Caterpillar, a Paranormal Romance With a Touch of Horror Read Online Free PDF Page B

through the crowd, heading right for me.  My stomach fluttered with anticipation as he drew closer. I felt like prey. 
He didn’t stop until he was mere inches from me.  He stood, looking down into my face.  I felt a little dizzy and realized that I hadn’t taken a breath since I saw him.  I closed my eyes and inhaled deeply.  That only worsened matters when his intoxicating scent flooded my nose.  Fire pooled in the vicinity south of my navel and my mouth went dry as cotton.
“That dress was made for you.  Your skin is…you shimmer,” he said, his voice husky.  My eyes popped open.  As compliments went, it wasn’t the most eloquent, but something in his expression made it feel like prose.
Somewhere in the distance I heard a familiar voice.  It called my name once, twice then a third time before it broke the spell.  With a start I realized it was Scott.  I mentally shook myself back to the present and turned my attention toward my date, a little embarrassed that I’d been so consumed by someone else. 
When my manners finally kicked in and I turned to make introductions, Scott wasn’t standing where I expected.  Somehow he was several feet away. 
I looked around and recognized that it wasn’t Scott who had moved; it was I who wasn’t standing in the same place.  Apparently, drawn to him in a truly physical way, I’d walked toward Detective Tegan without even realizing it.  I held my hand out to Scott and, without missing a beat, he stepped forward and took it.
“Scott, this is Detective Tegan.  He’s with the Atlanta PD.  Detective, this is Scott Newly, Assistant District Attorney for Fulton County.”
“Newly,” Detective Tegan said.  He was still looking at me, but his expression had shifted to one much less flattering.  Finally, his eyes moved on to Scott as he stepped forward to offer his hand.  No polite smiles, no false pretenses.  Tegan was all serious.
Scott released my hand to shake Tegan’s.  When it returned to me, I felt it slide possessively around my waist.  I resisted the urge to roll my eyes when I saw the smug smile tug at the corners of his lips. 
Men!
“What brings you here?” I couldn’t hide my surprise at seeing Detective Tegan in such company.  He was a cop after all, hardly considered part of Atlanta’s upper crust.
“Believe it or not, I have friends in high places, too,” the detective said.  He understood all too well what I was thinking.
“I didn’t mean—” I began, but he cut me off.
“Of course you did.”
A deep booming voice from over my left shoulder called to Scott, saving me from trying to talk my way out of that .  Our trio turned in unison as an older bear of a man approached.  He had a shock of white hair and a bloated red face.  He looked like he could pop at any minute.   He shook Scott’s hand and immediately engaged him in conversation.
A warm hand slid under my right elbow and pulled me away from Scott’s side. 
“That’s a nice necklace.  Where’d you get it?”  Detective Tegan had successfully extricated us from Scott’s company.  His eyes were trained on my throat. 
“It’s a gift from my aunt.”
“How long have you had it? It looks old, like an antique.”
“As a matter of fact, it was a birthday present.”
“Is that right?  When was your birthday?”
“Today,” I said, casting my eyes toward the floor, suddenly feeling shy.
“How old?” 
“Twenty-four.”
“Twenty-four and beautiful,” he said softly. 
Reflexively, I reached up to touch the swath of hair I’d purposely let fall from my up-do, reassuring myself that it was still draped over my scar.  His fingers caught my hand before it reached my brow, however, bringing my fingers to his mouth, a breath away from his lips. 
“Beautiful,” he repeated, his eyes never leaving mine.  The deep rumble of his voice slid across my skin like velvet. 
And just like that, we were alone.  Everyone in the room disappeared.  I was trapped in