Read Online Shadowed Instincts by Wendi Wilson - Free Book Online Page B

mouth on her lips.
    A light tap on her door had her rushing from the bed and
across the room without a thought. She turned the knob and pulled the door open
saying, “Jeremy, I…”
    Her voice trailed off as she realized her mistake. The smile
vanished from Declan’s face as his mouth dropped open at the sight of her. His
turquoise eyes lowered down her body and back up again slowly. His mouth
snapped shut and he swallowed hard as he met her gaze.
    Melanie blushed and crossed her arms over her chest. She was
wearing her standard sleeping attire- a thin tank top and boxers- which didn’t
leave much to the imagination. She was used to Jeremy seeing her like that, but
Declan was another story altogether.
    “What do you want?” she asked harshly.
    He flinched. “Ouch. Not a morning person, I see.”
    Her blush deepened. “Sorry. You just surprised me, is all. I
wasn’t expecting it to be you.”
    “Obviously,” he said, a roguish grin on his face. He let his
eyes drop and dragged them back up again.
    “Declan.”
    “Sorry, sorry. Jeez, I was just kidding.”
    “Okay.” She dragged out the word and laced it with
impatience. “Did you need something from me?”
    Declan’s eyes lit up and his nostrils flared as he sucked in
a breath. He released it slowly and gave his head a slight shake. He flashed
her a killer smile and leaned against the doorjamb.
    “I think we got off on the wrong foot, so I want to start
over.” He stuck his hand out and said, “Hi, I’m Declan. Nice to meet you.”
    Melanie looked at his hand hanging in the air in front of
her and scrunched in her eyebrows. “Seriously?”
    “Come on, Mel. I want to start over. I feel like I didn’t make
a very good first impression on you.”
    Oh, you made an impression, alright, she thought.
“This is silly,” she said to him, staring at his still-outstretched hand.
    “Pretty please?” he cajoled.
    She took a deep breath and sighed. “Oh, alright.”
    She stretched her arm out and took his hand. A jolt of heat
shot from his palm to hers and she felt the tingle all the way up her arm. She
started to sway toward him, then regaining control of her senses, snatched her
hand back quickly and held her palm to her chest.
    “Is that all?” she snapped.
    With a knowing grin on his face, he winked and said, “See
you at breakfast, Mel.”
    Melanie shut the door with a little more force than
necessary and leaned back against it. Her body sagged with relief at Declan’s
departure. She jumped and tensed at the sound of knuckles rapping against the
wood once more.
    Swinging the door open, she said, “What now?”
    “Well, that’s not exactly the greeting I was hoping for.”
    “Jeremy, hey. Come in,” she stammered as she grabbed his arm
and dragged him into the room. She stuck her head out and looked both ways.
Seeing that the hall was empty, she took a step back and closed the door.
    “What’s going on?”
    “Oh, nothing,” she said, wrapping her arms around his neck.
    Jeremy pulled her arms down and held her hands between them.
He looked at her with an arched brow, but didn’t say anything.
    “Okay. Okay. Declan was just here,” she blurted out.
    “Really?” Jeremy deadpanned. He had smelled Declan’s scent
as soon as he walked in. “What did angel boy want?”
    “Will you please stop calling him that?” She rolled her
eyes. “He said he wants to start over. He doesn’t like that we got off on the
wrong foot.”
    “Okay,” he said, drawing out the word like a question.
    “What?”
    He opened his mouth to say something, then seemed to change
his mind and sighed. “Nothing.”
    Melanie tugged him over to the bed and sat down, pulling him
down next to her. “Talk to me, Jeremy. What’s wrong?”
    “Mel, he wants you.”
    Melanie burst into laughter. “Don’t be ridiculous,” she
managed to get out between giggles.
    “Do I look like I’m joking?”
    “Jeremy,” she said as the laughter died down, “he does not want me. Boys