Into Thin Air Read Online Free PDF

him square in the eye.
    "Who—no, what, are you?"

    Chapter Three
    Amused. Cocky. No, not cocky. Confident. Definitely that.
    Ellie's mouth went dry. Putting aside the fact that Gawan stood before her in all his muscled nakedness, she was fascinated by the tattooed markings, much like the ones across his chest, that decorated his back, from shoulder to shoulder, then down his spine. She couldn't make herself stop looking. Buck naked and not seeming to care, Gawan grinned as he looked over his shoulder. Thank God he had the decency not to turn around.
    She did, though, just in case his decency slipped. "Sorry," she muttered.
    He laughed, mumbled something in what she could only assume was Welsh, then made a rustling noise she sincerely hoped was him pulling his clothes on. Not that he wasn't something veeery spectacular to appreciate. Statue material, really, except with a much bigger—
    " 'Tis safe enough now, girl."
    Ellie turned around. "I really don't mean to keep dropping in on you like this," she said, barely noticing Gawan wore nothing more than a pair of jeans, and his tousled dark curls rested boyishly on his shoulders. He looked like a wild warrior from some medieval movie. "I can't seem to help it.
    I mean," she said, "I would help it, if I could, but I can't." She shook her head. "I don't know what's going on. But for some reason. I feel you do."
    Even though he gave her an easy smile, she could tell that something bothered him.
    He shrugged into a baggy shirt he'd grabbed off the back of a chair and inclined his head to the door. "Come. There will be plenty of time for speech on the morrow, after you've rested. The chamber Nicklesby readied for you earlier is just next door." He crossed the floor and pulled the door open. "I give you my word, you'll be safe."
    "I know that," she said. Somehow, she did. "But no way can I go to sleep without a few answers."
    She took a step closer. "Please?"
    Gawan studied her, scrubbed a hand over his chin, then gave her a nod. "Aye. If it will ease your mind a bit, I'll tell you what I can, which I fear isn't overmuch at present." He closed the door.
    "Mayhap you should sit."
    Sit? Nothing good ever happened after the suggestion to sit before the Telling of Whatever. But since she'd asked for it, and she really didn't have a clue what was happening, or how she kept appearing in this man's bedroom, Ellie found a comfy window seat and sat.
    And waited.
    Meanwhile, this guy she didn't even know—Gawan Conwyk—paced with his hands clasped behind his back and his dark brows drawn close, as though he were in deep, deep thought.
    Somehow, she felt as though she were in deep, deep doo-doo.
    Gawan grabbed a straight-backed chair, pulled it up, and sat across from her. He leaned forward.
    "Can you recall anything else other than what you told me earlier?"
    Ellie thought about it. And thought some more. Had it been tonight? It seemed a lot longer than that.
    "I remember being wet and sitting on the road." She focused. "Wet and cold. Lights, I think. Really bright ones, and then ..." She looked at Gawan. "You. I only remember you." She took in a hearty breath and studied the room. "I remember getting into your truck, then coming here." She snapped her fingers. "I remember Nicklesby."
    A smile lifted the corner of Gawan's mouth. Cute smile, she thought. Cute and comforting. Nice lips. Really nice lips.
    "Nicklesby leaves a grand impression on everyone, I'll warrant." He scrubbed his brow. "Do you know how you came to be in the lane?"
    The lane. How did she end up on the lane? For that matter, how had she ended up in the north of England? "I just can't remember."
    " 'Tis fine, girl."
    The way he said girl came out gel. Very charming, she thought.
    He brushed a hand over his mouth and tried to hide a smile. She noticed he did that often. Then he cleared his throat and studied her again, hard, those brown eyes boring into her as if he could will the information from her brain. She wished he