Forsaken By Shadow Read Online Free PDF Page B

shifted over to the other foot. God he was beautiful. And completely out of bounds.
    “ You look sad.”
    I found out that the man I love is still alive, and it doesn’t matter because however things turn out, I can’t be with him. Yeah, that makes me pretty fucking heartbroken.
    Giving into the urge, she leaned forward and captured his face lightly in her hands. It was a pleasure to run her fingers over the planes of it. His cheeks were sharper, leaner now, without the boyish softness she remembered. There was an assortment of small scars that she didn’t recognize. She traced each of them softly, wondering if they’d all come from the cage.
    His lips quirked. “I’m not too pretty after all these years of fighting.”
    “ Nothing has looked more wonderful to me in the last ten years,” she said.
    His eyes widened, and Embry realized her mistake. Muttering a curse, she laid her lips over his.
    She meant to distract him. To keep her own head and kiss him until she could think of an explanation that wouldn’t blow this. But beneath the faint taste of hops from his earlier beer, she tasted home, and she wanted to drown in it. All the years of longing, of wanting, of grieving swamped her, and she dragged him closer, her hands diving into his hair.
    His arms came around her, one hand fisting in her curls as he dragged her head back and plundered her mouth with the same ragged desperation she felt.
    It was foolish, dangerous, and she didn’t care. After so many years of nothing , just this once she was going to take something for herself.
    He jerked her to her feet, and they circled in a fevered dance toward the bed, straining to touch and taste. And beneath his hands, she felt herself ignite.
    Alarmed, Embry stumbled back. She struggled to slow the breath that threatened to whistle out of her lungs like a steam engine. She stepped back from him. “I think I need a drink.” Stupid. Idiot. Get it together.
    The ice bucket was where she’d left it on the coffee table hours earlier, albeit with a puddle of condensation around it. She scooped what remained of the ice into the waiting glasses and added a generous three fingers of scotch to one. Her hand trembled. She hadn’t counted on this, hadn’t planned on all the old feelings swirling up and taking over. She needed to be focused. She was here on a mission. This was about her father, not about reviving feelings for a ghost.
    The first sip burned its way down to her stomach, clearing her mind, clarifying her purpose. Slipping the tiny vial from her dress, she carefully tipped the contents into the second glass on the pretext of adding more ice, then topped it off with single malt. She offered it to Cade. “Join me?”
    His breath still came harder than normal as he crossed and took the glass, and Embry hoped he didn’t see the very real spark that flew up when his finger brushed hers. Get a grip, woman or you’re going to burn the hotel down.
    Rather than taking a sip of the drink in his hand, Cade swirled the glass until the ice rattled. He didn’t look amused anymore. “You said ten years.”
    “ Did I?” The nerves doing a river dance in her stomach trembled in her voice. Drink the damned scotch.
    “ You know me, don’t you.” It wasn’t a question. The words came out more as an accusation that slapped her from across the room.
    No more lies on this one. Keeping her gaze steady on his, she swallowed. “Yes.”
    “ Why didn’t you say anything? ” he demanded. The fingers gripping his glass went white.
    “ You didn’t remember me.”
    “ I don’t remember anything. Who are you?”
    “ I told you. I’m Embry Hollister—” she began.
    “ No. Who are you to me? Or who were you?”
    Drink the scotch. Drink the scotch. The words repeated like a mantra in her head. She took another sip of her own, hoping he’d follow the example. “We were…involved. I wanted to see if you’d remember anything from spending time with me.” Okay, partial