Brazen (Brazen 1) Read Online Free PDF Page B

smiled and nodded. As Carmen left the room, Jasmine allowed the sleepy tug of her eyelids to take over. She turned and hugged her pillow tight against her chest, willing herself to relax and give in to the numbness of sleep.
     
    * * *
     
    Jasmine woke in a cold sweat. The cool air from the vent above her bed blew over her damp skin, and she shivered. For a moment, she regretted not taking the sedative. Her sleep had been fractured by frightening images. Dark memories. Even now, wide awake, the knot of fear in her throat refused to abate.
    Someone had left the light on in her bathroom and the door ajar so that a faint glow shone into her bedroom. As she glanced to the window, she saw that night had long since fallen.
    Her ears picked up no noise within the house. Only the faint sounds of the night outside her window could be heard.
    Another shiver took over her body. She didn’t want to be alone.
    She gave no second thought to her decision as she swung her legs over the side of the bed. Her nightshirt fell down her hips to mid-thigh as she stood. She eased from her room and padded down the hallway to Zane’s.
    She frowned when she saw his closed door and wondered for a moment if she should go in or not. He’d never slept with it closed before. In fact, he’d always left it open on purpose in case she came in during the night.
    She laid her palm over the wood and stood for a moment before finally twisting the knob with her other hand. The room was dark, but as she opened the door wider, the light from down the hall illuminated it enough that she could see Zane in his bed.
    Silently, she moved forward, blinking to adjust to the dim light. As she got to the edge of the bed, she could see Zane was naked, the sheets tangled at his feet.
    He was asleep on his back, one arm over his head, tucked beneath his pillow. The other arm rested across his abdomen. Her gaze dropped lower. As soon as it came to rest on his groin, she looked guiltily away.
    She wasn’t here for some madcap seduction. The thought hadn’t even crossed her mind. She shouldn’t have come at all. It would only make things more awkward than they already were.
    She turned away, biting her lip to squelch the betraying quiver.
    “Jaz?” Zane’s sleepy voice reached her, and she froze.
    She turned back around, careful to keep her gaze in a neutral location. “I’m sorry,” she said. “I’ll go.”
    Zane looked down as if just realizing he was naked. He swore and yanked the sheets up to his waist. She turned around again and started to walk to the door.
    “No, don’t go, Jaz. Give me a minute, okay?”
    She stopped, gripped by indecision. She heard him scramble out of bed, and when she peeked around, she saw him pulling on a pair of shorts. When he was done, he reached over and turned on the small lamp by his bed. Then he walked over to her and put a hand on her arm.
    “What’s wrong, Jaz?”
    She felt pretty stupid when it came down to it. She’d been gone for a year, and before that, it had been months since she’d last come to his room in the middle of the night. Of course he wouldn’t have expected her to come barging in. She hadn’t thought beyond her need for comfort, something he’d given her more times than she could count.
    “I shouldn’t have come,” she said quietly. “I didn’t think.”
    Zane pulled her toward the bed. He put both hands on her shoulders and pushed her down until she sat on the mattress. Then he sat down beside her.
    “Of course you should have come,” he chided. “ I didn’t think. I should have realized that after what happened, you’d have trouble sleeping. Is there anything I can get you?”
    She looked over at him. How could she tell him what she most needed? “I just didn’t want to be alone,” she said.
    He moved over until he was on the other side of the bed. He shoved the covers down then patted the spot beside him. She hesitated for a brief moment before crawling up beside him. She positioned