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Wild.

Just the way she’d been craving him.

Her fingers clenched into fists. She wanted to reach out and hold him, but she was not going to give in to her need, not until they settled a few things between them. She wasn’t some kind of itch the guy could scratch whenever he wanted. Good kisser—oh, yeah, he was—or not.

Miranda wrenched her lips from his, and Cain immediately began to kiss his way down her neck.

A shiver skated over her, and the urge to lean in to him was so strong.

“I had to give you time,” Cain growled the words against her. He pushed between her legs, shoving up the fabric of her skirt several desperate inches higher. The thick length of his erection was obvious even through his clothing.

He caught her earlobe between his teeth, bit lightly, and had her shuddering with desire.

“I needed you too much.” His words were almost a growl now, and his breath blew over her skin in a delicious caress. “But my need…” Now his head lifted and his gaze caught hers. “It can be dangerous.”

The jaguar flashed in her mind. Raging its fury in the night. Teeth. Claws.

“You’d been hurt enough.” He caught a lock of her hair between his thumb and forefinger. Brought the lock to his face and inhaled. “I couldn’t risk taking you while you were injured and hurting you again.”

So he’d pulled away. Her back teeth clenched. Men could be such jerks.

And damn, but they could make a woman want.

Want to kill them.

Want to fuck them.

“Next time,” she gritted, “explain.” Before she went insane.

His eyes began to shine with the light of his beast. “I had to stay away from you as much as I could.” His fingers released her hair. “Because anytime I so much as caught your scent, I wanted to take you.”

Didn’t sound like such a bad thing to her.

“I held on to my control last time. I wasn’t sure I’d be able to do it again.”

“Who said I wanted you to be controlled?” She’d never asked him to use kid gloves with her. The idea of having him, hungry and aggressive, just turned her on all the more.

“You needed control. You were hurt. And you’re human.”

He said the last part like it was her fault. Her muscles tensed. Humanity wasn’t exactly something she was going to apologize for.

The flare of anger must have shown in her expression because he swore softly. “You don’t get it, baby. Being human means you’re weaker than me. That you’re weaker than every supernatural out there. It means you can be hurt, too easily.”

So he’d been holding back because he didn’t want to hurt her. She snorted. What utter bullshit. And what a waste of time.

Her hands rose to grasp his shoulders. “Stop worrying about hurting me.” He should have realized after what they’d been through that she wasn’t going to shatter with a bruise or a cut. “And focus more on making love to me.” Because that was what she wanted. Right there. Right then.

The door was locked. Blinds were closed. And she could tell that Cain was more than ready. So was she.

Time to take the lead.

Her hands dropped to his waist. Caught the buckle of his belt in her fingers.

A tremble shook his body. “Ah, baby, you don’t⁠—”

The belt was free. She unsnapped the button at the top of his jeans, lowered the zipper, and hauled open his jeans. Miranda stroked his cock through the thin cotton of his boxer shorts.

After a second, two, her fingers pushed the shorts down, and she took his heavy dick between her hands. Squeezed. Pumped. Root to tip. Again.