Unleashed Read Online Free PDF Page B

Caroline?” he asked, any hint of pain wiped from his face.
    “When I heard what happened, I wanted to offer my condolences,” she said, sounding lame even to herself.
    He quirked a thick, dark eyebrow at her, and pinned her with another variation of his laser sharp stare. “Really? After dropping off the face of the earth, you decide to show up unannounced at my mother’s memorial service?”
    Right. He chose to join an elite branch of the military and participate in some of the most dangerous missions on the planet, but she was the one who had dropped off the face of the earth. In his mind, it was her fault, and always would be.
    She squared her shoulders and shoved back the urge to argue and set him straight about what had really sent her marching out his door all those years ago. She had more important things to do than rehash all the ways he’d chased her away.
    “Believe it or not, I cared about you and your family. And I felt I wanted to pay my respects. But you’re right. There’s another reason—”
    She was cut off as a pair of strong arms wrapped around her from the side, lifting her off her feet and enfolding her in a rib crushing embrace.
    “Holy shit, Caroline Palomares.”
    On firm ground again, Caroline looked up into the face of Ethan Taggart, the face that dropped a thousand panties, if the whispers in the girl’s bathroom at Peninsula Priory were to be believed. Caroline hadn’t doubted it for a second, then. And she bet it was even worse now. Almost as big and built as his brother, Ethan had a dangerous charm and a look in his blue eyes that said he knew things to do to a woman that she didn’t even know existed.
    “Hey Ethan,” she returned his hug, shocked at how good it was to see him again. When she’d been with Danny, she’d always had a semi-big-sister thing going with Ethan, who liked to crash their dates and pick Caroline’s brain for advice on girls. Not that he needed the help.
    “How are you doing?” he asked, his blue eyes dark with concern.
    No need to ask if he’d kept up on the local news. “I’m coping,” she said, and pushed her sunglasses up onto her head. “But you shouldn’t worry about me, with everything else you have to deal with.”
    He nodded grimly and she followed his gaze to his father, who stood several yards away, staring off into space while a woman—she guessed Anne Taggart’s sister from the resemblance—spoke in a low voice as she blotted her eyes with a tissue.
    A woman approached on Ethan’s left and curled her hand around Ethan’s arm as her hazel eyes cast a curious look between Ethan and Caroline.
    “Hi. I’m Caroline,” she offered her hand to the tall, black-haired woman who had the kind of creamily perfect complexion most women would kill for. “I’m an old friend of the family,” she said, sensing the woman’s curiosity about Caroline’s connection to Ethan.
    “I’m Toni,” the woman replied. “New friend of the family.”
    “Caroline and Danny used to be engaged,” Ethan said with an evil half smile, and Caroline felt Danny stiffen next to her.
    “About a hundred years ago,” Danny interjected.
    Toni’s eyes widened with surprise. “You were engaged? ”
    “What’s that supposed to mean?” Caroline could feel Danny bristling behind her.
    Ethan slipped his arm around Toni’s waist and pulled her against him in a move as natural as breath. Caroline had to give her credit—she didn’t look at all fazed by Danny’s Cro-Magnon routine.
    “Nothing,” the woman replied. “I’m just wondering in what universe any woman would find you marriageable.”
    “Obviously none,” Danny said, his voice dangerously quiet. “Because Caroline here dumped me and married someone else.”
    Toni turned her attention back to Caroline, did a double take, and quirked her head to the side. “Why do you look so familiar to me?” Then her eyes widened and she swallowed hard. “You’re Caroline Medford, aren’t you?”
    “You