A Persistant Attraction by Silvia Violet Read Free Book Online

none of them seemed to have noticed her.
    When Amanda focused on the fighting again, she counted only her rescuer and two others still standing. She realized they must be his friends when he joined them and gave them orders. They began checking the bodies on the ground as her rescuer walked toward her. As she watched his graceful walk, her breath caught.
    She couldn’t tell much about his appearance between the darkness and the mask he wore. His hair was so dark it blended into the night so she had to assume it was black or very dark brown. The lines of his body looked firm and strong.
    When he reached her, he grabbed her arm and pulled her away from the building.
    “What are you doing?” she asked, but he didn’t answer. He just kept tugging her toward the street.
    “I’m very appreciative of the rescue, but I need to return home now.” He nodded but still said nothing.
    She tried to free herself from his grip, but she could not. Surely he wouldn’t have rescued her if he was intending to harm her, would he? Of course, he might only want her

    for himself. She had no way of knowing that he wasn’t another criminal. What would a respectable man be doing in such a place anyway?
    “Who are you?”
    He stopped walking and turned to her. His hand came up and caressed her cheek. Her breath caught as heat raced through her belly.
    Then reality flooded back. What the hell was wrong with her? Why was she letting this man touch her? She stepped away. He dropped his hand and shook his head back and forth.
    “Where are you taking me?” she asked when he took hold of her arm again.
    “Home.” His voice was low and rough. It sounded unnatural and strained.
    “How do you know where I live?”
    Again he said nothing, but he continued walking in the right direction.
    “Did you follow me?”
    He shook his head.
    “Then how do you know where I live?”
    No response. By the time they reached the gate of her aunt’s house, Amanda couldn’t stand the silence any longer.
    “Why did you rescue me?”
    She turned to look at him and saw him smile beneath the edge of his mask.
    “I have a right to know who you are.”
    He shook his head.
    “I do. I want to know why you helped me.”
    He turned his body into her, and she leaned against the gate.
    “To get this,” he muttered as he leaned forward and took her mouth. There was no other way to describe it. It wasn’t so much a kiss as a possession.
    Her whole body seemed to turn to steam and dissipate, yet she could still feel her lips, her mouth, her tongue as he forced her mouth open and deepened the kiss.
    There was nothing gentle about his approach, but she made no attempt to protest.
    She simply abandoned herself to the sensation.

    Her hands slid up the stranger’s back and locked behind his neck, pulling him even more firmly against her. He groaned and pressed the entire length of his body into her.
    His movement pushed her against the gate’s metal bars, but she barely registered the cold sensation. Her thoughts were focused on the muscles of his thighs and the firm ridge of his arousal.
    She couldn’t stop herself from rubbing her body against him, reveling in the feel of his maleness.
    He jerked back, panting.
    They stared at each other.
    “Forgive me,” he said in a strangled whisper. Then he fled.
    Amanda tried to take a step and wondered if her legs would hold her, or if she would melt into the ground.
    If she didn’t know better, she would say the man had put a spell on her. But she’d been a willing participant. She’d worked for years to harden herself against men’s attempts at seduction, but this stranger had melted her defenses in seconds.
    Only one other man had come close to evoking such a response. Rhys Stanton, the man who saved her life last year. With the exception of the regrettable kiss they’d shared at Cassandra’s wedding, she’d kept her distance from him. Now she’d practically thrown herself on a stranger. What was wrong with