Blood Moon Read Online Free PDF Page A

handle.
    With trembling hands, I grabbed one of the
goblets and poured myself a glass of red wine, filling it more than
the standard halfway point. As I brought the glass to my lips, I
felt a familiar, and fleeting, touch on my lower back, and when I
turned my head, I found myself looking into that same pair of baby
blues that I spotted earlier.
    There was something about him that always
made me feel at ease. I think it had to do with him being pretty
easy-going and someone you felt comfortable opening up to. Plus,
his strength and protective nature made me feel safe. It was that
feeling that drew me to him in the beginning, and I basked in the
slight reprieve his presence offered me now.
    “So, how long have you known about the
party?” David’s smooth voice asked as he walked around to stand in
front of me. I eyed him up and down appreciatively and couldn’t
help but admire how extremely sexy he looked semi-dressed up in a
pair of dark jeans, white dress shirt, and dark suit jacket. The
top couple of buttons of his shirt were undone, exposing the
tiniest hint of his muscular neck, and the jacket was cut to
emphasize the strong, athletic build of his six-foot frame. The
dark brown hair atop his head wasn’t combed neatly, but it wasn’t a
tousled mess either. Having been privy to his morning routines, I
knew that it took more work to make it look that way than he wanted
the world to know.
    My laugh was soft, but sincere, as I
answered his question. “A couple of weeks, actually.”
    His smooth brow furrowed, his lips pursed in
disappointment, and he cocked an eyebrow at me. “Well, where’s the
fun in that?” he asked, eyeing me through his periphery as he
poured himself a glass of cognac. I admired the strong cut of his
jaw as I thought about how to answer.
    “David, I think the fun is in me not being hospitalized and sedated for another nervous breakdown.” He
wasn’t amused…even though I really did mean it as a joke. Winking,
I scrunched my nose, hoping he’d see the playful nature of my
words. “I’m just sayin’,” I countered before taking another pull
from my glass. The warm, sweet liquid filled my mouth and throat as
I swallowed it slowly, savoring it, willing it to give me the buzz
I craved so badly, hoping it would quell the shaking in my
hands.
    Looking concerned, his eyes met mine. “How are you doing?” He knew about my past and what this day
really meant to me, so it didn’t come as a surprise when his eyes
reflected his concern.
    “Fine.”
    “Brooke…” he said softly, setting his short
glass down and moving for me.
    Before he could finish, I inhaled a steady
breath and smiled. I knew he could see in my eyes that I was far
from “fine”—that I was barely holding it together—but I couldn’t
afford to lose my composure in a room full of people we both knew
and worked with. He understood this and didn’t push, which made me
appreciate what we had even more.
    “Did you get my present?” David asked,
changing the topic. The way his eyes locked on mine was…intense,
but it was an intensity I welcomed and held onto like it was my
only tie to this mortal plane.
    With a coy smile, I nodded softly. “They’re
beautiful. Thank you.”
    “You look fantastic,” he told me with a
Cheshire cat grin as his eyes roamed my body almost hungrily. I had
the strongest desire to do a little spin for him—tease him a little
more, because it was what we did—but I knew it would draw too much
attention from those we had worked so hard to keep everything from.
Instead, I got caught up in his scorching eyes and bit the inside
of my cheek gently as I imagined what he could possibly be
thinking. I knew from past experience that it couldn’t be
innocent.
    Suddenly, I had the undeniable feeling in
the pit of my stomach that we were being watched, so I nonchalantly
turned my head while sipping at my wine to find my father eyeing
the two of us. I smiled and raised my glass to him, only to have
him