Into the Darkness Read Online Free PDF Page A

and
    power at his fingertips.
    The car was like him, muscled and sexy, yet understated—
    and comfortable. He made her feel safe. She almost wished
    she could find something about him she didn’t like so their
    inevitable parting wouldn’t be so hard. Although they’d only
    met a couple of hours ago, she felt a connection—and an exhilarating attraction.
    The car slowed to turn a corner, and she opened her eyes.
    Rene’s face was taut, his glance constantly darting to his
    mirrors.
    She straightened in her seat. “Do you think we’re being
    followed?”
    “No. I’m sure we’re not.” He aimed a tight smile her way.
    “I didn’t take a direct route home, and I haven’t spotted a
    tail.”
    into the darkness
    27
    “We’re going to your place? Not some safe house?” Pleasure filled her, leaving her a little breathless.
    “My house is safe.”
    He was taking her to his home. They’d be alone.
    Those unexpected sensual feelings returned. Her nipples
    beaded. Desire curled inside her belly.
    Rene’s hands tightened on the steering wheel, a muscle
    flexed at the side of his jaw. His gaze didn’t stray her way
    again.
    The tension in the vehicle was thick—fragrant with unspoken yearnings. Or so, Natalie hoped.
    They drove back into the French Quarter and turned into
    a narrow alley that ran behind a row of tall narrow houses
    with iron gates, postage stamp-size backyards and single-car
    garages. He hit a button in the roof of the car, and one door
    slid up.
    After he pulled inside and the garage door lowered, he
    reached into the back seat for her bag. “Home sweet home,”
    he muttered, still not meeting her eyes.
    Natalie followed him through a door that led into a mudroom, halting behind him as he paused to punch in the code to
    reactivate the security system. Then she trailed him through
    the kitchen and into a living room.
    Her gaze took in the large fan suspended from a high ceiling
    and tall windows with forest green curtains. The walls were
    pale beige, the furniture dark and heavy. Finally, she turned
    to find him staring.
    A muscle in his square jaw flexed, and his back stiffened. “I’ll
    put your things in my bedroom. I converted the other bedroom
    to an office, so I’m taking the couch. Try to get some sleep.”
    28 delilah
    devlin
    He wanted to put some space between them.
    Feeling a little deflated, Natalie nodded. “I’d like to
    shower.”
    Rene led the way up a narrow staircase and down a hallway
    that ended in a door that opened to a balcony. His bedroom
    was to the right and sparsely furnished. The bed loomed large
    with a navy duvet and lots of pillows in the same dark blue
    and wine.
    He set the case on the mattress and pointed to a closed
    door. “Bathroom’s through there.” He turned to leave and
    then shook his head. “Damn. I’m sorry. I never asked if you
    were hungry or wanted somethin’ to drink.”
    Her stomach was in knots. She was hungry all right, but
    not for food. She shook her head in denial.
    “Anyway, if you’re hungry afterward, I’ll scare up somethin’ from the kitchen.”
    She found it unflattering how quickly he fled the room.
    Sighing, Natalie walked to the French doors and pulled
    aside the curtain. The doors opened onto a long balcony that
    overlooked a small courtyard paved with a pale stone which
    reflected the lamplight from the empty street beyond.
    Although the exterior echoed the shabby gentility of a
    bygone era, she knew the old antebellum-era house had to
    be a stretch on a detective’s salary. There was more to Rene
    Broussard than met the eye.
    She let the curtain fall back and padded across the beige
    carpet to the bed and opened her case. The mystery surrounding the man was one she wasn’t destined to discover.
    And the quest that had brought her back to New Orleans had
    to go on hold for now.
    into the darkness
    29
    Pulling out her nightgown and toiletries, she focused on
    mysteries more imperative than her late-blooming libido