Read Online Through a Crimson Veil by Patti O'Shea - Free Book Online

hear the lack of conviction in his tone.
    Her mouth moved up his jaw, kissing, licking and nipping. Conor had his hands on her waist again, and he stroked the bare skin over her spine, tracing each of Mika’s vertebrae. He was losing himself in lust when he felt the disturbance again. It had something to do with the protective barrier around his house, but he couldn’t figure out what. His residence was tamper-proof. Or as close to it as possible.
    He attempted to zero in on what he sensed, but Mika reached his ear and traced its outside edge with her tongue. He shuddered more strongly and his hands went to her hips, pulling her against his erection. She eased back, letting him see her smile, then rocked her body into his.
    Conor wouldn’t have guessed he could get any harder, but she showed him differently. His world narrowed to Mika: the feel of her curves against him, the sight of her eyes glowing red, the scent of her arousal. She took his mouth in a kiss as wild and unrestrained as he felt. At first he tried to hold back, tried to keep from scaring her, then he realized he didn’t have to do that—his relentless hunger wouldn’t frighten her. The part of him that was Kiverian strained at its tether.
    Which was enough to knock him out of his sensual daze. Breaking the kiss, he said, “That’s enough.”
    It wasn’t, not even close, but he couldn’t risk it, couldn’t let his demon nature loose. Mika was bad for him. Very bad. And she still leaned into him, tempting him to throw control aside and take what he wanted with every cell of his being.
    His grip tightened and he shifted her back so she wasn’t molded to his torso. He nearly groaned in protest at the separation, but closed his eyes and fought the need.
    Mika didn’t help. Although he kept her from sliding forward again, her hands were roaming his chest and belly, even dipping beneath the waistband of his jeans. He pinned her with a hard stare. His resolve faltered for a moment as he saw the thick glaze of arousal in her eyes, but he said, “Stay still.”
    She froze. Her obedience shocked the hell out of him before he realized she was probably trying to keep him off-balance. It worked. He didn’t know which end was up. “You’re trouble,” he said stupidly, his voice still thick with need.
    She grinned. “Why? Because when you’re with me, you actually start to feel things? That means you’re alive.”
    “No.” He shook his head, denying what she’d said.
    “ Yes. Look at you, Conor. Your eyes are burning, your skin is flushed and—”
    He sensed something. Immediately, Mika tensed and stopped talking, trying to figure out what had made his body go rigid. Conor forced his awareness of her out of his mind; he couldn’t afford the distraction. His protective shield: someone definitely was testing it. If he had to make a guess, he’d say they were probing, trying to find out if there was a weakness and where. He needed to figure out who or what was out there.
    As hard as he focused, though, he couldn’t get a good read. Whoever it was had shielded himself, and had done a damn good job. That tipped the odds in favor of this uninvited guest being a demon. If he weren’t in tune with his security, he might not have picked up on it at all.
    “What is it?” Mika whispered.
    Conor shook his head, silently telling her to stay quiet.
    The fact that she didn’t sense anything wrong reinforced his belief that it was his familiarity with his defenses that had allowed him to pick up the problem. He should go outside and check, but he hesitated. If he left her alone, and if somehow whoever it was made it through the barrier, Mika would be virtually helpless.
    Okay, as helpless as a demon could be.
    He was under no illusions about Mika’s nature. She might be on the lighter end of the demon-breed spectrum, but she was dangerous. She could kill. Maybe not in cold blood, but in self-defense? Hell, yeah.
    Still, if this was the same demon that had set