Animal Lust. Lacy Danes

ANIMAL LUST

      Books by Lacy Danes

      WHAT SHE CRAVES

      ANIMAL LUST

      SEXY BEAST IV

       (with Kate Douglas and Morgan Hawke)

      Published by Kensington Publishing Corporation

      ANIMAL LUST

      LACY DANES

      KENSINGTON BOOKS

       http://www.kensingtonbooks.com

      To all you beastly bear men out there…We ladies love you!

      To Crystal Jordan, for being my writing mistress and cracking the cyber whip so I made my goals each day. I don’t know what I would do without you.

      To Shelli Stevens, for being a good friend even though you don’t always agree with my decisions.

      To Lillian Feisty, thanks for always being available to give me your opinion when I am pulling my hair out.

      To Robert, Jim, and Eric, for being available for male POV questions and brainstorms. You guys ROCK!

      To Cathy and my mom, thanks for all your help. You are the best and I love you.

      This book is for all of you!

      Hugs and kisses,

      Lacy.

      CONTENTS

      Martin

      Mac

      Orin

      Devon

      Long ago, the clan of Ursus was cursed with the blood of a bear. To all outward appearance they remained human. However, each one possessed powerful mystic abilities and hearty sexual appetites. Only one thing brings out the beast within: a male threatening one’s mate. When this happens, only the strongest can control the animal that lives inside.

MARTIN

      1

      Cumberland, England, 1800

      Sweet mother! What a blunder she’d made! Jane’s hand shot to her mouth, and she bit the skin of her palm.

      Jonathan had never loved her. He lied.

      Tears blurred her vision and streamed down her cheeks. She tripped and stumbled, barely seeing the wooded trail before her. The flesh of her sex burned, and her legs ached. How she needed a nice long soak in a tub and time to sort this out. Dash it!

      When had she misunderstood his intentions? They had been secretly touching and kissing behind his tavern for months. The whole town thought they would marry. Then, today at the fair, they’d snuck into the woods.

      “Lovely, lovely Jane, ye give me a tickle, won’t ye, love?” The smell of the ale from his breath wafted about her.

      She shouldn’t, but how she fancied him. What could it matter?

      “You will marry me?” she breathed into his hair, her head spinning in aroused bliss.

      He grunted as her touch ran down his muscled back.

      He’d grunted! Her teeth ground together as she ran without seeing the trail before her. Sweet mother! He had never said he would wed her. She had craved his touch and the feelings he created in her so madly she’d mistook the grunt as an affirmation of his designs.

      She’d given her innocence to a man who had no intentions of wedding her. Her fingers clutched her stomach. She could be with child, and she had no way to take care of a babe nor herself. Daft, truly daft.

      Her head spun. She gasped for air as her legs tangled in her skirts, and she tripped, landing, limbs spread wide on the hard, damp earth. Oh. She lay, lungs burning, unable to breathe, and closed her eyes. Her entire life had changed in one act of wanton misdeed. She would pull herself together. She would find a way if she carried a child, but for now…she would grieve while no one could see her.

      “Lovely Jane.” He buttoned up his trousers as he inhaled a deep breath, the crisp air clouding as he exhaled. “Not bad for a green tickle, and no worries about the clap.”

      The clap. He’d rutted with her like she was no better than a tavern wench. He loved her. He said he loved her. Her eyes closed as tears welled.

      “’Twas a lovely, Jane. Ye have a sweet little honeypot. Take good care of it and we’ll come out here again sometime.” He turned and headed off into the trees.

      By God. What had she done?

      With her face down in the dirt, tears silently ran down her face. Her limbs trembled, and her head spun. She hadn’t cried in an age. The act depleted and exhausted her. Pull yourself together, Jane. With a sob, she straightened and got to her feet on shaking legs. She was a wealthy merchant’s daughter. He was friends with her pa. How dare he treat her ill?

      Panic grabbed at her heart.

      This act ruined her prospects of a normal life and brought shame on her family name. Her father’s business would suffer. How could she be so selfish? Her family, she held dear.

      Frantic, her gaze darted around the forest. Nothing but trees. Think, think, you fool….

      Her fingers pinched the bridge of her nose. She would go to Jonathan and beg him not to say a word. Dash it all. Her eyes squeezed shut.

      If she could only figure a way out of the woods. She held her breath, listening for any sounds from the fair. Nothing. What is the rule? Follow the sun and it will lead you to the north…. No…. Sweet mother, she should have listened to her father when he talked about directions.

      She stepped toward the setting sun; pain spread through her ankle and up her leg, and her temples throbbed. Ouch! She put weight on her leg and swayed. She could limp but not far.

      The forest grew darker. Where was she? She hobbled up the path. Dash it all. Lost, that’s where. She picked up her pace. Frost eased up around her heart, and she pushed aching dreams down. Just ahead, a road loomed, and the sun dipped below the horizon. The lane, rutted and ill used, surely led somewhere….

      Thunder cracked in the distance as she stared up at the large wooden door. Darkness brewed, and she passed not a soul on the road to this place. The house stood four stories tall, with huge spires that reached to the sky. She had resided in Cumberland for five years, and not once had she heard of an estate such as this. Lifting her hand, she knocked as rain plummeted to the earth in large wet thunks behind her.

      She knocked again; shivers raced over her skin. The door creaked open.

      “May I help you, ma’am?”

      “Oh, indeed.” She practically jumped at the man sticking his head out of the small crack. “I’m lost and injured.” She pointed to her ankle. “And, well, you see, it is beginning to rain. Would it be possible for me to stay here this night? I could sleep in the kitchen or…or…the barn. I shan’t be any trouble.”

      The man’s eyes went wide behind his round spectacles, and his face twisted in what looked like horror.

      “I…I…know this is highly irregular, but please?”

      He schooled his features back to a serious line. “I’m sorry, ma’am. There is no safe way for you to stay here.”

      Safe? “Pardon?” Oh, please just let me in.

      The wind whipped up and blew down the last of her pinned-up hair. A shiver racked her body, and her teeth chattered.

      “Oh…Oh…” He glanced into the house. “Very well, ma’am. You will do as I say, do my bidding exclusively. Without fail. Women should not be in this house.”

      He was concerned