Lost (Shifter Island Book 1) Read Online Free PDF Page A

wondered.
    No; there was a pebble under her bare foot, grinding into her heel, and the pain was enough to convince her that she was awake. She moved her foot, frowning, and went on looking at Aaron. She’d never seen anything like the glow in his eyes… or the look on his face. What would he do if she approached him? For that matter, could she make herself do it?
    She took a small step.
    Aaron took a deep breath, one that made his chest swell. She could see the outline of his pecs through the thin fabric of the t-shirt. And his arms… God, she wanted those arms around her. Lifting her, pinning her against him.
    She was a sensible girl. She had a good job with a steady paycheck, no real debts, a decent car. She took no real risks, not with money, or her safety. Her apartment had two smoke alarms and another to detect carbon monoxide.
    She never did anything foolish.
    But… couldn’t she? Just this once? Other people did. People went on vacation and had little flings all the time. She’d heard some of the other girls at work talking about doing just that: meeting some gorgeous man on a cruise, or at a conference, and having a couple of days of wild, carefree sex with him.
    Couldn’t she…?
    She had the sense that Aaron might walk away again, that he might be offended or angered if she approached him. On the other hand, he’d been nothing but gentle and kind, bringing her into his house, feeding her, giving her his bed. And he was looking at her in a way that didn’t suggest he wanted her to go back inside and shut the door. She couldn’t say she knew everything there was to know about men, but it didn’t take a genius to know he was interested.
    His gaze moved up and down her body, like a caress.
    He looked away. Then back at her again.
    At the very edge of her hearing, he made a noise. It seemed to come from deep down in his throat, from the very core of him.
    A moan.
    With Aaron watching her closely, Abby reached down, gathered up handfuls of her dress, and pulled it up over her head. When it was off, she dropped it to the ground.
    Bathed in moonlight, she took off her bra and panties and dropped them on top of the dress. She shivered a little—from nerves, she thought, because the night was warm. But the nerves disappeared quickly and she watched Aaron rise slowly to his feet. His jeans were tighter now, filled with the evidence of his interest in her, indisputable evidence that yes, he had been thinking about the same thing she had.
    “You shouldn’t,” he whispered.
    She felt herself smile. Not seductively; she didn’t think she could manage that, because it always seemed put-on and foolish. More because this seemed… right, somehow. Like everything that had happened had put her exactly where she was supposed to be, at least for tonight.
    “Do you want me?” she whispered back.
    “Very much.”
    There was a but in his tone. Not a strong one, thank goodness, but one he seemed unwilling to overlook.
    Then his shoulders shifted and flexed. Somehow, he seemed to grow a little taller, a little more muscular, although his muscle definition had been perfect to begin with. She had no doubt he could lift and carry her with ease. Back to the bed, for instance.
    Instead of doing that, he stripped his t-shirt over his head, exposing his perfect chest and shoulders and sculpted belly to the moonlight.
    Here, then. Right here.
    He stepped quickly out of his jeans and tossed them aside, which was a shame, she thought, because she would have liked to unbutton and open them and ease them slowly down over his hips, releasing his cock bit by bit. But there it was, fully erect, quivering slightly in the warm, fragrant air. He stood basking in the silvery moonlight for the time it took her to take a couple of breaths. Then he crossed the short distance between them and cupped her face in his hands. They were warm and strong, and as he held her, she could smell the same scent that filled his bed, the one that had driven her