Redemption Read Online Free PDF Page A

bedroom floor and reached the bathroom with only his burgundy boxer briefs covering him. He turned the shower on to let the water heat up while he took a long look at himself in the mirror.
    His usual stubble had turned into a full fledged crumb catcher.
    That will have to go, he thought, and raised a pair of scissors to the coarse hair on his face.
    The metal clinking of the scissors echoed around the bathroom as tiny particles of deep black hair fell into the sink below him. Once he was in a halfway decent state, he set the scissors down on the counter and peered into the mirror at his reflection, noticing for the first time how much he really had changed since the last time he had seen her. His brilliant blue eyes had turned to a dull gray, the circles below them a faint purple. He hoped they would be rejuvenated soon enough. On the bright side, his physique was still that of a Greek god, having replaced sex with exercise. His silky black hair was a bit longer, now teasing the tops of his ears and collar.
    Stepping into the shower, he felt the falling water caress every inch of his body. He lathered himself up, letting the musky scent of the shower gel fill the air. His wet hair whipped lightly across the back of his neck as he thoroughly rinsed himself, before turning to the shower mirror to coat his cheeks with shaving gel. The razor stroked cautiously across his cheeks, savoring the cut of each hair. He felt slightly odd without his trademark stubble, but he was sure it would soon return.
    He stepped out of the shower refreshed and feeling a few pounds lighter. Taking a deep breath, he let the remaining steam fill his lungs while he towel dried, and a moment later, he was slipping into a soft clean pair of black boxer briefs. It was almost an effortless routine as he slipped on his crisp white shirt, black pants, socks, and shoes. He had no problem adjusting the black tie around his neck or fastening his grandfather’s diamond cufflinks at his cuffs. It’s when his jacket was finally hugging his torso that the dance came to an abrupt halt.
    He pulled a slip of paper from his pocket where Lily’s simple words were scrolled across it in black ink.
    Ti do tuttu il mio amore.
    His Italian was rusty at best, but Lily’s voice echoed it’s meaning in his head.
    All of my love I give to you.
    Just remembering the way the words escaped her lips made his collar a little tighter.
    He replaced the note in his pocket and took one last look in the mirror. The clean, somewhat sober man that stood there was prepared for anything.
    He was anxious the entire drive to the Holt estate, possibly from the upcoming barrage of debutantes he knew he would have to wade through. Maybe it was due to the fact that he still wasn’t quite sober enough to be driving. He kept his foot light on the pedal, watching for any speed traps.
    He reached the house to find the driveway lined with every luxury car imaginable. It seemed like this was the one night of the year they were all brought out to shine. Ian wondered how many would actually make it home in one piece.
    Ian parked his H2 a distance away so he wouldn’t have a valet checking it. There was probably no chance in Hell he could walk in unnoticed, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t going to try.
    His mother must have had her extra sensory radar tuned to her Ian frequency, as with only one foot in the door, he felt his mother, Marian, grasp his forearm. He felt like they walked aimlessly through a crowd of mindless socialites who all wanted their piece of Ian Holt.
    Ian finally cajoled his mother into the den so he could explain his real motives for joining in on the New Year’s fun.
    “I might be going away for a while.”
    Marian became extremely agitated. “This is because of that girl, isn’t it?” Ian tried to respond, but was cut off short. “I will not have any son of mine wasting his time on a woman he barely knows. Your career is just starting. You’re on the verge of a huge