Frostbite (Touch of Frost) Read Online Free PDF Page B

in jeans.”
    I finally turned around.
    Okay, the reflection didn’t do him justice. I remembered in one of my literature classes, we’d studied mythological creatures. Like gods and stuff. Zach totally fit the bill. Chiseled jaw, deep gray eyes, and perfectly messy hair.
    I will not freeze Zach. I will not freeze Zach.
    “Coffee?” He flashed his Colgate smile.
    I nodded, not trusting my voice.
    “Or would you rather have a smoothie?” He winked.
    “Oh, you’re a comedian, too?”
    He grabbed my hand and led me into the coffee shop. “Your brother’s smoothies are sick.”
    Stay calm, Mandy. Relax. Not easy with his strong hand gripping mine. He held it like he’d been doing it for years. So confident. Demanding and a little possessive, but that was fine. Felt kind of good, actually, to have someone taking care of things in a non-hide-Mandy’s-kill way.
    Zach eased my worries with his hold on me. Gave me a peek into normal.
    Then a thought plowed into my puny brain. This might be my last night in Trifle. I should enjoy him, right? Enjoy this one night of normalcy before Scott packed us up and we bolted.
    Nothing to lose, right? Well, other than losing control of my powers and hurting Zach. That was a big lose in my book. But earlier tonight, with the Coats , I’d frozen them faster and harder than I ever had. And it’d been at my command.
    Maybe…
    The deep aroma of coffee grounds, and the whiz of the grinders assaulted my senses. One girl looked up from her computer, then down and went back to typing. Good. Nothing too threatening about that.
    Three other tables were full, people chatting, feeding their sugared caffeine habits.
    “Amanda?” Zach tightened his grip and looked down at me, a smile lighting up his face. “Everything okay?”
    I coughed and nodded. “Good. Fine. Um. I’ll have coffee. Black. And the biggest chocolate chip cookie they can find.”
    He laughed and that sound drew me in a step. The warmth from his arm against mine swirled around my entire body, and I leaned against him. His gaze shifted down a fraction, and my face heated up even more. Burning cheeks once again.
    “You want a cookie?”
    “Biggest one they can find. I’ll grab a spot for us.”
    He held my hand another breath, then released his hold. The warmth from his touch followed me as I angled through rows of small tables to the back. I needed to watch the front door. Just in case. Not like I could pick out a Coat on sight alone if they weren’t wearing their trademark white garb or fatigues, but still. I liked to see who was coming in.
    Especially after what happened in the woods. An image of those human ice cubes flashed through me. The Coats had stolen my choice to not kill them. I hadn’t grown up aspiring to be a murderer, but a murderer I was.
    What if those two guys had families? Kids? I’d just stolen their parents like mine had been stolen from me.
    I shook my head, scattering the thoughts to the deep recesses of my mind. It wasn’t the same. They were evil. My folks hadn’t been.
    Zach talked with the kid behind the counter while a girl worked on our order. He glanced at me, and I snapped my attention to my fingernails as if they were the most interesting things on the planet.
    It took a lot of concentration to be… normal.
    “Coffee-black, the biggest chocolate chip cookie they could find, and I grabbed you a bottle of water, too.” He set our stuff down, then sat. He’d ordered a tall mocha Frappuchino.
    What a prep.
    “Thanks.” I took a big bite of my cookie. There was nothing better. I knew it’d sit well because I ate them all the time, and I was really nervous.
    “You’re different, aren’t you?”
    I coughed, trying to avoid spitting a chocolate chip at him. Didn’t want to puncture one of his eyes. “Excuse me?”
    “Most girls would order something pretty . Non-fat. You know how it goes.”
    “But this tastes way better.”
    He laughed again. Wow, he had a great smile.
    Get a grip,