Read Online Untamed by Nora Roberts - Free Book Online

practicing with the equestrians—but never with such clarity as this. She was aware of Keane in every fiber of her being. His body was whipcord lean and hard, his arms holding the strength she had discounted the first time she had seen him. But more, it was his mouth that mystified her. Now it was not gentle or testing; it took and plundered and demanded more before she could withhold a response.
    Jo forgot the rain, though it continued to fall against her face. She forgot the cold. The warmth spread from inside, where her blood flowed fast, as her body was molded to Keane’s. She forgot herself, or the woman she had thought herself to be, and discovered another. When he lifted his mouth, Jo kept her eyes closed, savoring the lingering pleasures, inviting fresh ones.
    â€œMore?” he murmured as his hand trailed up, then down her spine. Heat raced after it. “Kissing can be a dangerous pastime, Jo.” He lowered his mouth again, then nipped at her soft bottom lip. “But you know all about danger, don’t you?” He kissed her hard, leaving her breathless. “How courageous are you without your cats?”
    Suddenly her heart raced to her throat. Her legs became rubbery, and a tingle sprinted up her spine. Jo recognized the feeling. It was the way she felt when she experienced a close call with the cats. Reaction would set in after the door of the safety cage locked behind her and the crisis had passed. It was then that fear found her. She studied Keane’s bold, amber eyes, and her mouth went dry. She shuddered.
    â€œYou’re cold.” His voice was abruptly brisk. “Small wonder. We’ll go to my trailer and get you some coffee.”
    â€œNo!” Jo’s protest was sharp and instantaneous. She knew she was vulnerable and she knew as well that she did not yet possess the experience to fight him. To be alone with him now was too great a risk.
    Keane drew her away, but his grip remained firm. She could not read his expression as he searched her face. “What happened just now was personal,” he told her. “Strictly man to woman. I’m of the opinion that lovemaking should be personal. You’re an appealing armful, Jovilette, and I’m accustomed to taking what I want, one way or another.”
    His words were like a shot of adrenaline. Jo’s chin thrust forward, and her eyes flamed. “No one
takes
me, one way or another.” She spoke with the deadly calm of fury. “If I make love with anyone, it’s only because I want to.”
    â€œOf course,” Keane agreed with an easy nod. “We’re both aware you’ll be willing when the time comes. We could make love quite successfully tonight, but I think it best if we know each other better first.”
    Jo’s mouth trembled open and closed twice before she could speak. “Of all the arrogant, outrageous . . .”
    â€œTruthful,” Keane supplied, tossing her into incoherency again. “But for now, we have business, and while I don’t mind kissing in the rain, I prefer to conduct business in a drier climate.” He held up a hand as Jo started to protest. “I told you, the kiss was between a man and a woman. The business we have now is between the owner of this circus and a performer under contract. Understood?”
    Jo took a long, deep breath to bring her voice to a normal level. “Understood,” she agreed. Without another word she let him lead her across the slippery lot.
    When they reached Keane’s trailer, he hustled Jo inside without preliminaries. She blinked against the change in light when he hit the wall switch. “Take off your coat,” he said briskly, pulling down her zipper before she could perform the task for herself. Instinctively, her hand reached for it as she took a step backward. Keane merely lifted a brow, then stripped off his own jacket. “I’ll get the coffee.” He moved down the length