Read Online Pursued by Evangeline Anderson - Free Book Online

w-will.” She tried, plucking at the front of the dress where there was a row of tiny buttons, but her fingers were trembling too much to make any headway.
    “Here.” Gently, Merrick brushed her shaking hands aside and unbuttoned the front of the silky red dress. He pulled it off her shoulders, baring her small, perfectly rounded breasts. He tried not to look but he couldn’t help noticing her nipples, tight and pink as little buds. His shaft reacted immediately, his mating fist throbbing with desire but Merrick ignored it. This wasn’t about sex—it was about healing.
    “Oh…” Elise saw him looking and tried to cover herself with her arms but Merrick shook his head.
    “No. Come here. Right up against me.”
    Pulling her close, he pressed their naked upper bodies together, feeling the hard points of her nipples and the soft crush of her breasts against his chest. Elise seemed reluctant at first but then she pressed against him, wrapping her arms around his neck and burying her face in the side of his throat.
    They stayed that way for a long time, locked in a silent embrace until her shivering stopped. Merrick buried his face in her hair and breathed her in, inhaling her delicate feminine scent and something else as well. He frowned. What was that scent? Was it heat…desire? But she’d been almost dead—why would she be aroused? His nose never lied though—he could smell her heat. Her body was in need, even if she didn’t know it and Merrick didn’t think she did. Despite the fact that both of them were half naked, there was nothing sexual about their contact. She needed to be healed and she trusted him to do the healing—it was as simple as that. So her scent was a mystery—one he couldn’t help wanting to solve.
    “Merrick,” she whispered, breaking into his thoughts. Her voice was a soft sob in his ear. “Oh, Merrick. You came for me. You really came.”
    “Couldn’t stay away,” he admitted, rubbing her bare back in long, soothing strokes. “I wanted to but…I just couldn’t. Sylvan told me you were still sick and begged me to bring you back.”
    “Oh.” She pulled back from him, covering her breasts with one arm. “So you didn’t really want to come—Dr. Sylvan made you.”
    Inwardly, Merrick swore. Why had he made things awkward between them again? But there was no point in being anything but truthful—he’d never been the type of male to mince words. “I came because I had to,” he said, choosing his words carefully. “Because I couldn’t let you die, no matter how angry I still am about that stunt you pulled with your fucking fiancé.”
    Elise frowned and lifted her chin. “Once and for all will you please believe me when I tell you that I honestly forgot about him?”
    “That’s kind of hard to believe,” Merrick growled. “I mean, he’s a fucking billionaire, isn’t he?”
    “You think money matters to me?” Her brown eyes flashed. “If that was all I cared about I could have stayed home with my mother and stepfather. I don’t give a damn about money!”
    “Looks then,” Merrick challenged her. “You have to admit he’s a handsome sonofabitch and I’m one ugly bastard.”
    “You’re not!” Elise’s voice throbbed with passion. She cupped his scarred cheek and looked into his eyes. “That’s not how I see you, Merrick. And I don’t believe that’s how you see yourself.”
    “You don’t know me—not really,” he said flatly. “So how do you know what I think?” He sighed. “You’re right though—looks aren’t that important. Even if I do remind you of your pet dog—what was his name?”
    “Buck,” she whispered. “If you only knew…” She broke off, shaking her head. “Look, Merrick, I don’t know why I forgot about James. I think maybe I was trying so hard to push away the memories of what…what happened when I was abducted that he somehow got pushed away too.” She looked down. “I…I’m good at forgetting things. Maybe too