Primal Possession (41 page)

And she definitely couldn’t handle that right now.

Too many things had happened since they’d been together and she had too much resentment toward him. She averted her gaze, purposefully ignoring him as he got on the bike in front of her. As he tore out of the driveway she grasped on to him.

Sliding her hands around his waist, she tried to ignore the feel of all that strength beneath her fingertips. His back was incredibly muscular and the feel of it pressing against her breasts was almost enough to take her back to when they’d been together. Back when they’d actually liked each other, not just physically wanted each other.

Nine months wasn’t that long but it might as well have been a lifetime ago. She was a different person now even if he wasn’t.

When he took another sharp turn she had no choice but to grip him tighter. Over the sound of the rushing wind, she thought she heard him laugh, but it was impossible to tell.

After what felt like an eternity they pulled up to December’s house. Kat immediately jumped off and strode up the walkway. She could get her phone later and she certainly wasn’t going to ask him for it again. Before she’d made it up
the front steps, Jayce passed her and inserted a key into the front door.

Gritting her teeth, she hung back as he stepped inside without giving her a backward glance. “What do you think you’re doing?”

He didn’t bother to turn around as he flipped on a light in the foyer. “We’re talking. Now.”

For the first time since she’d seen him that night, she was beginning to second-guess her decision to bait him earlier. She should have just kept her mouth shut. Sighing, she stepped inside and shut the door behind her. But she didn’t bother locking it. Jayce wouldn’t be staying long.

Leaning against the closed door, she crossed her arms over her chest as he turned to face her. Under the small decorative chandelier in the entryway, his gray eyes almost seemed to glitter. She refused to look away but she was thankful for the door holding her up. “What do you want to talk about?”

He took a menacing step toward her. “You and your bullshit.” Before she could lay into him, he continued. “You might not care about yourself, but every time you go out in public without telling anyone where you are, you put the entire pack in danger. You might be an adult but you have the skills of a cub. Until you learn to control your urges or your ability to shift, you need to use your fucking head.” All his words were gravelly and filled with anger.

“I didn’t ask for this life,” she snapped.

“No. You didn’t. But at least you’re alive and it’s time to stop feeling sorry for yourself.” He covered the distance between them, and before she realized what he intended, he caged her against the door using his body and braced his hands on either side of her head.

Asshole.
“I don’t feel sorry for myself.” Maybe she did but she wasn’t going to admit it to him.

His snort told her he didn’t believe a word she said, but he didn’t contradict her. “If you have a need to find sexual release, you won’t search it out with any other male but
me
.” The words rumbled up from his chest in a low growl that sounded more wolf than human.

The statement took her so off guard she dropped her
arms from their protective embrace around herself. “
Excuse
me?”

He leaned in closer until his entire body was a mere inch from hers and his mouth was next to her ear. His hot breath sent a tingle racing through her, searching out every nerve ending until her entire body practically trembled with the need to feel that mouth all over her. “If you go to another male, I will kill him. That human tonight is lucky he’s alive.”

“You wouldn’t do that,” she whispered, even though she knew the truth. Could hear it in his darkly murmured words. She’d known he still physically wanted her, but this…was unexpected. And a little insane. Why should he feel all possessive when he was the one who’d decided she wasn’t good enough for him by lying to her about the bonding process? It had to be his animal side asserting dominance. That was all. Like a dog peeing on a freaking fire hydrant, he was just acting territorial because he could.

“Do you really want to find out if your
puppy
will bite?” Another low murmur against her skin.

He wasn’t quite touching her, but she could feel the heat rolling off him and onto her nonetheless. She didn’t answer, partially because she didn’t trust her voice, but mainly because she knew the question was rhetorical. Jayce was a deadly warrior, not a freaking puppy dog as she’d said earlier. She knew he was reminding her of that.

As she stared at the spot where the curve of his neck met his shoulder, she fought the sensation that shimmied through her. The thought of going to bed with Jayce was tempting. Even thinking about it made her feel light-headed.

He’d said she could find sexual release with him, but that was all it would be to him. Even if he did care about her, he’d never give her what she wanted. Not that it mattered anymore. She was so messed up and broken, she had no hope of having anything normal in her life again. And she refused to go to him for any sort of sexual pleasure. Especially since it wouldn’t be about control. With him, she’d lose it, not gain it. She could find control of her life in other places. Like revenge.

The word rang loudly in her head.
Revenge.
After what that APL bastard had done to her, she was going to make
every single one of those radicals pay. And she didn’t need Jayce interfering with those plans.

Ducking out from under his arms, she put a few feet of distance between them in the blink of an eye. Without his spicy, earthy scent overpowering her, she could breathe again. And think clearly. “Get out of here.”

Jayce gave her a hard look before fishing her phone out of his pocket. Wordlessly he handed it to her, then opened the front door, but before he’d shut it, he paused and turned back around. “Don’t test me,
Katarina
. I don’t think you could live with the knowledge that you got someone killed.”

As the door shut behind him she pushed out a long breath and grabbed on to the stair railing to brace herself. Somehow with him gone, the pain and loneliness eating at her was almost impossible to bear.

Which was stupid. She’d left him over nine months ago. Or almost a year, she reminded herself. It sounded better when she rounded up. Why, oh, why couldn’t she get him out of her system? When she’d first met Jayce she’d been utterly entranced. Not because of his looks—though she loved the dark edge he had to him—but because of the raw, untamed power that practically rolled off him.

Growing up with an arms dealer for a father she’d never been intimidated by anyone. Until Jayce. Of course she hadn’t let him see it. She’d called him a puppy even then, completely taunting him. He’d been so surprised. She would never forget the shocked look on his face as she’d teased him. He deserved it of course after saying something rude to her. She couldn’t remember the exact phrase but he’d insinuated that he wanted to do something sexual to her and she’d laughed at him.

From that point on he’d chased her with a single-minded focus. Not that it had bothered her. Being on his radar had made her feel empowered and sexy in a way she hadn’t imagined possible. Before Jayce men had been either too scared to approach her because of her father’s shady dealings—and his violent reputation—or they’d wanted to get close to her
because
of her father. Not Jayce. He’d just wanted
her
. She’d made him wait six months before agreeing to go to lunch with him. At the time she’d thought she could drag out her
teasing even longer, but they hadn’t even made it to her parked car at that restaurant before he’d kissed her.

And, oh, what a kiss. He’d told her everything she’d needed to know in that one very long kiss. He was claiming her, making a statement that she was his. Or at least that’s how she’d taken it. But it hadn’t been a permanent thing. That knowledge made her stomach turn sour. She’d wanted to make a life with him, but when she’d broached the subject of their future he’d told her that the chance of a human turning into a shifter from a bite was one percent. What he’d failed to mention was the fact that if he’d taken her as his bondmate she would have changed into a shifter without any issues. He’d lied because he hadn’t wanted her as his bondmate. He’d never actually admitted it to her, but what other reason could he have had for lying? Swallowing hard, she ignored the sudden sting of tears.

Instead of heading directly upstairs to her room, she made a beeline for the kitchen. Sleep had been elusive the past month, and even though she hadn’t wanted to, she’d seen a doctor just to get a prescription. After taking two sleeping pills, she prayed she would finally get at least a few hours of uninterrupted sleep. Once in her room, she didn’t bother to take off her clothes, just slipped off her boots and slid into bed.

The moment she closed her eyes Jayce’s face appeared in her mind, mocking her. It made her want to scream. Or maybe cry. She turned on her side and curled into a ball as she squeezed her eyes shut. She would
not
think about him. She couldn’t afford to give him any power over her when all she wanted was some control in her life. Well, control and revenge.