“I’ll go anywhere with you, Conner. Lead on.” She reached for her clothes.

Conner took them from her hands and stuffed them in his backpack. “I want to look at you.” He ran the pad of his finger down the slope of her breast, watching her reaction. When she shivered and her nipples beaded, he smiled, leaned forward and flicked each one with his tongue. “I’ve been dreaming about the taste of you. I want to eat you like you are candy, Isabeau. For hours. Just lay you out like a feast and consume you.”

He was quite capable of carrying out his threat too. She knew him and his appetites. Already his shaft was hard and thick, lying against his muscled stomach like a hungry beast just waiting. She reached out with caressing fingers and danced them over him before cupping his balls. He never moved. Never pulled away. Just watched her touch him possessively. Her treasure. Hers alone.

“How is it that the leopard people can survive in the rain forest when other large predators are so rare?” she asked as she reluctantly allowed her fingers to slip away and she took a step in the direction he’d indicated. “Tell me about them.”

He shrugged into his backpack and then took her hand, carrying it to his chest as they walked. Like all leopards, he was comfortable with his nudity, especially in the rain forest. It was natural to him, but not to Isabeau. He could sense her discomfort, but for him, she did it without protest. She’d questioned him when he wanted her to do something she was afraid of, or something that embarrassed her, but she’d never said no without trying it first. He’d been so careful of her trust—because all along with her he’d been lying. It astonished and humbled him that she could give him that kind of trust again.

“We don’t hunt the animals the way other predators need to do. We might hunt to learn the skills, but we don’t kill our prey. We watch over the other animals. To sustain a large predator, you need an abundance of animals for them to eat.” He indicated the forest floor. “We’re in a section of thick vegetation where other animals can live, but as a rule, the floor is bare because the sunlight can’t penetrate enough for other things to grow. Carnivores just have far fewer food resources here than herbivores.”

“That makes sense.”

The sound of water grew louder as the trail narrowed and began to slope upward. The vines and flowers were thicker along the tree trunks, the leaves broader and wilder with so much water available. Many plants had taken root on the trunks themselves, never actually touching the ground and living in the wide branches entirely. The roots of the strangler fig trees looked like great forests themselves, twisted cages for creatures to hide within. In the darkness she could hear continual rustling in the canopy overhead and in the leaves on the forest floor.

Her nudity made her feel vulnerable, although she had to admit, there was something very sensuous and erotic about walking completely naked in a rain forest at night with a man like Conner. He had a way of protecting her as they moved through the brush, so that even leaves never actually touched her skin. His hand did often. He brushed his fingers down her spine, sending awareness shivering down her back. As they walked he casually slid his hand over her bottom possessively, keeping her very aware of him.

The waterfall came into sight as they rounded a bend, and she stopped abruptly just to stare at it. She’d always loved the majesty and elegance of waterfalls. This one was much larger than she’d pictured in her mind. It spilled in a narrow ribbon from a rocky ledge above, collecting in a wide pool made of more rock. From there it cascaded in a long veil to a deeper pool below and raced into the river itself.

“It’s beautiful.”

“Yes, it is,” Conner said.

But he was looking at her. Isabeau could see the glittering hunger intensify. They were completely alone in a wild setting. A natural setting for him. And he wasn’t tame. She felt the little thrill of fear. She didn’t want him tame. She loved the way he made her feel—a little off balance and wholly his. He stepped close to her and his hands caught hers. He brought her palms up under her breasts until the soft weight rested there and she was virtually offering him her body.

His smile was slow. Wicked. Seductive. She craved that look on his face, the hooded eyes, dark gold burning with lust for her. His mouth, so seductive and skilled. His hands, experienced, knowing just what her body needed. And the way he looked at her, as if she belonged to him, as if her body was his and he could do whatever he wanted with her. What he always wanted seemed to be to bring her to screaming, mindless pleasure.

He bent his head and drew one breast into the warmth of his mouth. Instantly her body wept with need. He tugged at the nipple with his teeth and another rush of liquid made her womb spasm and clench in emptiness. He suckled, his mouth growing hot and rough, nearly throwing her into another orgasm right there. He dropped his hand, forcing her to hold her own breast for his assaulting mouth. He slid his palm down her belly to the throbbing mound between her thighs.

Unable to stop herself she moved her hips, seeking more. He removed his hand and continued to suckle at her breast. Tiny bites accompanied the tug of his teeth on her nipple and the soothing laving of his tongue. Heat rushed through her body and then his fingers were back, tracing small circles on her inner thighs, moving upwards toward the heat of her center. His slow pace was torturous given the need building so fast and ferocious in her.

“Please,” she whispered before she could stop herself. Her blood pounded in her veins, thundered in her ears and throbbed deep in her sheath.