Dalir's Salvation Read Online Free PDF Page B

fit her front against him. His erection pressed against her belly.
    Her knees wobbled.
    “I repeat.” His nostrils flared. “Do I feel like a damn hallucination?”
    No. More of a temptation. Like a wall made of her favorite pineapple candy. She could easily spend the night climbing all over him, licking her way to a lust-filled sugar rush. Something she’d regret in the morning. “It doesn’t matter.”
    “It does. You can see me.” He captured her forthcoming response in a kiss.
    Ari gripped his biceps, losing herself in sensations that sizzled down to her toes. No. This had to stop. She wiggled out of his hold. “Look. You have to understand the situation. No one else can see or talk to you but me, and in the eyes of every sane person on the planet, that makes me nuts.” And yet, she still wanted to do him. Badly. Ari buried her face in her hands. Had she completely lost it or was this some crazy-ass Wizard of Oz moment? Instead of the Tin Man, she’d gotten Dalir. Oh what the hell? Why not? She clicked her heels three times.
    His harsh sigh warmed her knuckles.
    Okay, five clicks.
    Maybe ten?
    “Stop that.” Dalir pried her fingers away. “You will eat.” His mouth flattened. “And I will wait.” He disappeared.
    Damn it. He needed to stop doing that.
    Ari showered. When she came out the bathroom, she found the room empty. She checked in the closet and under the bed. Where was he? She put on a pink top and sweat pants, then took them off. Too casual. What about the blue sundress with those cute wedge-heeled sandals? Hold on. This wasn’t a date. Just pizza. With Brooke.
    The doorbell rang.
    Brooke answered the door.
    Ari hurriedly dressed in jeans and the pink shirt. She took a cleansing breath and opened her bedroom door. The hall was empty. But he’d said he’d wait. Her heart shrunk in her chest. At least she’d had fun while it lasted, and now he was gone. Out of her imagination and out of her life. Just like she’d wanted.
    In the kitchen, Brooke quickly transferred steaming slices of pizza onto plates sitting on the counter. She sucked sauce from her thumb. “Do you want to eat in the living room in front of the television?”
    On the other side of the pass through opening into the living room, Dalir materialized.
    Flutters erupted in her belly.
    As he prowled the space, he appeared massive against the backdrop of light-colored walls, espresso wood tables, and lemon yellow furniture decorated with orange pillows.
    He came to the pass through and scowled at the plates on the counter. “That’s not a suitable meal. It’s mostly grease. You need to eat healthy.”
    Ari refrained from making a face at him. “Let’s stay in the kitchen.” After the day she’d had, the last thing she needed was him judging one of her favorite food choices. Ari took a plate and sat at the glass topped, metal table. She took a bite of pizza. The right balance of sauce, Italian herbs, and pepperoni lit up her taste buds. “What’s your paper about?”
    “Medieval warfare. I needed a history credit, and it was the only course open.” Brooke poured up lemonade for both of them, then joined her. She glanced at the laptop on the table. “On my last assignment, the professor knocked off points because he claimed I missed too many details.”
    “You mean there’s more to medieval warfare than guys slashing their swords?”
    Just as Ari hoped, Brooke’s explanation distracted her from Dalir stalking around the other room.
    He wandered in. His dark jeans fit snugly in all the right places. Modern clothes suited him just fine. But as big and strong as he was, it was easy to imagine him, commanding an army and wielding a sword.
    Dalir caught her checking him out. Smugness shadowed his expression. He even had the nerve to put a little more swagger in his step.
    Brooke dropped her napkin. As she picked it up, she bumped Ari.
    Tingles swarmed Ari’s leg. Words shimmered in. “Horses. You’re writing about