Read Online Blood in the Marsh by Ciana Stone - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Ciana Stone
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Right now.”
Leopold regarded her seriously. “What are you afraid of?”
“I’m not afraid of anything. I just don’t like people coming into my room without being invited.”
“Yes, of course. Again, forgive me. I’ve overstepped my bounds. It will not happen again.” He left, closing the door behind him.
Lyra almost believed he really was sorry. But he was not the first of Lexi’s boyfriends to make a move on her. She had learned not to trust any of them. Her skin crawled as she thought about him touching her and she ran back to the shower.
Maybe the therapists were right and she had been more scarred by the incidents of her childhood than she wanted to believe. Dreams, notwithstanding, she certainly had not had much luck with men.
Her last so-called boyfriend had been a doctoral candidate. Smart and possessed of a quick wit, they’d gotten along wonderfully until they tried to have sex. Then she froze up. No matter how hard she tried, she just couldn’t go through with it. He wasn’t the right one—the man of her dreams.
She realized how juvenile it seemed to use a dream man as an excuse for not being able to be intimate but the truth was, she didn’t want to settle. Better to have no sex life than one she didn’t enjoy.
And who knew? Maybe Nick would be the one who helped her break out of that cycle.
When she finally finished scrubbing herself, she dressed in a two-piece swimsuit and a pair of cut-off jeans, topped by a cut-off T-shirt. She went down the hall to Lexi’s room and knocked softly. Getting no answer, she tiptoed through the bedroom to the dressing table. Finding a tube of mascara and some smoky gray eye shadow, she went back to her room and put on a tiny bit of the makeup.
She brushed her hair out and left it loose, then walked downstairs. Nick would be there soon but she had enough time to fix some sandwiches to take to the beach. She packed everything in a basket and then loaded a cooler with beer and soft drinks.
She was just finishing when the doorbell rang. Running to the door, she flung it open. Nick had a thick package tucked under his arm. He smiled and took her hand, leaning over to kiss her on the cheek.
“You look beautiful.”
She smiled and blushed lightly. “I was just getting some lunch fixed. What’s in the package?”
“Pictures. Want to see?”
“Sure. Let’s go out on the terrace.”
She got the picnic basket and cooler from the kitchen and led him to the terrace. They sat down at the table and Nick unwrapped the pictures. Lyra looked at them critically, hardly able to believe that she was the woman in the photos. Nick was just as handsome in the pictures as in person.
“You look great,” She looked up at him. “You should have been a model.”
“I don’t think so. But you could be.”
“Hardly.” She fell silent as he handed her a photo from a separate folder.
In it, he was dressed in his jeans but wore no shirt. It appeared as if she were topless as well, even though she knew she had been wearing a strapless top. It just didn’t show up in the pictures. They were facing one another. One side of her face was against the center of his chest with one hand beside her face. Nick’s face was turned to the camera and his arms encircled her. They looked like two lovers with the soft light and dark background.
Her first thought was that she wished they really were lovers. Almost as soon as the thought formed, something rose inside her to push it away. For a moment, she didn’t understand the signal. She cut a look at him and that’s whenshe saw it. In his eyes. There was a hardness that didn’t speak of love or tenderness. She wished she hadn’t seen it, but thought it was probably for the best. It kept her thinking realistic.
“This is really a good picture of you. Can I keep it?”
“You can keep all of them. I made two sets.”
“Really, why?”
“So I could have a set.”
“But won’t you have to pay for all of this?” She
Leopold regarded her seriously. “What are you afraid of?”
“I’m not afraid of anything. I just don’t like people coming into my room without being invited.”
“Yes, of course. Again, forgive me. I’ve overstepped my bounds. It will not happen again.” He left, closing the door behind him.
Lyra almost believed he really was sorry. But he was not the first of Lexi’s boyfriends to make a move on her. She had learned not to trust any of them. Her skin crawled as she thought about him touching her and she ran back to the shower.
Maybe the therapists were right and she had been more scarred by the incidents of her childhood than she wanted to believe. Dreams, notwithstanding, she certainly had not had much luck with men.
Her last so-called boyfriend had been a doctoral candidate. Smart and possessed of a quick wit, they’d gotten along wonderfully until they tried to have sex. Then she froze up. No matter how hard she tried, she just couldn’t go through with it. He wasn’t the right one—the man of her dreams.
She realized how juvenile it seemed to use a dream man as an excuse for not being able to be intimate but the truth was, she didn’t want to settle. Better to have no sex life than one she didn’t enjoy.
And who knew? Maybe Nick would be the one who helped her break out of that cycle.
When she finally finished scrubbing herself, she dressed in a two-piece swimsuit and a pair of cut-off jeans, topped by a cut-off T-shirt. She went down the hall to Lexi’s room and knocked softly. Getting no answer, she tiptoed through the bedroom to the dressing table. Finding a tube of mascara and some smoky gray eye shadow, she went back to her room and put on a tiny bit of the makeup.
She brushed her hair out and left it loose, then walked downstairs. Nick would be there soon but she had enough time to fix some sandwiches to take to the beach. She packed everything in a basket and then loaded a cooler with beer and soft drinks.
She was just finishing when the doorbell rang. Running to the door, she flung it open. Nick had a thick package tucked under his arm. He smiled and took her hand, leaning over to kiss her on the cheek.
“You look beautiful.”
She smiled and blushed lightly. “I was just getting some lunch fixed. What’s in the package?”
“Pictures. Want to see?”
“Sure. Let’s go out on the terrace.”
She got the picnic basket and cooler from the kitchen and led him to the terrace. They sat down at the table and Nick unwrapped the pictures. Lyra looked at them critically, hardly able to believe that she was the woman in the photos. Nick was just as handsome in the pictures as in person.
“You look great,” She looked up at him. “You should have been a model.”
“I don’t think so. But you could be.”
“Hardly.” She fell silent as he handed her a photo from a separate folder.
In it, he was dressed in his jeans but wore no shirt. It appeared as if she were topless as well, even though she knew she had been wearing a strapless top. It just didn’t show up in the pictures. They were facing one another. One side of her face was against the center of his chest with one hand beside her face. Nick’s face was turned to the camera and his arms encircled her. They looked like two lovers with the soft light and dark background.
Her first thought was that she wished they really were lovers. Almost as soon as the thought formed, something rose inside her to push it away. For a moment, she didn’t understand the signal. She cut a look at him and that’s whenshe saw it. In his eyes. There was a hardness that didn’t speak of love or tenderness. She wished she hadn’t seen it, but thought it was probably for the best. It kept her thinking realistic.
“This is really a good picture of you. Can I keep it?”
“You can keep all of them. I made two sets.”
“Really, why?”
“So I could have a set.”
“But won’t you have to pay for all of this?” She
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