped and then began to pound out a rhythm of joy. Her small teeth bit into her lower lip.
    “What are you doing here?” Her voice came in a rush. He was the most physically intimidating man she had ever seen. She lay paralyzed, unable to move. She could only stare at him helplessly, shock mixing with a strange excitement.
    Brandt pushed the netting into the corner, his gaze sliding possessively over her body. The sheet was tangled around her, revealing more than it hid. Her silken hair spilled around the pillow, a spun reddish-gold that matched the thatched curls peeking at him from the shadow between her legs. He swallowed the sudden dryness in his mouth. “I wanted to make certain you were all right. It occurred to me it wasn’t safe leaving you alone in an unfamiliar house in the middle of a rain forest, so I stayed to protect you. I’m Brandt Talbot.” One rounded breast was tantalizing him, drawing his heated gaze no matter how much he tried to impose discipline on himself.
    Maggie felt the brush of flames from the burning intensity of his eyes as he looked at her body. With a small gasp of alarm, she sat up, dragging the sheet over her. “Good heavens, I don’t have any clothes on!”
    His perfectly sculpted mouth curved gently into a small smile. “I noticed.”
    “Well, don’t notice.” Holding the sheet up to her neck with one hand, she imperiously pointed toward the door with the other. He was the most alluring man she had ever seen. His hair was long and thick, jet-black, shiny enough to make her want to run her hands through it. Given the way she had been feeling the night before, she wasn’t altogether certain it was safe for him to be in her bedroom.
    Especially when she was naked. “I’ll get dressed and meet you downstairs in the kitchen.”
    His smile widened into a melting grin. “I brought you up food.” He pulled a silver tray from atop the dresser and placed it on the bed. “I don’t mind your state of . . . er . . . undress. It livens up the place.”
    She blushed, color creeping up her neck. There was fruit on the tray, a glass of cold juice, a mug of hot tea, and a colorful orchid. The flower was fresh. Exquisite. What kind of man would think to bring her something so beautiful on her first awakening in the rain forest? She stared from the tray to his