Read Online Fated by Sarah Fine - Free Book Online

because now the hunter in him had been loosed, and he longed for a chase. But Aislin merely widened her stance and waited for him to approach.
    Brave. And dangerous, his thoughts whispered. But so tempting.
    She held out her arm, as if to shake hands. “I’m ready.”
    He smirked. “That’s not how this is going to happen.” With one step, he brought himself so close that her palm was on his chest. His hands were at his sides, clenched into tight fists. The feel of her filled him with raw desire. “We can’t go back after I do this.”
    She looked up at him, her pale eyes fathomless. “I know. So let’s move forward instead.”
    Her palms slid from his chest to his ribs, and he had to suppress a sudden shiver that coursed straight down his back. Her face was inches from his, her lips soft and pink. He closed his eyes to keep himself from leaning down to taste them. He would have to be gentle. And alert. He couldn’t allow his desire for her body to interfere. Slowly, he slid an arm around her waist, nearly groaning as he felt her temperature rise—from fear or need, it barely mattered. He spread his fingers across the soft cashmere of her sweater, feeling the smooth expanse of her back, only a thin layer of fabric keeping them apart. As soon as his fingers brushed her skin, she would lose control, and he mustn’t allow her to fall. He pulled her even closer, eager to see what she would look like, helpless under his hands. But the moment her lithe frame settled against him, her hips to his and her breasts pressed to his chest, he stopped breathing. Sweet heaven, nothing had ever felt so blindingly delicious. He let out a breath and opened his eyes to find her staring at him, her lips parted.
    He gritted his teeth. If he didn’t dive in now, he was going to kiss her, and that would be disastrous. “Let’s begin.”
    She pressed her lips together and closed her eyes as his hand rose, as he held her tightly, as he laid his palm on her cool, smooth cheek.
    Moros gasped as the room disappeared, along with everything in it. The floor vanished beneath his feet, plunging him into a bottomless abyss. With Aislin still snug in his arms and his eyes wide open, he fought the wash of darkness filling his mind. His heart pounded as if he were running for his life. His body screamed for air as his hand slid down her face and curled around her neck. Deep inside the roaring silence in his mind, he could faintly hear her voice, but he couldn’t make out what she was saying, couldn’t tell if it was now or in the future, couldn’t catch a single word even though the sound was louder with each passing second.
    “Jason!”
    He jerked away from her, nearly stumbling over the end of the couch.
    “Jason?”
    He lifted his head to find Aislin, arms out, as if she had been trying to steady him. His chest heaved. This . . . didn’t make sense. It made no sense at all. Slowly he straightened, his heart still galloping.
    “What did you see?” she asked.
    He shook his head. “Did you—?” He rubbed his hands over his face and tried again. “Did you see anything?”
    “No. Did you do it right?”
    The laugh burst from him, broken and astonished. “There’s no other way to do it.”
    “Should we try again?”
    He held his hand up to ward her off, then jammed it in his pocket as she reached for it. “No!” He was reeling with what he’d seen—or rather, what he hadn’t. Sorrow was squeezing at his chest, realization making it harder and harder to breathe. “Aislin . . . I . . .”
    “Just tell me what you saw,” she said, her voice small. “Did you see me betraying you?”
    “No,” he replied, certainty strangling him. He swallowed hard and met her eyes. “I saw nothing at all.”
    Her eyebrows rose. “What does that mean?”
    Disbelief and defiance pushed back the constricted feeling in his chest. “Give me your hand.”
    “But you just said—”
    “I know what I said,” he snapped. “Just do it.” He