Read Online On the Hunt by Alexandra Ivy, Dianne Duvall, Rebecca Zanetti - Free Book Online Page A

room, however, the world had disappeared and there was nothing but this woman who had always been a necessary part of his life.
    Opening his eyes to watch Bailey moving beneath him, Mika quickened his pace. He could sense she was rapidly nearing her climax.
    Just for a moment he was distracted by her sheer beauty.
    The delicate features flushed with pleasure. The eyes darkened to emerald. The lips parted in passion. It was a sight he never, ever wanted to forget.
    She gave a choked cry as the orgasm overwhelmed her, and the soft clenching around his erection tumbled him over the edge.
    The release slammed into him with shocking force.
    With a rasping groan he straightened his arms and sank as deep within her as he could go.
    “Mine,” he gasped.
     
     
    Bailey struggled through her morass of emotions, trying to decide how she felt.
    Gloriously sated? Definitely.
    With Mika sprawled on top of her and her heart slowly settling back to a steady rhythm, she wanted nothing more than to melt against his warm body and stay there for the rest of eternity.
    God. It’d been so long since she’d felt . . . anything.
    It was ironic, really.
    She’d run from Valhalla, saying she couldn’t be caged, and where was her freedom? She’d created a prison of loneliness.
    But beyond the bone-deep joy was a growing sense of unease.
    A rising fear that this happiness might be suddenly snatched away from her.
    With a sudden, irrational surge of panic, Bailey fought her way out of his arms and scooted off the bed.
    Mika called out her name, but ignoring his legitimate confusion, she rushed out of the bedroom and through the living room.
    It was only when she hit the kitchen that she realized she couldn’t keep running.
    Not even her stupid cowardice would allow her to run naked through the swamp in the middle of the night.
    Instead she reached for the bottle of wine she’d left on the counter and poured herself a glass.
    She’d taken her first sip when Mika was suddenly standing directly in front of her, his lean face tight with frustration as he studied her with a brooding gaze.
    “What’s going on, Bailey?” he demanded.
    She held up her glass, doing her best not to allow her gaze to take a slow, thorough survey of his bronzed body.
    Okay, maybe she took a peek.
    Just enough to appreciate the hard, chiseled muscles and the fact that he was once again fully aroused despite the fact they’d just shared a cataclysmic orgasm.
    “I needed wine,” she muttered, forcing herself to take in a deep, calming breath.
    The dark eyes narrowed. “You have regrets?”
    “No,” she instantly said, only to wrinkle her nose as she realized she wasn’t being entirely honest. “Well, not about what just happened.”
    His expression remained grim, the gentle lover from just moments ago replaced by the focused hunter.
    “Then why did you run?”
    She took another large gulp. “I’m not running. I’m drinking.”
    Without warning he reached to pluck the glass from her hand, setting it aside as he tilted her face up to meet his ruthless gaze.
    “You couldn’t get out of my arms fast enough.”
    She grimaced before allowing the truth to spill out. “You scare me.”
    “I see.” A shocking pain darkened his eyes, as if she’d wounded him on a deep, cellular level. “I should go.”
    “No.” She grabbed for his arm, instinctively knowing that if she allowed Mika to walk out of the cottage, she would never see him again. “Wait.”
    His body was rigid with a brittle tension, his head turned away to hide his expression.
    “I think you’ve said it all.”
    “No, as usual I’ve put my foot in my mouth,” she admitted with a deep sigh. This man was right when he said she was too impulsive. “What I mean was that my feelings scare me.”
    He slowly turned back to meet her wary gaze. “Why?”
    Her hand skimmed over the bulging muscle of his arm, confessing her deepest, darkest fear.
    “Because if I need you, then you can hurt