Mister Black: A Billionaire SEAL Story, Part 1 (In the Shadows) Read Online Free PDF

eyes, but I feel them scrutinizing my face, studying it. His perusal feels too deep, probing even. Everything inside me tenses. “Conditioned?” I force a light, curious tone and immediately spin away once more. “What line of business are you in, Mr. Black?”
    “Security.” With a quick tug, I’m rolled back against his chest, trapped in the circle of his hold. His smile disappears, his tone serious. “For the record, ravens are just as predatory as wolves, maybe even more so for their cunning, stealthy ways.”
    Why does it feel like he’s giving me a chance to get out before I do something I’ll regret? I put my free hand on his arm, intending to step back. There’s no way he knows who I am. I’m just projecting my fear of getting caught. Get a grip, Talia.
    But when his muscles bunch under my fingers and his arm curls tighter around me, my ears begin to ring, alarm bells clanging in my head. “How interesting,” I say on a croak. God, had I avoided the wolf, only to walk into a far more devious hunter’s trap?
    Holding my breath, I mentally walk through my entrance to the party. What made me stand out? Did I do something to give myself away? My hair is blonde and the black mask hides half my face. I don’t have any distinctive moles anywhere or tattoos on my body, and my eyes are green, not an uncommon color. Do I have a “tell” I don’t know about?
    While my insides start to rev, preparing for flight, he turns me fully toward him, a pleased smile canting his lips. “I’m glad that doesn’t scare you away.”
    What doesn’t scare me…ravens? Oh no, he’s talking about him being in security. Wait? Is he coming on to me? Once my brain reconciles the lowered huskiness in his comment as definite interest, the fear subsides and my pounding heart slows. I finally remember to breathe.
    As I drag in a lungful of air, his intoxicating smell filters through, relaxing the tension inside me. What cologne is he wearing? I want to bathe in it. I feel both revved and boneless at the same time. “You rescued me from a wolf. Why would I be scared away?” I bat my eyelashes and play my doe eyes up, trying not to show just how rattled I am. “You don’t usually play with your food before you eat it, do you?”
    Strong arms pin me to his hard body. “Depends.” He dips his head, and his voice drops to a sexy rumble next to my ear. “Is that an invitation?”
    The warmth of his mouth against my ear elicits a jolt of sizzling awareness. I’ve been hit on with blunt directness from guys who’ve had several drinks, but this kind of intimate, seductive innuendo, in the middle of a smart, sexy verbal exchange, throws me off-kilter. Goose bumps scatter across every inch of exposed skin, and I’m momentarily stunned into silence. Damn this man is dangerously potent. I don’t know whether to run or jump his bones. I’ve never reacted to a stranger like this before. Then again, I’ve never had a man seduce my mind and my body at the same time. The combination electrifies every nerve ending.
    “Invitation?” I breathe out.
    Threading his fingers in my hair, he traces his thumb along my ear, slowly following its curves. “I wonder…what does Scarlett taste like?”
    My breathing halts as his mouth glides across my cheek, my pulse thrumming.
    “Take a breath,” he murmurs against my temple, “Better yet, let’s breathe together.”
    The assuredness of his comment, that he assumes I’ll let him kiss me, sends a shiver of delight rushing across my flushed body, and against my better judgment, I allow him to tilt my face up.
    My fingers curl against his chest and I wait. For a kiss from an enigmatic stranger I haven’t fully seen, yet I still feel inexplicably, irresistibly drawn to. It’s crazy and I can’t even blame alcohol since I haven’t had any.
    Just as he lowers his mouth to mine, we’re abruptly jostled by a group of overzealous dancers who’ve apparently had more than their share of