Leopard 05 - Savage Nature

idea what had woken him.
    Saria was cuddled up beside him, warm and soft, on her side, unmoving, not restless at all. That surprised him. He expected it would difficult for her to sleep beside someone, just as it had always been impossible for him, yet both of them had slept easily together.
    He lifted the corner of her pillow where her hand was hidden. He wasn’t at all surprised to see her knife inches from her fingers. He moved it back a little more, not wanting to take any chances when he woke her. Smiling, he cupped her breast, his thumb stroking back and forth over her nipple. She felt like rose petals, soft and velvety and so warm.
    “Turn over, baby,” he whispered in her ear, taking time to tug at her earlobe with his teeth.
    Saria murmured sleepily, but obediently turned toward him where he could nuzzle at her warm breasts. She sighed drowsily and one hand landed in his hair, stroking small caresses there. He lapped at her nipples for a moment and then drew one into the heat of his mouth. She made a small appreciative sound and cradled his head to her.
    “Mmm, nice way to wake up.”
    He took his time, lavishing attention on every square inch of her body, learning every sensitive spot that sent her writhing and tossing against him. He indulged his every whim, loving her with his mouth and hands, getting to know her body as intimately as he knew her strength of character.
    A thump on the door brought Drake’s head up alertly, and Saria yanked up the covers. She moistened her lips, her eyes holding a mixture of disappointment, amusement and alarm. “I can’t think anymore, you’ve destroyed my brain.”
    “Good,” he whispered unrepentant, leaning down to give her another kiss.
    The thudding came again, this time more imperious.
    Saria laughed softly. “The children are calling.”
    He growled a swear word in her ear and then bit down on her lobe, making her squeal. “What is it?” he called, his voice gruff.
    “Sorry to disturb you, boss, but you need to see this—now,” Joshua’s voice called out.

14
     

     
    JOSHUA Tregre. Saria had made a point of studying him for signs of depravity and cruelty, once she’d heard his last name. His surname carried a terrible stigma in the swamp and yet Joshua seemed to be a decent man. Certainly Drake and the others trusted him.
    “Just a minute,” Drake said and slid out of bed.
    “I’m goin’ with you,” Saria informed him, leaping out of bed just as fast. “Give me a minute.” She raced for the bathroom, snagging her jeans and a top as she rushed on through. He’d better not leave her behind.
    She caught a brief glimpse of herself in the mirror as she attended to her morning rituals and hastily yanked on her clothes. She was a little surprised to see she looked the same. She didn’t feel the same. She felt—beautiful. Loved. Part of someone.
    “Let’s go,” Drake called.
    She smiled to herself. He sounded so commanding. So like someone who expected instant obedience—and he probably did—when it counted. He didn’t treat her at all the way he sounded in a crisis. She trusted his judgment, which made it easier to follow his dictates in a dangerous situation. She also loved that he waited.
    She ran out to join him, laughing when she saw him pulling on his shirt. “I’m so much faster than you, and I’m the girl.”
    He grinned at her, that cocky, arrogant grin that tugged at her heartstrings, and he took her hand before opening the door. Joshua looked grim and Drake’s smile faded.
    “What is it?”
    Joshua shook his head. “Sorry, boss. We had a visitor. Had to be a couple of hours ago. The kill’s fresh on the lawn. A deer and a small dog. He tore them to shreds. He wasn’t looking for food either, just the fun of ripping something up.”
    “Leopard?”
    “Both had classic kill bites.” He glanced uneasily at Saria. “And he used a knife on them as well. He had to have slipped in when we were at the other side of the house and he must have made the kills when he left. I noticed the deer earlier chowing down on some roses.”
    “You mean he was in the house?” Drake demanded.
    Joshua’s gaze again shifted briefly to Saria and back to Drake. She felt her stomach muscles tighten into knots.
    “In her room, Drake.”
    Drake took the lead, signaling Saria to stay behind him. Joshua fell in behind her. She became aware of the silence. Neither man made a sound. She could hear her own breathing, but not their footsteps. The