First Taste of Darkness Read Online Free PDF Page A

for the night.
    His words whispered through her mind as she sat up, pulling the sheet to her chest. 
    She’d never had a morning-after like this. Mostly because she didn’t
have
mornings-after.  Jess swallowed as her gaze darted around the room.
    Then she heard the rush of water, coming from the shower.
    He hadn’t left. He was just showering.
    Well, of course, the man hadn’t left.  It was his suite. She was the one who was supposed to slip out. That was the way situations like this worked. Or at least, she thought they worked this way.
    Still keeping the sheet around her, Jess slipped from the bed.  Cautiously, she made her way to the den. Yep, there was her dress. In a puddle right near the window where they’d—
    I will never forget last night.
    She had a feeling that, for the rest of her life, she’d be comparing every lover that she had to Blake Landon. Sadly, she was afraid those lovers were going to come up short.
    The guy had definitely succeeded in his mission. 
    Jess hurriedly pulled on the dress.  Her panties—crap, where were they?  Blake had taken those in the car. She glanced back toward the bedroom.  Had the shower shut off? 
    Did she want to face Blake right then?
    She wasn’t suave enough to handle this scene. Was she just supposed to shake his hand, maybe give him a hug, and tell him thanks for a good time?
    An unbelievable good time.
    No way. Jess scooped up her shoes and raced for the door.  Their night was over, and it was time for her exit. The suite’s door shut behind her with a soft click.
    So what if she was more fleeing than exiting? It wasn’t as if she and Blake were ever going to see each other again. 
    Her hand pounded onto the elevator’s button. “Come on, come on…”
    Ding.
    She couldn’t help it, when the elevator doors opened, she tensed. Thanks to last night’s encounter with the gunman, Jess didn’t think she’d ever view an elevator the same way.
    But the elevator was empty. She jumped inside, pressed the button for her floor, and, when the doors closed, Jess let a relieved breath escape her lungs.
    Blake Landon was an unforgettable man, and he’d just given her the best night of her life.
    And to think…if her fiancé hadn’t dumped her three days ago, last night would have actually been her wedding night. 
    Instead, it had been something wicked, something wild…something perfect. 
    Something dangerous.
    ***
    The bed was empty.  Blake stood in the bathroom doorway, a towel wrapped around his hips and steam rising in the air around him. “Jess?”  He raised his voice as he said her name.
    There was no answer.
    Eyes narrowing, he stalked forward.  The bed was wrecked. He’d been insatiable for her last night.  Once hadn’t been enough. Not for him.
    Quickly, he searched the suite. The golden dress was gone.
She’s gone.
    The woman wasn’t supposed to try and run away from him.
    You aren’t getting away, Jess.
    He reached for the phone.  Had the hotel manager on the line in an instant. “Jess Delaney,” he bit out her name. “I want to know her room number, and I want it
now.
” Because she’d slipped up the night before when she said this place was
her
hotel.
    There was a sharp inhalation on the other end of the line, then Blake heard the fast and frantic sound of typing on a keyboard. After a tense moment, the manager told him, “J-Jess Delaney is here on her honeymoon.”
    The
fuck
she was.
    “She’s in one of our Honeymoon Suites, suite six-oh-eight, but she’s scheduled to check out this morning.”
    He was about to crush the phone in his hand. “She doesn’t check out.”
    “Sir?”
    He wasn’t done with her, not yet.  Jess wasn’t going to slip away from him without a word.
    “Stop her when she tries to leave. Jess Delaney is
not
clear to exit the hotel.” Blake ended the call and fought the urge to crush the phone.
    The honeymoon suite?
Hell, the fuck, no.
    Blake yanked on his clothes and rushed toward the