Stone of Ascension Read Online Free PDF Page B

warmth from his expression.
    “Excuse me,” he snapped, before turning away to move toward the stage.
    What was that about? Amber shook off the sense of loss, and absently rubbed the tingling from her fingers as she watched him greet the mayor and shake hands with others assembled near the base of the platform. He radiated power, from the expensive cut of the black wool trench coat that accentuated his tall frame and the broad breadth of his shoulders to the crisply folded violet silk scarf that was wrapped around his neck and tucked neatly into the collar of his coat. The unique color added to the pure sense of unchallenged male that emanated from him.
    She shoved her shaking hands in her pockets and turned away, dismissing the lingering tingle that raked her body as nerves.
    Damian Aeros, CEO of a global wind turbine company. Of course it was nerves that had her acting so foolish. The strange feeling of rightness that had overcome her when the wind had pushed her toward his chest was silly and stupid. It was nothing but wishful thinking once again and wrong on so many levels.
    The thought of Kayla’s reaction to her blunder made Amber smile when she finally reached her friend’s side. At least she had something to distract Kayla with.
    “Hey, guess who I just plowed into, literally?” Amber interjected before Kayla could start asking questions. “Mr. Aeros himself.”
    Kayla laughed. “Good move. I wish I could have seen it.” She cocked a smile at Amber. “In fact, I wish I’d thought of it myself. Did you give him a good kick too?” Her laughter bubbled over and infected Amber.
    “No. It was embarrassing. Really,” Amber said, shaking her head. There was no way Kayla could know about her hidden fascination with the CEO. Kayla saw him as the ultimate villain and held him personally responsible for the wind turbines being erected in the pristine waters of the Sound.
    A sharp, piercing squeal reverberated from the speaker, causing everyone to cringe. Kayla shot Amber an assessing look before the mayor’s political advisor stepped up to the microphone and began to speak.
    “Don’t think this gets you off the hook. We still need to talk,” Kayla leaned in to tell her.
    “About what?” Amber played the stupidity card.
    “Why you’ve been avoiding me for two months.”
    “I haven’t been avoiding you,” Amber insisted, but she couldn’t meet her friend’s eyes. “I’ve just been busy.”
    Kayla gave her a dubious look. They both knew that Amber’s life wasn’t that busy. Kayla softened. “I just want to be sure you’re okay. I was worried about you after New York.”
    Now the guilt kicked in. Why was everyone so worried about her lately?
    “Nothing happened,” Amber deflected again. “I’m fine. Really. Aunt Bev was a little mad, but we both knew that was going to happen. Did your grandfather ever tell you why he ordered us home?”
    “No, of course not. You know his eccentric crypticness. He only reveals what he thinks you need to know. Evidently, the why of leaving New York is something we don’t need to know.” She gave a shrug of dismissal and held Amber’s gaze. “Do you know why?”
    Yeah, she’d walked right into that one.
    Amber smiled and blatantly ignored her friend’s question. “So what were the chances of me running over the head honcho like that out of all the people here?”
    Kayla’s eyes narrowed, but once again, she let Amber do the duck and dive. A reprieve Amber feared wouldn’t last for long.
    “About as probable as the wind turbines all magically tumbling into the ocean,” Kayla countered.
    “Or the sun suddenly appearing to warm us the hell up.” Amber chuckled, waving her hand dismissively at the cloud-drenched sky. The laughter died from her lips when the clouds separated in an unnatural move. The golden rays of the sun rained down on the small gathering, making it seem like Amber’s action had parted the clouds.
    Kayla stared at the sky in stunned