A Man Apart Read Online Free PDF Page B

her friend an exasperated look. “And will you calm down, for pity’s sake? It is only the rehearsal.”
    â€œI know…but…”
    â€œNo buts.” She pushed open the door. “Let’s go and get this show on the road, so we can get to dinner.” She grinned at Maggie, hoping to ease her nerves. “I’m starving.”
    The rehearsal went off without a hitch…for everyone except Hannah. She was fine at the beginning. Maggie introduced her to more of Mitch’s family including his brother Adam. Hannah had immediately liked him.
    Adam was just as tall and handsome as his brothers, a little older, but pleasant and charming. His eyes, unlike Justin’s, were warm, friendly. So she was feeling good, relaxed, until she began leading the procession. The sight of Justin, standing beside Mitch at the end of the aisle, had the strangest effect on her.
    In direct contrast to Mitch, who was wearing a dark suit, white shirt and striped tie, Justin was dressed in a soft brown pullover sweater, tan casual pants and the same black boots he’d worn at Maggie’s that first night.
    Hannah couldn’t help but wonder if he were planning to wear the boots for the wedding. The errant thought flittered through her mind that at least the boots were shined.
    But his footwear or clothes weren’t the causeof her weird reaction. It was his eyes, his laser-sharp eyes. After slowly raking the length of her body, they seemed to bore right through her, to her every thought, every emotion. And Hannah’s range of emotions were running wild, shaking up every particle of her being.
    She suddenly felt nervy, excited and vaguely frightened, chilled and hot all over, as if in anticipation of something earth-shattering about to happen.
    Weird hardly described it.
    It seemed to take forever for her to traverse the relatively short aisle, and yet she reached the end way too soon. And there he was, his piercing gray gaze glittering with a sometime-soon promise of that anticipated, dreaded, earth-shattering event. The heat causing the glitter left little doubt in her mind what he intended that event to be.
    Hannah’s breathing was labored, uneven. Relief rushed through her when she stepped to the side, out of his direct line of vision. Hannah rigidly avoided his eyes through the rest of the proceedings.
    After that, everything went off without a hitch…until they arrived at the hotel.
    Dinner itself was fine. The food served was excellent, Mitch’s family friendly, easy to talk to…that is, except Justin. He had waited until Hannah was seated, then, deliberately, she felt certain, seated himself directly opposite her. At once he proceeded to renew sending his silent, visual messages to her. Hard as she tried—and she gave it her best shot—Hannah couldn’t misinterpret his intent.
    She was not without experience in the nuances of eye conduct and body language. He had plans, for her and him together, those silent messages promised. And, as she had suspected in the church, every one of those plans were sexual in nature.
    While Justin’s hot-eyed gaze revealed his carnal thoughts to Hannah, his occasional and brief comments were bland, almost banal.
    Hannah didn’t know whether to be amused or run for her life.
    She attempted to assure herself her feelings were caused by revulsion, but she knew she was lying. The truth, which she would fiercely deny if questioned, was that her feelings stemmed from excitement.
    Hannah was fearful her feelings, the heat steadily building inside, were clearly revealed on her face, in her eyes. She hoped the picture shepresented to the company, even the most keen of observers, was that of cool, controlled composure.
    Especially to Justin.
    Â 
    Justin could read Hannah like an open book. Far from being repelled by his stare of unconcealed desire, Hannah was receptive, her own needs and desires revealed in the depths of her so-cool