Read Online Love Me by Cheryl Holt - Free Book Online Page A

back.  No one will hurt you; I won’t let them.”  He pulled her to her feet.  “Come on.  Let’s get you ready.” 
    She rose too fast, the momentum carrying her forward so that, suddenly, she was pressed against him, her entire body stretched out the length of his. 
    He had a fleeting instant to feel every delicious inch of her.  The pert breasts.  The slender waist.  The thin, shapely legs. 
    The air seemed to crack and sizzle with sexual energy.  They both sucked in a shocked breath, then lurched away.    
    She frowned at him, and he frowned too.  There was a potent and remarkable temptation brewing between them.  So far, he’d done nothing to exacerbate it.  Instead, he was working to lower her defenses, nudging her to examine her life, her choices, to recognize that she was unhappy.   
    If she was confused and distraught, and he was around and available and supportive, she’d be more likely to behave as he wanted her to behave.  He’d developed some delicious fantasies that included things like stripping her naked and having raucous, slippery sex in the shower, but she was engaged to her precious Andrew, so he couldn’t proceed.
    He was positive he could convince her to break her engagement.  It was obvious she wasn’t eager to wed her fiancé, but she was having trouble admitting it.  Matt was in a perfect position to steer her in a different direction, but he had to tread carefully.  If he seduced her while she was still engaged, she’d end up feeling guilty and angry, and he’d bear the brunt of her remorse—which would ruin all his plans.   
    He paused, watching her, seeing that she was about to comment on their blistering attraction.  Except that it dawned on her that this wasn’t a conversation they could have.  Not when she thought herself to be in love and racing toward her marriage.  She spun and stomped into the bathroom.
    To his relief, she scooped up an armful of clothes and took them with her.  Evidently, she’d decided to dress so they could head for her brother’s reception. 
    He went to the window and gazed out at the stormy sky. 
    In his dealings with women, he pictured himself as being extremely rational.  He had sex with them and that was it, but where she was concerned, he was completely baffled as to how he should handle her. 
    Every pore in his body was jangling, his male instincts on high alert.  Though the door between them was closed, he could smell her, could sense her every move, could practically feel her heat emanating through the wall.
    He was suffering from the strongest urge to march over, to waltz in and seize what she wasn’t ready to give.  He braced his palm on the cold glass of the window, centering himself, calming himself.
    “Settle down, boy,” he muttered.  “All good things come to those who wait.”
    He grinned at his reflection, liking the odds, liking his chances.
    *          *          *          *
    “Who is that?”
    “Where?”
    “Over by the door.”
    Amy Dane Merriweather grabbed Dustin, her new husband, by the arm.  They were in the front parlor of the old Merriweather mansion.  It was the first and only room they’d refurbished in what they envisioned as a lifetime of effort to restore the town to its prior glory.
    The grand house was packed with people, and she had to shift him so he could see who she meant. 
    A striking couple had stepped in from the foyer.  They were regally posed, peering around as if they owned the place.
    The guy was tall, buff, and macho, dark-haired and menacing, while the woman was petite, blond, and pretty.  They were arresting and conspicuous, an intriguing combination of light and dark, danger and beauty.  
    “I don’t know them,” Amy said.  “Are they friends of yours?”
    “Oh, my God.”  Dustin graced her with one of his rare smiles.  “It’s my sister.”
    “Your sister came?  How cool is that!”
    It had been a bone of