Devil's Deception Read Online Free PDF Page B

on the desk at his elbow. It landed on the hardwood floor with a splintering crash, smashing into pieces.
    Angela gave a cry of dismay and rushed to pick up the shards lying at the edge of the rug. “I said, what are you doing in here?” she asked again, curiously.
    “I couldn’t sleep and came up here to get something to read,” Devlin answered, indicating the book he held. He moved to assist her and Angela drew back, slicing her hand on the fragment clasped in her fingers. Blood seeped from the wound.
    Devlin dropped the book and grabbed her hand, lifting it to his lips. He sucked gently, his mouth warm and soothing on the abraded flesh.
    Angela swayed toward him, mesmerized by the sensuous feel of his lips on her skin. Then she suddenly snatched her hand away, holding it behind her back.
    “Stop that!” she cried. “What are you doing?”
    “I was trying to get out any fragments embedded in the cut,” he answered. “You don’t want an infection.” He reached out again, waiting, and Angela slowly replaced her injured hand in his.
    Devlin ran his index finger gently over the wound, and then once more pressed her hand to his mouth. His gaze met hers over her imprisoned fingers.
    “Don’t,” she whispered, her eyes closing.
    His lips traveled to the sensitive skin of her wrist, leaving an impression of wet heat.
    “Please,” she managed, pulling back from him, forcing herself to look at him.
    His eyes questioned her silently.
    “You’re playing with me and I can’t bear it,” she responded.
    Devlin’s fists clenched at his sides. “Is that what you think?”
    “What am I supposed to think?” Angela asked wretchedly.
    Devlin’s eyes turned cold. “I see,” he said evenly. He gestured to the broken ornament. “Please find out how much that cost so I can pay for it.”
    “That’s not necessary,” Angela replied stiffly.
    “Just give me the bill,” he insisted tightly.
    “All right,” she said distractedly. “I’ll look it up on the inventory in my uncle’s safe.”
    “Fine.”
    Angela turned to go. “Maybe you’d better just leave that pile of broken glass for Josie,” she said. “I don’t want you to get cut the same way I did. It happens easily.” She paused on the threshold. “And Mr. Devlin, I would advise you not to misunderstand my behavior tonight. I have no intention of providing a pleasant alternative to reading in order to make your evenings more enjoyable. I realize that this assignment must be dull for you, but I will not be your in-house entertainment.” Angela fled, running down the hall to her room and flinging herself on her bed. It was several minutes before her heartbeat returned to normal, and then she sat up, pressing her fingertips to her temples. It was an effort to refrain from crying.
    Why had she been so mean to him? He hadn’t done anything to deserve her deliberately nasty remarks. Almost nothing made Angela feel worse than the awareness of her own cruelty. And in this case, she knew that the real reason for her outburst did not bear close examination.
    She’d turned on him because in those moments when his mouth caressed her hand she’d wanted him so badly that it terrified her. All week long the feeling had been building, and she’d tried to ignore it, but the sudden, unexpected closeness in the library had unnerved her. Scared, overwhelmed, she’d attacked him in order to drive him away. Who was he, after all? A stranger of short acquaintance, a man she hardly knew. And yet she was drawn to him as she had never been to another.
    Angela folded her arms across her stomach and bent forward, seeing again the look on his face when she’d told him that she would not be his on the job distraction. That arrow had struck home; he had tried to keep his features impassive, but she had detected the slightest flinching, as if from a precisely aimed blow. She squeezed her eyes shut, shaking her head. It was ridiculous to make a big deal about his actions; all