Annie scrambled down the muddy path, clutching the towel over her chest to cover the nipples that were poking through her sodden shirt. She was acutely aware of his seething fury as he stalked silently behind her. It rolled off him in waves, it showed in his burning eyes and the grim set of his mouth. What on earth had she unleashed? She'd wanted to tease him, to make him laugh, to make his eyes light up with desire. By no means had she wanted to provoke a black rage.God, she was sick to death of tiptoeing around men black rages, she thought, with a burst of temper. She'd donemore than her share of it in her lifetime. She whirled aroundto tell him so. "Jacob-"He gave a short warning shake of his head. The look in his eyes made her turn tail and scurry on ahead of him, her heart in her mouth. After an eternity of stumbling on her trembling legs, they finally arrived at the campground. The place was deserted.not another car or tent in sight. Rain st

She stiffened. "Yes., but...... "This is what I  want, Annie. This is how It has to be tonight. Look at me, damn it." He jerked her face up to his,Letting her glimpse for an instant the seething conflict in his eyes. He grabbed her arm, dragging her over to the picnic table and pushing her in front of him against it, reachingaround from behind to deftly unbutton her jeans. He jerked her jeans and panties down over her hips until they wereat her knees, baring her from the waist down and hobbling her at the same moment. She reached down to retrievethem, but he caught her hands behind her back and pressed her against the table, fitting himselt against her so she couldfeel the hot brand of his penis against her cool, shivering backside. "Bend over," he ordered, his voice a husky rasp.Her knees went weak. "Oh, for Gods sake, Jacob," shewhispered. "Can't we go in the tent?"Too dark," he muttered. "I want to see you, all spread out and open

The rain had fnally stopped, and dawn was near. Annie listened to the birds twittering, an ache of sweet exhaustion pervading her body, and tried tO think of a way to extricate herself from Jacob's arms without waking him. It was a considerable challenge. His muscula arm was clasped around her waist; his hand splayed possessively across her belly and the tips of  his long fingers tangled intimately into the hair between her legs. One long, sinewy leg was fhirmly wedged between her thighs. And he was so warm, It was hard to get up the nerve to break the seal and let cold air rush between them. She wiggled experimentally.. Jacob sighed and pulled her tighter against him, fitting her back-side against his belly. Nature called, however, so Annie gritted her teeth and flung back the warm, soft sleeping bag His arm clamped around her, as rigid as steel. "Where the hell do you think you're going?" Her muscles jerked, and she schooled her face to calmness before

Annie scurried down the path, so agitated that her leg trembled and her mind spun in helpless., trapped little circles. She couldnt wait to get on the road and have some privacy. She needed distance from Jacob's intense, brooding presence so she could calm down, get the events of the last two days sorted out in her mind, She packed her stutt at triple speed at the campsite, and regarded the soggy tent with dismay. "If I pack it now, it'll mildew," she told him. "It has to dry. Go on ahead if you wanted breakfast," Jacob snorted in disgust and began dismantling her tent himself. He flung pegs and rods bundled the sodden fabric carelessly into one of the plastic sacks he had brought the night before.    "You won't be using this again," he informed her.Her jaw dropped. "What the hell are you doing? That's my tent!" "You want a tent, fine," he said coldly. "We'll stop at the first mall we see and I'll buy you a decent one.

  And she could finally breathe. Theoretically. If she breathed too deep, the tears would start again. If she held her breath, she would pass out. She compromised with short, strangled little gasps and stared at the horrendous motel art-some sort of obscenely bright-colored mallard duck. She put her hands over her eyes to block it out, and tried to pull herself together. She had to grab onto the last, ragged, fluttering shred of her independent Will and run, far and fast. She couldn't let herself be taken Over, swept away, because he was her mate. For God's sake, the man had just fucked her practically senseless, and she still wanted him. She doubled over with a strangled laugh and pressed her face against her knees. After three short days with Jacob, the whole werewolf  story, which had seemed so apocalyptic, was blotted practically out of her mind. The memory now had a tinny sense of distance, like a scary but more or less insignificant movie she