Darkness Follows Read Online Free PDF Page B

a giant mist sprayer. The music changed to Fergie’s London Bridge and the crowd started to pick up. Music waves wound through the sea of bodies that flowed to the beat. Amazing what money could buy. Many were probably only friends with Val because of her wealth. It was a sick way to go through life, but that’s the way it was at this level of society, and you had to expect that.
    “Seth?” Emily’s voice had me spinning around on my heel. Her eyes brightened as she reached up and wrapped her arms around my neck and hugged me.
    “Hey.” My body flinched at how cool she was to the touch, which made her laugh.
    “Sorry, we were in the pool.” She ran her hands through her damp, wavy hair.
    “You’re here? How?” I didn’t mean to sound so surprised, but I was. I tried to lower the timbre of my voice as I realized it sounded way too high.
    “We’re friends with Val.”
    “Val’s sister.” She spotted Garrett, who looked uncomfortably stuck with Robby. I couldn’t help but let my eyes wander down and over her light pink bikini. She wore a white cover-up that sat low on her hips and barely covered the bottom of her ass. She had on a pair of heels, but Emily always wore heels. They drew attention to a gold anklet that was almost the same color as her skin tone. It glinted whenever she moved. Christ, she was sexy.
    “There you are.” A guy came up behind Emily and rested his hand on her hip.
    She tilted her head backward. “Hey, I was just about to join you.”
    I clenched my jaw and held it firmly in place as I pushed my words back down.
    “Who’s this?” The guy nodded at me.
    “Oh, this is my friend Seth.” She stepped aside so we could talk.
    The guy looked down at her. “I’ll wait for you out there.” She smiled at him, then he leaned in and kissed her cheek. Her shoulders tensed, but he didn’t seem to notice.
    She looked over at me with a forced smile. “He’s harmless.” I cleared my throat.
    Garrett returned with Robby, who immediately spotted Emily. She stepped toward me and folded her arms tightly over her stomach. I took it by her body language she’d already met Robby.
    “You’re a quick little fox, aren’t you?”
    I slipped my arm around her waist and pulled her into my side. She molded to me and rested her hand on my chest next to her face. I kept my stare on Robby, who smiled.
    “She with you?”
    “Yes.”
    He didn’t react, he just looked away. Robby wasn’t used to girls not paying attention to him. Garrett started to chat with Val when she joined us. Emily patted my back, then started to pull away. I stopped her, holding her in place, and wiped the place where the guy had kissed her gently with my thumb. Her eyes closed for a moment, then they opened with a strange expression that looked almost like hurt.
    “I should go,” she whispered. Robby watched us very obviously as I slipped my sunglasses into my hair. I tugged on her arm, having her follow me around the corner into a little hallway away from everyone. I leaned down and hovered over her face. “Seth, I told him I’d be—”
    “Where are your keys?”
    She rolled her eyes. “Erin drove, and we’re spending the night in the guest house.”
    “I’ll drive you home.”
    “Seth, I’m fine to stay.”
    “Emily,” I hissed. I just couldn’t leave her here. “I’m not leaving without you.”
    “Or what?” She stepped into me and tilted her head up so her lips grazed mine. “What will you do, Seth?” she purred.
    I stared back into her deep blue eyes; her scent clouded my judgement. I wanted to slam her against the wall and peel her out of her string bikini. Grab a fistful of her hair and bend her over the chair and take my male frustration out on her. She made me crazy. Everything about this woman was sexy, right down to how she fought me on almost everything. She liked to challenge me, and for some reason I was drawn to it.
    My hand ran over the curve of her hip, and I moved in to whisper in her ear.