Breeds 02 - The Man Within,
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An Ellora’s Cave Romantica Publication
www.ellorascave.com
The Man Within
ISBN 1843606887
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
The Man Within Copyright © 2003 Lora Leigh
Cover art by Darrell King.
Electronic book Publication November 2003
With the exception of quotes used in reviews, this book may not be reproduced or used in whole or in
part by any means existing without written permission from the publisher, Ellora’s Cave Publishing,
Inc.® 1056 Home Avenue, Akron OH 44310-3502.
Warning: The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. Criminal
copyright infringement, including infringement without monetary gain, is investigated by the FBI and is
This book is a work of fiction and any resemblance to persons, living or dead, or places, events or locales
is purely coincidental. The characters are productions of the authors’ imagination and used fictitiously.
T
HE
M
AN
W
ITHIN
Lora Leigh
Lora Leigh
Prologue
June
Sandy Hook, KY
“Roni, dammit, what kind of trouble did you manage to get yourself into this
time?”
Roni Andrews tried to suppress her grin as she heard Taber’s voice echoing
through the corridor of the cells housed in the county jail. She sat back on the
uncomfortable bunk, trying for nonchalance. No way in hell would she give him the
chance to see just how much he could intimidate her. And boy could he intimidate.
Well over six feet tall, his body corded with powerful muscles, his expression often
savage, remote, he could set her heart to pounding in both fear and arousal. The fear
she could handle. It was the arousal she often had problems with. It had first hit her
right after she turned sixteen. It had intensified several months ago after her twenty-
second birthday. There were nights she burned for him, and it terrified her.
She welcomed the sensation of cool stone at her back, easing a bit of the stifling heat
that surrounded her. The heat that built inside her as well. The air conditioner had
broken down that night and the cells had been stifling. Thankfully, old Mort, the jailer,
had opened the windows rather than let her suffer.
The hard smack of Taber’s boots on the stone floor caused her to wince. He only
walked like that when he was pissed. She carefully pasted an expression of bored
amusement on her face. Wouldn’t do for him to know she was really scared to damned
death of him when he got pissed.
Not that Taber would hurt her. Instinctively she knew he would never lay a hand
on her. But there was something about him when he got mad. Something primal,
predatory. He wasn’t a man she wanted to risk pissing off too often. Unfortunately,
trouble just seemed to find her and more often than not Taber was left to bail her out of
it, one way or the other. She was terrified that one day he would get tired of being her
knight in shining armor and write her off entirely.
Within seconds he was standing at the cell door, his hands braced on his lean hips,
a frown etched on his proud, sun-darkened face. Damn, he made her want to start
rubbing against him, like a cat. He was tall and muscular, his shoulders broad, his chest
powerful and tapering to a flat, corded abdomen that tempted her to touch.
Long powerful legs were encased in snug denim and there was no way in hell she
was going to let her gaze drift to…oh hell. That bulge between his thighs just looked too
good to be true. Hastily she jerked her gaze back to his face.
His eyes were narrowed on her now, the jade-green color brilliant and snapping
with fury. She swallowed tightly. He was none too pleased with her this morning.
4
The Man Within
“I didn’t do a damned thing,” she snapped back, allowing all the awakening senses
he managed to flip into overdrive to fuel her own anger. “I was just standing there,
Taber. Honest. That sheriff has lost his mind.”
She fought to hide her amusement. Of course, he knew she was lying. He always
knew when she was lying.
“I should let you rot here.” She loved that growling thing he did when he was
pissed. His voice would lower and just vibrate…like a cat. She had a fondness for cats.
She rolled her eyes, though the muscles in her lower stomach quivered in reaction.
She could literally feel her breasts swelling, her nipples peaking at the sound, and she
knew he hadn’t missed the reaction.
Instantly his expression shut down. No anger, no ire. Like a damned robot.
Everything in his face seemed to tighten, to chill, causing her to shiver in reaction. She
hated it when he did that, hated when he hid from her any response he might have to
her.
“Are you rescuing me here or what?” she snapped, hurt by his retreat. “It’s damned
hot in here, Taber, and getting hotter.” In more ways than one.
He sighed then, shaking his head as though being in trouble was no more than he
had expected of her that early in the morning. At least it wasn’t that bland, I-don’t-
know-you look that she so despised.
“I ought to paddle your ass.” He stepped aside as the jailer, well into his fifties and
grinning at her knowingly, unlocked the cell door.
Roni didn’t fight the shiver that worked over her body at the dark sound of his
voice. He could spank her any day she thought. As long as he touched her. Maybe he
would kiss it and make the hurt all better later? Her own thoughts had her suppressing
her smile as well as a shuddering response.
“Spank me, daddy,” she drawled softly as she rose from the cot and strolled over to
the opening door.
He snorted in disgust. “Your father obviously neglected discipline while he was
here or else you wouldn’t tempt me this far.”
Roni scooted past him and walked over to where the sheriff had thrown her pack
by old Mort’s desk the night before. She kept her back to Taber, bending at the waist to
pick it up, feeling his gaze on her backside like a caress.
As she rose, she slung the strap over her arm and turned back to him with a bright
smile. “I’m ready whenever you are. Think Sherra would let me stay with her for a
while? That old house is getting boring this summer.”
To be honest, it was getting terrifying. She didn’t know who was playing the little
pranks on her lately, but she was going to find out. She might be wrong a time or two
about who the culprits were, like she was last night, but she would figure it out
eventually.
