Secret Cravings Read Online Free PDF Page B

back from between her legs, and then he rolled on his side, facing her. He touched her cheek, his intense stare thrilling her. “This reunion was so much more than I could’ve hoped for, Kate.”
    “You hoped for this ? For how long?”
    “For years, darlin’.”
    Anger welled up inside her. How could that be, after how he and his brother had treated her? “Not possible.”
    She sat up and jerked away from Troy, tears welling up in her eyes.
    One of his hands shot to her thigh and the other to her arm. “Stop. Hear me out.”
    “I don’t want you touching me anymore, Troy.”
    “That’s not true, Kate. Your body responds to me, and mine to you.” His hand slid up and down her back, and her tears fell. “Darlin’, you deserve some answers. I’m just not sure where to begin.”
    “How about you start at the accident?”
    He nodded and left the bed. “Let’s take a walk.”
    “Now?”
    “Yes. I think we both need some fresh air. It will help to clear things up.”
    Could it be that simple? A stroll with Troy and the hurt she’d carried her whole life would disappear? No. Nothing was that simple. Besides, had he only wooed her to get her into bed? That made more sense to her.
    And she’d finally done the thing she promised never to do. She’d chosen one brother over another. Once Rance found out, his low opinion of her would plummet even more. How could she blame him? Was she so needy that she would do anything that either brother wanted in order to heal whatever was between them? She’d gone pretty willingly to the bedroom with Troy. Too late to change that now.
    A short walk couldn’t harm her more. Or could it? Still, she might learn the truth at the end of the short excursion.
    Sanity suddenly returned, and she covered her mouth with her hands. We didn’t use a condom!
    “What’s wrong, Kate?” He grabbed her hand, and fixed her with his gaze.
    “I’m fine.” She lied. “If we’re going to take a walk, I’ll need my clothes.”

Chapter 4

    The air was cool with Christmas promise. Kate and Troy had been walking for twenty minutes already. She’d waited for him to say anything, but he hadn’t said a single word since leaving Gran’s house. In fact, his mood grew darker and gloomier with each step.
    “Where are we going?” Kate had an idea, but wanted to hear it from him.
    “The creek.”
    That’s where the accident had happened. At sixteen, she and the guys had taken Gran’s truck out for a joy ride. It had ended in a rollover, with only her getting hurt. A broken collarbone and a lot of bruises had been painful, but the loss of her two best friends had been horrible.
    Suddenly, Troy stopped and grabbed Kate’s arm, jerking her to his side.
    “What the hell, Troy! It’s been awhile, but I know the creek is still a mile away.”
    When he turned to face her, she couldn’t believe her eyes…or his. Troy’s yellow orbs were deeper, looking more animal than human. She heard a howl off in the distance, and he crouched down, sniffing the air.
    “Troy, will you tell me what is going on? That coyote isn’t close enough to bother us. Besides, you’ve got your pistol.”
    He didn’t answer, but growled.
    Growled?
    She heard rustling all around them, and to her shock, watched as every inch of his skin instantly grew black hair. Not hair—fur.
    “Oh my God!”
    His face and ears lengthened, and his entire body reshaped and expanded, ripping his clothes to shreds, leaving something she’d seen before.
    A very large wolf.
    She screamed, and what Troy had become bared its teeth, looking capable of eating her for dinner. Her mind should’ve told her body to flee, but the shock of what she’d just seen short-circuited her survival instinct.
    This is a bad dream. This can’t be happening.
    The Troy-wolf snarled and jerked his head towards the trees, away from her. Thank God. Seven other wolves came into view and began circling them. Four were gray, two were white, and one was black just