Waking Up Read Online Free PDF Page A

only scared her, not hurt her badly.
    He could feel waves of curiosity rolling off her as she walked up the stairs, but she didn’t ask any questions—yet. No doubt they were coming.
    As she unlocked the door to her apartment, her scent surrounded him. Slightly floral, slightly citrus and completely female. A spike of lust speared him, his balls tightened and his cock hardened uncomfortably.
    Fuck. His dress pants didn’t exactly hide a hard-on. She was going to think he was more of a freak than she already suspected.
    She opened the door and led him through a tiny hall to a cozy living space. Brightly colored throw rugs cushioned the hardwood floor. There was a couch that looked like it would swallow him if he sat in it, a rocking chair and several bookshelves stuffed with paperbacks and curious little figurines of fairies and such. Plants filled the space by a sliding door that presumably led to a balcony of some sort.
    There wasn’t a lot of room, but it felt homey. For someone who lived mostly in hotels, it was as comforting as the smell of fresh-baked cookies. His stomach growled at the thought of food and he jumped on the perfect distraction.
    “Do you think we could order a pizza or something? I’m starved.”
    She stared at him incredulously before shaking her head. “Sure. Why not.” She crossed to the small kitchen area and pulled a menu out of a drawer. “I’m going to wash up, order whatever you want.”
    As she brushed by him, he grabbed her arm. “I’ll explain everything. I promise.”
    “You can try. Nothing about you has made sense from the first.” She shrugged off his grasp and strode down the hall.
    What did she mean by that? Except for the knife incident, everything else was fairly normal. Okay, maybe the triskel appearing on her wrist might have been odd, but that could be explained by drunkenness.
    His stomach growled again, even louder. The healing always left him hungry enough to eat a cow, but pizza was a fine substitute. He ordered a large pie with everything and a small one with only cheese in case she was picky. The guy said they would be there in thirty minutes which was a godsend. Now, if she had a beer in the fridge, life would be good.
    “I haven’t had a chance to go to the store since I’ve been home, so there isn’t much in there,” Ciara said.
    She’d changed into a pair of shorts and a T-shirt and put her hair up in a knot on top of her head. Curls sprung loose and framed her delicate face even as he watched. Her color was better and she had a steely glint in her eyes that didn’t bode well for any prevarication on his part.
    “I was hoping to find a beer. I didn’t mean to be rude.”
    “I don’t have any beer, but I have a nice bottle of merlot I’ve been saving. Right now looks like the perfect time to break it out.” She bent down to open a cabinet by the refrigerator and her shorts pulled tight across her lush bottom.
    He couldn’t hold back the tide of desire that crashed over him at the sight of her ass up in the air. It reminded him too much of their night together when he’d taken her from behind and she’d damn near bitten a hole in the sheets.
    She spun around at his soft moan and her eyes widened as she spotted the bulge in his pants.
    “Are you kidding me? You got stabbed not an hour ago and now you’re ready to fuck? What are you, some kind of mutant?”
    “Not exactly. How much do you know of your ancient Celtic history?”
     
    Ciara couldn’t believe Declan was standing in the kitchen with an erection the size of Texas calmly asking her about her knowledge of ancient Ireland after he’d been stabbed in the side. In the bright light, his shirt looked even worse. There was no denying he’d lost a lot of blood.
    Yet he was the one who’d had the strength and wit to drive them home. Was this really happening to her or had she fallen into some warped parallel universe?
    Nothing had been sane since she’d first laid eyes on him. The instant