Red Midnight Read Online Free PDF Page B

uncharacteristic vengefulness. Pain in the …
    His smile became grim. Good, let her worry about making her flight.
    Erin was easily able to forget her unpleasant interlude as she discovered to her vast relief that she still had time to board the 747. When she was actually seated, she closed her eyes with grateful exhaustion, then reopened them to check the time on her pendant watch. The plane was leaving late, and for once in her life she was exceedingly grateful for the delay. She closed her eyes once more and sank her head back comfortably against the headrest, irrationally wishing then that the delay would last no longer. In her state of nervousness she was craving to be up in the air, lighting a cigarette, sipping on a long, cool vodka and tonic with heavy, heavy lime. She had actually made it! The next three weeks were hers, no work, no schedules, just the delightful fascination of new places and faces.
    When she closed her eyes again, a frown knit her brow and a vision of ice-blue eyes set into a strong, arresting face suddenly chilled her memory and sent those strange, seemingly hot and cold shivers racing along her spine. Her eyes flew back open so that she could erase the vivid recall. Why did he return to her mind with such startling clarity? she wondered. In her haste, she had totally forgotten him. Why remember him now? Two freak incidents, both distasteful, should be forgotten. Still, Erin felt a squirming discomfort. She was so seldom blatantly uncoordinated, why the coincidence of both times occurring with the same rude and cold individual?
    Coincidence?
    He’s following me! Erin thought with a shade of panic. But she quickly brushed aside the notion with an inward chuckle. This man was certainly not following her. He had been totally indifferent toward her. If anything, he had been down right hostile! No, he wasn’t following her: happenstance was happenstance. And if she were remembering him, it was merely because he had the gift of making one feel impaled and touched by the force of those remarkable eyes.
    Immersed in her thoughts and finally relaxed and comfortable in the plush space of her first-class seat, Erin didn’t notice that the stranger peculiarly filling her mind walked right past her. She noticed a scent, a very pleasant, woodsy and masculine scent, but she thought nothing of it. It belonged to the stranger, she knew: she must have brushed his suit while picking up his papers:
    You’ll never see him again, she told herself, so don’t worry about him. After all, she amended silently, I wasn’t rude. Any harm I caused him was purely accidental. He was rude.
    Yet still, as the mammoth plane shuddered, its engines thundering to takeoff, she was transfixed with her memory of the man. Why? she kept wondering. And then a shudder went through her with the force of those that riddled the giant jet. Because thoughts of him were not unpleasant, the heated chills that had coursed her spine had been exciting. The sense memory of his after-shave combined with a very masculine scent was nice.
    Erin smiled to herself. It was strange, but the very rude man had made her feel very good about herself. Very normal. She laughed slightly aloud. He would probably resent it highly, but he touched chords she had thought silent forever.
    Her smile faded. Thinking about the stranger made her think of Marc, and she didn’t want to think of either of them.
    The Fasten Seat Belt and No Smoking Signs went off, and a pretty stewardess gave a safety speech. Erin kicked off her shoes, curled her feet beneath her, and lit a cigarette. Moments later the stewardess brought her a tall vodka and tonic. The seat beside her was empty, giving her the freedom of being in her own little world, which was nice since the flight was a long one, almost seven hours in the air.
    Very comfortable, Erin squashed out the nerve-settling nicotine and slowly continued to sip at her drink as she drew out her guidebook on Russia. Determined to