Read Online Celestial Desire by Abbie Zanders - Free Book Online Page A

dressed in nothing but his briefs.
    The moment Zane was released from active duty, he had taken up where his father left off. Those letters had given him a good starting point, and Zane collected enough evidence to warrant official action. Because of his efforts, and because of his service record, he had been allowed to take part in the take-down.
    Months later he had learned that his mother and sister were dead. Both fair of hair and skin, they had been sold to a dealer in Europe known for his sadistic tendencies.
    It had broken something inside of Zane. Though the rational part of his brain knew that there was nothing he could have done, the irrational part continued to harbor guilt. If he had been there, he might have been able to prevent the abduction. If he had been smarter, faster, stronger, he might have been able to track them down before it was too late. If, if, if…
    The nightmares still plagued him, the demons of the past still shredded him from the inside. He still woke up in a cold sweat, heart pounding, an inhuman roar lodged in his throat.
    Except when he was with Celeste. When he was with Celeste, his demons were quiet.
    They sat in silence for several minutes, each mulling over what the other did (and didn’t) say.
    “Do you have a bucket list?” Celeste asked suddenly.
    “A bucket list?”
    “Yeah, you know. A list of things you want to do before you die.”
    “I know what a bucket list is,” he said. As often happened when he was with her, she pulled him out of his dark place and back into the present. “I don’t plan on dying anytime soon.”
    “Me neither, but you never know, do you? I mean, it could all change very quickly, don’t you think?”
    Had she somehow sensed his morbid thoughts? Unless Mitch had told her what had happened – and he was certain Mitch hadn’t – there was no way she could have known. Which meant her comment was based on her personal experiences, not his. It was starting to make sense. Celeste feared her abusive ex would get out and track her down.
    Zane’s first instinct was to ease her fears, to tell her that he would protect her, but he checked that impulse before the words made it out of his mouth. He was reluctant to make promises he might not be able to keep. It wasn’t because he doubted his ability to keep her safe; he knew beyond a doubt he could.
    No, the problem was whether or not he’d still be around. According to his uncle, Celeste’s ex was locked up good and tight and had a decent amount of time remaining on his sentence, a far longer amount of time than Zane had ever been in a relationship.
    If he was honest with himself, he wasn’t even sure he was capable of it. He only knew that Celeste had managed to hold his interest for longer than anyone else. And maybe, maybe , there was a chance for it to become something more. At the moment, he couldn’t imagine losing interest in Celeste any time soon, but he wasn’t sure enough of his relationship potential to risk getting her hopes up. This was all uncharted territory for him; he was taking it day by day. He just knew he didn’t want to hurt her, and maybe wasn’t enough to hang her hopes on.
    “Yeah. I’ve seen it happen enough not to. Do you? Have a bucket list, I mean?”
    She nodded, her eyes looking even bigger than they did a minute ago. Christ, when she looked at him like that it did something to his gut. “Want to see?”
    “Hell, yeah.” He couldn’t have asked for a better insight into the woman currently monopolizing most of his waking thoughts. She grinned and opened her small hand purse. Her eyes glistened with excitement, like she was going to share a secret with him.
    A faded photo fell out when she opened her wallet. Celeste reached for it, but Zane was quicker. An attractive woman and a young girl stood side by side on the steps of a Gothic-looking building. He recognized Jessica immediately, but not the girl next to her. Judging by the clothing and hairstyles, he would