Touch Me Read Online Free PDF Page A

side. “Would you like to dance?” An intriguing scar bisected his eyebrow, and he smelled like a midnight forest. Flashing a charming smile, he exposed long, pointed incisors.
    Fangs. He had fangs.
    Vampire.
    Run !
    No. She couldn’t run. People were counting on her. Jack was counting on her. Steeling herself, she shook her head with what she hoped was an appropriate amount of regret. “Thanks for asking, but I’m meeting someone.” Her voice squeaked on the last word. Damn it, she was a computer geek, not a bloody actress. What delusional thought process had made her think she could simply blend in? She rubbed her hands over her bare arms. Her skin felt like someone had embedded it with a thousand tiny sensors.
    “ Another time, perhaps.” His voice scratched like fine-grit sandpaper, yet the flesh between her legs throbbed like a beating heart. His gaze dropped to the juncture of her thighs for a split second before taking in the bare slice of belly exposed by her short T-shirt, the erect nipples punching against the fabric, her neck—
    His eyes flared.
    Go. Now. “I have to find my friend. ‘Bye.” As she made her escape, a breeze caressed like eiderdown. All around her, lights flashed. Bodies grinded and whirled. Bottles clinked, people laughed and hugged. Someone lit a clove cigarette nearby.
    “ Dressing room hallway is clear—”
    “ VIP room is clear—”
    “ Estimating thirty minutes to curtain—”
    Voices and music tumbled together in a wild kaleidoscope of sound. She tried to separate individual vocal skeins, but Isaak’s smooth “Lie To Me” croon glossed over everything—
    An eerie howl split the air, and her skeleton vibrated like a tuning fork. Her knees buckled, and she careened into the carpeted wall. She could feel each fiber and filament as it brushed against her cheek and shoulder.
    A gentle hand grasped her upper arm, steadying her.
    She looked up and saw an androgynous creature with coal black hair, snow-white skin, kohl-rimmed eyes, and silver lips. Wearing combat boots, a kilt over black leggings, and a black coat buttoned to the neck, the otherworldly being looked utterly comfortable despite the club’s rainforest heat.
    Are you okay?
    Male or female? Vampire, werewolf, faerie, siren? Its lips hadn’t moved, but she heard the voice as clearly as if it had come through a pair of noise-reduction headphones. Three simple words, drenched with empathy. Looking into wise, knowing gray eyes, she saw understanding. Communion.
    An invitation to touch.
    Slowly raising her hand, she stroked the white cheek with her fingertips. Such soft, soft skin. Unmistakably a woman.
    A woman who somehow…understood.
    Holding her gaze, the woman tipped her head to the side, nuzzling her cheek into her palm. Bailey’s breath caught as the woman lifted her own hand and returned the touch, skimming black-nailed fingertips over her jaw, cheekbone, and temple. Soft as a butterfly, achingly sweet, the touch reduced the vibration, bringing a stunning sense of relief.
    When was the last time anyone had really touched her?
    “ Bailey, what’s your twenty?”
    She jolted at Lukas’s tense voice. She wasn’t anywhere close to where she was supposed to be—at the foot of the stage. “Thank you,” she murmured to the woman, slowly dropping her hand. The words seemed completely inadequate. “I have to go.” 
    With a gentle smile, the woman dropped her hand. I’m glad you feel better.
    Nope, she wasn’t hallucinating. The woman’s lips hadn’t moved. How the hell—
    “Bailey?” Lukas repeated impatiently. “Sasha’s looking for you.”
    The woman melted into the crowd.
    “Damn it.” She fumbled with the receiver in her pocket, turning outgoing audio on. “I’m on the floor, Lukas. On my way to the stage now.”
    “ Once you get there, stay put.”
    “ Will do,” she said, rubbing her hands up and down her bare arms as she walked. Her nerve endings still shimmied and danced, but the