Lydia's Secret (The Secret Series Book 1) Read Online Free PDF Page A

Lydia a prize with or without a daughter.
    A sudden shift in air pressure let Roman know the door had closed. Lydia’s scent entered on a chill wind, crisp and fresh with only the lingering flavor of dried blood from her fall. His stomach tightened.
    He looked up in time to see her standing in the doorway, pale and lovely with her hands clasped in front of her. Her scent changed to one of uncertainty, and he realized he stared.
    Clearing his throat, he gestured toward the center picture of a laughing Lydia and her daughter sitting on a slide together. “Pretty little lady.”
    Her smile was fleeting. “Thanks. She’s my life.”
    An awkward silence fell, and Roman took a step forward. “I’m sorry for all—”
    “Please excuse the—”
    They both paused, and genuine chuckles followed.
    “You first.” He nodded to her.
    She advanced into the room and smoothed a blanket on the back of her well-worn couch. “I’m sorry about the mess. I wasn’t expecting company.”
    Roman glanced around. “I don’t know how you live like this.” He loved the way her eyes widened in shock. “I spotted a piece of lint while you were at the door. Clearly, you need an intervention.”
    Her mouth dropped open, and then the most incredible laughter burst forth. It surprised him how easily he teased her when he wanted nothing more than to feast at her throat.
    She unconsciously touched the blanket, picking at loose strings while her eyes sparkled with a moment of joy.
    Roman rubbed the back of his neck. She would feel like heaven and taste even better.
    “The storm is getting worse.” She tucked a stray bit of hair behind her ear. “I didn’t mean to cause you all this trouble.”
    “No trouble.” He knew he sounded guttural.
    The thoughts he’d entertained in the late hours of the night were far less than pure, and the chance to be under the same roof with her had been too good to pass up. I’m still a man.
    Roman had been watching Lydia for weeks, ever since Simon appeared in his city following her. Roman’s crew had done some checking, and he’d read through the reports with a fine-toothed comb. There had been no mention of a child. He hadn’t even been positive she was a Barbatus until her blood had spilled near that alley earlier in the evening.
    “I have a guest bedroom. I’ll just go get it ready.”
    She fled the living room in a rush, and the corner of his mouth lifted. Lydia was far different than he’d expected. He strolled behind her to lounge in the doorway. She had her back to him, cleaning and moving things off the bed.
    Her scrubs left a little too much to the imagination, but he liked the way they made her ass look. Drawing in a deep breath, he inhaled her sweet scent. She smelled good enough to eat, he thought as his cock twitched. Would she moan when he bit her? Would she beg him in that sexy voice of hers? His fangs descended, and the blood roared in his ears.
    She would taste just like...Ione, the demon’s voice whispered from the back of his mind. Vampiric hunger tore through him, ripping apart his fantasy and spinning him back in time to the ashes of his memories where he’d first taken Ione. Her cries of pleasure…smell of her skin. She had arched into his touch even as her mind rebelled against what he was.
    Roman blinked and slammed back into the present with a silent intake of breath. He stumbled from the room, desperately praying to whatever gods hadn’t forsaken him that Lydia had not seen his face or the evidence of his lust.
    His dick pressed against his pants in painful clarity. He had to get away from her before he ripped off her clothes and fucked her on every piece of furniture she owned.
    An open doorway caught his eye, and he escaped into a bathroom, flipping a switch and flooding the room with light. He shut the door, rushed to the sink, and turned on the cold water.
    Yanking his jacket off in record time, he dropped it onto the counter as his fingers fumbled with his shirt