5
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zanotowane.pl doc.pisz.pl pdf.pisz.pl lemansa.htw.pl
An Ellora’s Cave Romantica Publication
www.ellorascave.com
The Man Within
ISBN 1843606887
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
The Man Within Copyright © 2003 Lora Leigh
Cover art by Darrell King.
Electronic book Publication November 2003
With the exception of quotes used in reviews, this book may not be reproduced or used in whole or in
part by any means existing without written permission from the publisher, Ellora’s Cave Publishing,
Inc.® 1056 Home Avenue, Akron OH 44310-3502.
Warning: The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. Criminal
copyright infringement, including infringement without monetary gain, is investigated by the FBI and is
This book is a work of fiction and any resemblance to persons, living or dead, or places, events or locales
is purely coincidental. The characters are productions of the authors’ imagination and used fictitiously.
T
HE
M
AN
W
ITHIN
Lora Leigh
Lora Leigh
Prologue
June
Sandy Hook, KY
“Roni, dammit, what kind of trouble did you manage to get yourself into this
time?”
Roni Andrews tried to suppress her grin as she heard Taber’s voice echoing
through the corridor of the cells housed in the county jail. She sat back on the
uncomfortable bunk, trying for nonchalance. No way in hell would she give him the
chance to see just how much he could intimidate her. And boy could he intimidate.
Well over six feet tall, his body corded with powerful muscles, his expression often
savage, remote, he could set her heart to pounding in both fear and arousal. The fear
she could handle. It was the arousal she often had problems with. It had first hit her
right after she turned sixteen. It had intensified several months ago after her twenty-
second birthday. There were nights she burned for him, and it terrified her.
She welcomed the sensation of cool stone at her back, easing a bit of the stifling heat
that surrounded her. The heat that built inside her as well. The air conditioner had
broken down that night and the cells had been stifling. Thankfully, old Mort, the jailer,
had opened the windows rather than let her suffer.
The hard smack of Taber’s boots on the stone floor caused her to wince. He only
walked like that when he was pissed. She carefully pasted an expression of bored
amusement on her face. Wouldn’t do for him to know she was really scared to damned
death of him when he got pissed.
Not that Taber would hurt her. Instinctively she knew he would never lay a hand
on her. But there was something about him when he got mad. Something primal,
predatory. He wasn’t a man she wanted to risk pissing off too often. Unfortunately,
trouble just seemed to find her and more often than not Taber was left to bail her out of
it, one way or the other. She was terrified that one day he would get tired of being her
knight in shining armor and write her off entirely.
Within seconds he was standing at the cell door, his hands braced on his lean hips,
a frown etched on his proud, sun-darkened face. Damn, he made her want to start
rubbing against him, like a cat. He was tall and muscular, his shoulders broad, his chest
powerful and tapering to a flat, corded abdomen that tempted her to touch.
Long powerful legs were encased in snug denim and there was no way in hell she
was going to let her gaze drift to…oh hell. That bulge between his thighs just looked too
good to be true. Hastily she jerked her gaze back to his face.
His eyes were narrowed on her now, the jade-green color brilliant and snapping
with fury. She swallowed tightly. He was none too pleased with her this morning.
4
The Man Within
“I didn’t do a damned thing,” she snapped back, allowing all the awakening senses
he managed to flip into overdrive to fuel her own anger. “I was just standing there,
Taber. Honest. That sheriff has lost his mind.”
She fought to hide her amusement. Of course, he knew she was lying. He always
knew when she was lying.
“I should let you rot here.” She loved that growling thing he did when he was
pissed. His voice would lower and just vibrate…like a cat. She had a fondness for cats.
She rolled her eyes, though the muscles in her lower stomach quivered in reaction.
She could literally feel her breasts swelling, her nipples peaking at the sound, and she
knew he hadn’t missed the reaction.
Instantly his expression shut down. No anger, no ire. Like a damned robot.
Everything in his face seemed to tighten, to chill, causing her to shiver in reaction. She
hated it when he did that, hated when he hid from her any response he might have to
her.
“Are you rescuing me here or what?” she snapped, hurt by his retreat. “It’s damned
hot in here, Taber, and getting hotter.” In more ways than one.
He sighed then, shaking his head as though being in trouble was no more than he
had expected of her that early in the morning. At least it wasn’t that bland, I-don’t-
know-you look that she so despised.
“I ought to paddle your ass.” He stepped aside as the jailer, well into his fifties and
grinning at her knowingly, unlocked the cell door.
Roni didn’t fight the shiver that worked over her body at the dark sound of his
voice. He could spank her any day she thought. As long as he touched her. Maybe he
would kiss it and make the hurt all better later? Her own thoughts had her suppressing
her smile as well as a shuddering response.
“Spank me, daddy,” she drawled softly as she rose from the cot and strolled over to
the opening door.
He snorted in disgust. “Your father obviously neglected discipline while he was
here or else you wouldn’t tempt me this far.”
Roni scooted past him and walked over to where the sheriff had thrown her pack
by old Mort’s desk the night before. She kept her back to Taber, bending at the waist to
pick it up, feeling his gaze on her backside like a caress.
As she rose, she slung the strap over her arm and turned back to him with a bright
smile. “I’m ready whenever you are. Think Sherra would let me stay with her for a
while? That old house is getting boring this summer.”
To be honest, it was getting terrifying. She didn’t know who was playing the little
pranks on her lately, but she was going to find out. She might be wrong a time or two
about who the culprits were, like she was last night, but she would figure it out
eventually.
5
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