Read Online Mr. Muse by Kelly Ethan - Free Book Online Page B

waiting to see danger done and he was the target. Not even certain why he was taking precautions, he pressed his back against the wall and slid his hand along, searching for the light. A whistling sound close to his right-hand side caught his attention.
    What the hell? Sensing danger, Eric turned to bolt when something heavy crashed into him and he crumpled to the floor.
    Eric lay on his side, fighting the waves of pain that gripped his head in a vise and threatened to squeeze him until his eyes popped. A pair of black work boots appeared in his vague, light-dimmed vision and he groaned as a thought hit him. No one had known it was him coming here. They’d thought it was Missy. She was the one in danger, not him.
    He focused again on the shoes, but they’d turned away and marched out. They knew he wasn’t Missy and that meant they were still after her. She was a sitting duck because of him and his pride. He’d locked her in the room with the added security so she should be safe. But Missy being Missy would somehow get out of the damn suite. She delighted in driving him crazy and as soon as she stepped outside, she was a target. Pain ripped through his chest completely unconnected to his throbbing head wound.
    This little sex-starved mortal had wormed her way inside him and Eric was damned if he’d let anyone get away with hurting her.
    The ding of the elevator rang loud through the deserted office. They were getting away. To hell with that. Eric tried to haul himself upright and prayed his healing abilities would snap in quick. This might be his only chance to save Missy…
     
    * * * *
     
    Missy sniggered as she stepped out of the lift at her agent’s office. Eric would be angry she’d escaped the locked suite, but he should never have underestimated the power of a pissed-off woman. All it had taken was a phone call to maintenance and a bat-of-the-eyelid bimbo act. Hey presto…door open. They’d thought she was just Eric’s floozy who’d locked herself in and they couldn’t have been more helpful.
    She sniggered again and pushed the office door open. That’s funny, no receptionist. Missy shrugged and strolled across to her agent’s office. The door was ajar and something stuck out.
    “What the heck is that?” She crouched and peered at the object…
    A hand.
    “Oh shit, there’s a dead body in here.” She jumped back when the hand twitched and a moan slid out from behind the door. She knew the moan. It was Evil Eric, locker of doors. Missy shoved the door flying and narrowly missed him. Flipping the light switch on, she bent to his crumpled body.
    “Eric, can you hear me? What happened? Where are you hurt?” Rolling him over, she removed her hand and saw blood trickling between her fingers, the exact same shade of her vamp-red nail polish. Nausea hit her stomach. The coppery scent of blood settled on her tongue. Oh, God, she hated the sight of blood.
    Struggling for control, she regulated her breathing. Right now, shallow breaths would work better. In…out…in…out. She would not throw up on top of Eric.
    Eric opened his eyes. “Missy, you’re here? You’re okay.”
    “Ah, yeah, about that…”
    “We have to get out of here. When they realize it wasn’t you in the office, they’ll come hunting for you.”
    She bolted for the minibar and the hand towel hanging off it. “Here we go. This should stop the bleeding.” Missy dashed back and pressed the cloth to Eric’s head. Her stomach rolled like the ocean and she gulped back the football-sized wave of bile that threatened to explode. Damn, blood still freaked her out, no matter how many times she saw it.
    “Listen to me. You were right. They’re after you, not me, and we need to get out of here.” Eric pushed himself to a sitting position and grabbed the wall for a brace.
    “Really? That would make a great story line. Um, who did this?”
    Eric swore. “Damn it. Listen, you fool. Somebody, probably your agent, wants you dead and we need