Gamemaster Read Online Free PDF Page B

Bending
    forward slightly, she slipped the interlocking piece into place with satisfaction. "This is a tricky one because some of
    the sky is almost the same color as the water."
    "Tricky, all right" He nodded solemnly, fingering a piece of gondola.
    "Now don't make fun of my choice of amusements just because you're more accustomed to the flash and dazzle of
    those video games!" She glanced around for another chunk of sky, already getting caught up in the peculiar addiction
    of finding just one more piece.
    He was watching her, not the scene of Venice, but she determinedly ignored his intent scrutiny. Still, the blue fire in
    his eyes was sending out a tangible heat that she could feel throughout her senses. Here comes the pass, she thought.
    Just be cool and calm. You can handle it
    But he threw her off balance a little by picking up another piece of the puzzle and inserting it into place. It fit snugly
    and perfectly, and Shelley's eyes followed the deliberate movement of his fingers with a curious fascination. Strong,
    working hands, she found herself thinking as she toyed with the little bit of an arching bridge in her palm. The hands
    of a man who had worked his way to success, not the hands of a man who'd had everything given to him on a silver
    platter.
    "It fits," he noted quietly, reaching for another piece.
    "Yes," she agreed faintly, forcing her eyes away from his fingers and searching out the right spot for her tiny
    portion of bridge. The iced-watermelon tint of her nails contrasted with the gray stone she was sliding into place. For
    some reason, it was a little difficult getting the piece to lock into position even though it was an obvious fit.
    "Here, let me." The heavy, dark satin of Joel's voice was a barely murmured whisper as he gently took the puzzle
    piece from her fingers and pressed it into place with a tiny click. "It's an oddly satisfying feeling when the fit is perfect,
    isn't it?"
    Her eyes flew instantly to meet his, seeking double meanings and innuendoes, but he merely smiled and picked up
    another piece. Still, she couldn't rid herself of the notion that there was an underlying sensuality in the way he had
    locked the bit of puzzle into place. It was her Imagination, she thought nervously. Perhaps she shouldn't have any
    more of the cognac.
    Taking a grip on her unwinding thoughts, she tugged them back into tine and chose another section of bridge with
    a practiced eye. He watched for a moment as she deftly placed it, and then he slid the one he was holding in beside it,
    fitting the small tongue on his piece into the curved opening of hers. Again, the faint frisson of sensuality trickled
    along Shelley's nerves. Uneasily, she withdrew her fingers from the table and folded them in her lap as she searched
    for the next portion of the bridge.
    Joel sipped his cognac and quietly toyed with a bit of water. When Shelley located another section of the stone
    bridge and settled it, he slipped his segment of water into the space just beneath the gracefully arching structure.
    Shelley's lashes fluttered briefly as she experienced a strange mental flash of standing on the stone bridge in the
    picture and staring down into the dark, mysterious depths of the water. Letting Joel make love to her would be every
    bit as dangerous as plunging headfirst off the bridge into the deep waters of the canal.
    Now where the devil had that thought sprung from? She had absolutely no intention of letting Joel Cassidy carry
    her off to bed, and in all honesty, he showed no overt intention of even trying to do so! What was the matter with her
    this evening? One watermelon-colored nail tapped on the glass top of the table as she hunted for another section of
    puzzle.
    Together they slowly built up the canal scene. A lingering silence hung over the room as the pattern took shape,
    and it wasn't only the pattern of the puzzle itself that was forming, Shelley was ultimately forced to realize. The pattern
    of the way Joel was