Pages of Passion Read Online Free PDF

she was wearing. She rested against the bark of a palm tree and stared out at the ocean. The moonlight cascaded over the dark waves, creating a blanket of shimmering diamonds.
    She didn’t know how long she’d stood there before she saw the stranger again. He walked past her then down the side road. He was briefly illuminated by a streetlight then seemed to disappear, his dark clothing making him invisible in the night. She wondered where his companion was and was about to go back inside when she saw a car in the distance going too fast, its lights zigzagging down the small street.
    It all seemed to happen in slow motion. And she stood paralyzed, helpless to stop the oncoming disaster. Then she saw it. The car hit him. The front hood lifted him up in the air, throwing him over the top of the car then onto the ground with a thud. Noreen wanted to scream but no sound escaped her. The screeching tires as the car sped away brought her out of her stupor. She started running toward him, but her stilettos sunk into the grass and she fell forward, tearing her stockings. Noreen stood, but her heel caught in the hem of her dress. She heard fabric rip and briefly thought that now she’d have to buy the rental dress, but she didn’t care. She tore off her shoes and ran the rest of the way barefoot. By the time shereached him, the car was a dot in the distance, and a dim light fell overhead.
    “Be careful,” she said as she saw him struggle to sit up. Noreen took off her mask and fell to her knees beside him. “You’re injured,” she said gently.
    He looked at her and winced. “What happened?”
    “You were hit by a car. I didn’t see the driver or get a license plate, but I will report it to the police.”
    “He probably didn’t see me. It’s my fault. I shouldn’t have worn black at night.”
    “You were walking on the pavement,” she said indignant. “He could have hit anyone. He could have hit me.”
    His voice tightened. “Are you all right?”
    “Yes,” she said, surprised by his question and oddly touched by his concern. “I was far away. I ran when I saw what happened. We have to get you some help and get you away from here.”
    “I think I can stand,” he said, painfully rising to his feet.
    “I don’t think you should,” she said, but he ignored her and stood and took a few stumbling steps forward. He would have fallen if she hadn’t grabbed him. “Lean on me.”
    He did, causing her to nearly collapse under his weight. He was big and solid; there didn’t seem to be an ounce of fat on him. He was pure muscle, like a sleek animal of prey. And very heavy. Noreen shifted in order to balance herself. “Damn, I’m sorry,” he said.
    “Please don’t apologize.”
    He looked up at the mansion in the distance. “I’m notsure I can make it to the mansion or the ship,” he said then his legs buckled and he slowly sank to the ground, pulling Noreen down with him. She fell hard on her knee and bit her lip so she wouldn’t yell out in pain. She scrambled out from under his arm and looked around, wondering if she should scream for help. But she knew no one would hear her. The loud music coming from the mansion filled the air, muting any other sounds, and there wasn’t another building in sight.
    Noreen helped him into a sitting position, resting his back against the wrought-iron gate that surrounded the mansion’s grand property. It took an enormous amount of effort and her body ached from the fall she’d taken earlier. But for now nothing else mattered. She didn’t care if he was a hero or a villain; whether the hard angles of his face made him handsome or not. He was a man who needed her help and for some odd reason, at that moment, it made him precious to her.
    A sheen of sweat glistened on his face and she saw a gash on his forehead, where a small stream of blood slid down his face. Noreen quickly took off her torn stockings and used them to wipe the blood away. Then she noticed that his