Hearts of the Hunted Read Online Free PDF Page A

doesn't
pay much," she teased.
    "Not really. Mostly
Janelle gives me cash whenever I'm in town. She's sort of loaded,
and she knows I don't waste it."
    "Are you lovers?" she
asked, right as I took an enormous bite of roast beef.
    I swallowed the bite
whole. "No, she's straight."
    "And you're not," Hannah
said, making it a statement rather than asking. I blinked at her
and thought of that searing kiss last night.
    "And I'm not," I said
cautiously. I tapped my fingers on the table, eyed my sandwich, and
then her again.
    Hannah sipped her soda.
"Did you find anything?"
    The change of subject
threw me so hard that it took several seconds to get my brain back
on track and figure out what she'd been talking about. "Um, no, but
I didn't really expect to run into him or anything," I said. "We're
going to have to stake out the area tonight, starting around
sunset, just to be safe."
    "I'll need to change into
something more practical," Hannah said, glancing down at her heels
and the pastel blouse.
    I nodded emphatic
agreement. "Yeah, like running shoes."
    Her grin was wicked and
cruel. "For me, yes. For you, maybe some higher heels... He's
already seen me, Camille. That means that if we want to try to bait
him, you're up."
    My stomach dropped down to
my toes as I realized that she had a perfectly valid
point.
     
     
     

Chapter 4
     
     
    She let me change into my own clothes when we got back to her
house, at least to rest in. "We should both get some sleep while we
can," she said. "It's going to be a late night." I started to
settle in on the couch, but she paused in the doorway to her
bedroom, chewing on her lip. "Would you like to—will you come sleep
with me? I dream..."
    "Yeah," I said, going to
her. She looked vulnerable and scared—embarrassed, maybe. I climbed
into bed ahead of her, trying to make it easier, and held my arms
open. She fell into them with almost no hesitation, snuggling her
head up against my small breasts. She was asleep in no time, but I
lay awake for a while longer, acutely aware of the feel of her in
my arms and the smell of her in my head.
    I awoke to her thrashing
before she actually started to scream, and for a moment I tensed,
gripping her tight before I realized how afraid that would make
her. I loosened my hold immediately, calling her name and murmuring
soothing things into the dim afternoon. Her thrashing and crying
stopped abruptly and her eyes flew open, locking onto mine with a
clear intensity. Shit.
    "It's just me, Hannah.
It's just Camille. Relax, honey, just relax." She probably wouldn't
try to make me do anything harmful—would probably just ask me
nicely to let her go and leave the room—but suddenly it felt vital
to me to stay, so I did whatever I could think of to protect her. I
reached up and stroked her face, my fingers brushing over her
cheek. "It's me, honey, it's me. You're safe..."
    She blinked and the color
slowly faded back into her eyes. Then, she reached up for me, her
hand tracing the same path on my cheek that my own fingers followed
on hers. I shuddered as she touched me, and closed my eyes to lean
into her hand. It slid back into my hair, her grip tightening just
a little as she pulled me down... and then her lush, full lips met
mine in a kiss that was at once softer and more intense than the
one we had shared before. This was a kiss full of awareness and
intention—one of affection and a need for comfort, not a weapon or
a jab.
    I whimpered softly into
her mouth, not sure how long it had been since I had allowed myself
a real, tender kiss, and then I dove into the pleasure. My tongue
swept out to taste her lips, tease them apart, and stroke her
tongue with mine. She pressed her advantage then, taking control of
the kiss and making it harder, giving it a sexual edge that made
the hairs on the back of my neck jump to attention.
    Then she relaxed, passive
again in my arms, and I nibbled at her lips, showing her a wilder,
more teasing part of myself.
    We passed the kiss