Too Dangerous to Desire Read Online Free PDF Page B

citrus bubbles, thinking of Adam and his gift. It was such a lovely gift, the soap. She wanted to enjoy its fragrance and touch, to think no ill thoughts about the man who’d given it to her or his motives behind the gesture.
    But a habit of mistrusting men was difficult to shake, and Evelyn was slightly apprehensive about Adam’s generosity. She had to wonder: Did he want something in return?
    He had given her gifts, too. Extravagant pres ents. But he had wanted something very precious in return: her soul.
    Evelyn shivered and dismissed the creature from her mind. Her thoughts returned to Adam. He’d promised to protect her. But no man had ever offered her that before. Her father had failed to take care of her. He wanted to possess and abuse her. But Adam . . .
    Evelyn rinsed her skin with cool water, then patted it dry with a small towel. She knew very little about Adam. So wary of strangers, why had she settled into his cottage with such ease?
    She wasn’t sure. She was baffled by her own choice to stay. But stay she would. For a time.
    The small silver mirror sparkled under the warm firelight, the glass shiny and winking.
    Evelyn stared at the hand-held mirror on the bed, another gift from Adam. Without sparing it another thought, she picked up the glass and turned it upside-down. She hated to see her own reflection.
    Free from the mirror’s disturbing call, she re turned to the table. Under lamplight, she finished the last few stitches in the dress. The alteration complete, she lifted the lovely butter white frock to inspect her handiwork.
    “I think it will fit.”
    To be sure, though, she shimmied out of her tat tered clothes and stepped into the finely woven attire.
    It was cool to the skin, the soft linen. She couldn’t reach all the buttons in the back, so a few went unclasped. For the most part, though, the garb fit her well around the midriff.
    She moved about the room, testing the garment’s fluidity. It was a tad too short in the hem, but that didn’t matter. It would suit her just fine around the cottage.
    Evelyn stilled.
    She listened for the noise once more.
    Heartbeat drumming, she picked up a candle and slowly opened the door. She stepped outside. A sudden dread enveloped her; that he had found her. She waited for him to jump from the shadows and steal her away. But she soon realized her fear was unfounded. The noise was not the shuffle of feet, but a cry of distress.
    With her hand shielding the flame, she moved around to the back of the cottage, searching for the cause of the sound.
    As she neared the woodshed, the groaning surged in pitch.
    Feet bare, she tiptoed closer to the shelter and peeked inside to see Adam lying on the ground— swatting at something in the air.
    “Adam?”
    He swatted some more.
    Evelyn set the candle on the dirt and crouched at Adam’s feet. She shook him by the ankle. “Wake up.”
    When he still swiped and punched, she gave his ankle a hard jerk.
    Adam flinched.
    Evelyn was quiet for a moment, then wondered, “Are you awake?”
    He slowly shifted to sit, rubbing his eyes. “I think so . . . where am I?”
    “In the shed. Come inside and take the bed. I will sleep outside.”
    “No,” he croaked. “I’m fine.”
    “You’re not fine. You don’t like to sleep outside, admit it?”
    He had forsaken the bed for her. Out of duty. But Evelyn didn’t want to displace the man from the comforts of his own home. Clearly he didn’t like being outside with the crickets, and she was determined to get him back indoors where he belonged.
    She took him by the hand. “Come inside, Adam.”
    Evelyn gasped when he captured her wrist and gripped it tight. It was a strong hold. Unbreakable. And yet she did not shake or squirm. In Adam’s strong hold, she did not feel a prisoner. She felt safe.
    “It’s all right, Evie,” he whispered. “It was only a dream.”
    He let go of her wrist, the warmth of his fingers slipping from her flesh. She shivered at the loss of his