Read Online Things That Go Hump In The Night by Lily Marie, Terra Wolf, Artemis Wolffe, Mercy May, Amanda Jones, Bliss Devlin, Steffanie Holmes, Christy Rivers, Lily Thorn, Lucy Auburn - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Lily Marie, Terra Wolf, Artemis Wolffe, Mercy May, Amanda Jones, Bliss Devlin, Steffanie Holmes, Christy Rivers, Lily Thorn, Lucy Auburn
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before opening the car door and slipping quickly inside.
Gabriel waved as she pulled out of her space and hit the gas, hard. Her taillights disappeared rapidly up the ramp to street level.
Then he headed for his own car. He would follow her and make sure she was safe. Make sure the city was safe.
* * *
"Scream down here, and no one will hear me," Nicole whispered hoarsely as she stepped inside the soundproofed basement of her rented Victorian house.
Some previous tenant had set up the windowless space as a recording studio and had lined the walls and ceilings with sound-absorbing material. The real estate agent who had showed Nicole the house had mentioned she might want to use the space as a home theater, where you could crank up the surround sound as high as you liked and never annoy the neighbors.
Nicole had immediately seen the room's potential for her own unique needs and had signed the rental agreement on the spot.
Her skin was slick with cold sweat, and her hands trembled as she pulled off her top and unhooked her bra.
Thank God she had taken Gabriel's suggestion to go home rather than trying to finish up at work!
She had been fooled by the fact that the beast inside her had gone temporarily quiet when Gabriel stopped by to talk to her.
Once in her car, though, it had roared back to malevolent life, and it had been all she could do to make it home safely.
She wondered what kind of impression her quick getaway had made on Gabriel. And wished that he had asked her out to dinner on any night but tonight.
It had been such a long time since Nicole had allowed herself to make friends—they made it too hard to move on, when the time came. But after just a few minutes of talking to him, she felt like she and Gabriel had known each other for years.
She wanted to get to know him better. Sure, he was drop-dead gorgeous, but more than that, he was funny, smart, and refreshingly down-to-earth, and he liked the same kind of movies she did. She hoped they would become friends...if not more.
She wondered if he was a good kisser.
Don't be stupid. You can't afford to stay in this city too much longer. Maybe Erik already knows where you are.
Nicole sighed. She knew she would have to disappear again, and soon.
Gabriel had joked about her car, but if it wasn't for the need to continually put money into her "Oh Shit!" accounts and pay for relocating to a new city every year, she'd be driving something a lot nicer.
She made good money as a consultant and contract programmer...but having to abandon everything on a moment's notice and start fresh somewhere else was really expensive.
No way was she going to buy a nice car. It was easier to drive junkers and less painful to abandon them if she had to run again.
Erik had almost found her once before. Almost .
She'd been forced to leave town that time with only the clothes on her back, her purse, and her laptop bag. Thank God she'd had her laptop with her! She never let it out of her sight now.
She had long since given up buying hard-copy books. As much as she loved the feel of paper, they were too heavy and bulky to move easily. Her beloved library now resided on the Kindle in her purse.
When she first went on the run, Nicole had borrowed a large chunk of money from her parents and used it purchase a fake identity that included a college degree and a shiny new resume, since she'd be reduced to waitressing and retail jobs if she couldn't get a job in the software industry.
And it hadn't helped. Erik had found her. Erik always seemed to find her.
Erik had taken everything from her.
She didn't dare visit her family or let them know where she was living, so her contact with her parents was limited to the occasional email message, sent from a disposable account using the WiFi at a café or public library. She had told them she was in hiding because she was being stalked.
Which was the truth, even if it didn't encompass the full, terrifying scope of her predicament.
As she
Gabriel waved as she pulled out of her space and hit the gas, hard. Her taillights disappeared rapidly up the ramp to street level.
Then he headed for his own car. He would follow her and make sure she was safe. Make sure the city was safe.
* * *
"Scream down here, and no one will hear me," Nicole whispered hoarsely as she stepped inside the soundproofed basement of her rented Victorian house.
Some previous tenant had set up the windowless space as a recording studio and had lined the walls and ceilings with sound-absorbing material. The real estate agent who had showed Nicole the house had mentioned she might want to use the space as a home theater, where you could crank up the surround sound as high as you liked and never annoy the neighbors.
Nicole had immediately seen the room's potential for her own unique needs and had signed the rental agreement on the spot.
Her skin was slick with cold sweat, and her hands trembled as she pulled off her top and unhooked her bra.
Thank God she had taken Gabriel's suggestion to go home rather than trying to finish up at work!
She had been fooled by the fact that the beast inside her had gone temporarily quiet when Gabriel stopped by to talk to her.
Once in her car, though, it had roared back to malevolent life, and it had been all she could do to make it home safely.
She wondered what kind of impression her quick getaway had made on Gabriel. And wished that he had asked her out to dinner on any night but tonight.
It had been such a long time since Nicole had allowed herself to make friends—they made it too hard to move on, when the time came. But after just a few minutes of talking to him, she felt like she and Gabriel had known each other for years.
She wanted to get to know him better. Sure, he was drop-dead gorgeous, but more than that, he was funny, smart, and refreshingly down-to-earth, and he liked the same kind of movies she did. She hoped they would become friends...if not more.
She wondered if he was a good kisser.
Don't be stupid. You can't afford to stay in this city too much longer. Maybe Erik already knows where you are.
Nicole sighed. She knew she would have to disappear again, and soon.
Gabriel had joked about her car, but if it wasn't for the need to continually put money into her "Oh Shit!" accounts and pay for relocating to a new city every year, she'd be driving something a lot nicer.
She made good money as a consultant and contract programmer...but having to abandon everything on a moment's notice and start fresh somewhere else was really expensive.
No way was she going to buy a nice car. It was easier to drive junkers and less painful to abandon them if she had to run again.
Erik had almost found her once before. Almost .
She'd been forced to leave town that time with only the clothes on her back, her purse, and her laptop bag. Thank God she'd had her laptop with her! She never let it out of her sight now.
She had long since given up buying hard-copy books. As much as she loved the feel of paper, they were too heavy and bulky to move easily. Her beloved library now resided on the Kindle in her purse.
When she first went on the run, Nicole had borrowed a large chunk of money from her parents and used it purchase a fake identity that included a college degree and a shiny new resume, since she'd be reduced to waitressing and retail jobs if she couldn't get a job in the software industry.
And it hadn't helped. Erik had found her. Erik always seemed to find her.
Erik had taken everything from her.
She didn't dare visit her family or let them know where she was living, so her contact with her parents was limited to the occasional email message, sent from a disposable account using the WiFi at a café or public library. She had told them she was in hiding because she was being stalked.
Which was the truth, even if it didn't encompass the full, terrifying scope of her predicament.
As she
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