Base Nature by Sommer Marsden Read Free Book Online

ss h e r b ack. She f e lt the sm a ll p u ll o f his lips at h er s as he k iss e d h er . His b ig han d s tangl e d in h e r l o ng hair and he p u ll e d h e r f o r wa r d j u st a b it u sing h e r l o cks a s a l e a d . S he whimp er e d bu t n o t f r o m f e a r , f r o m n eed .
    He l e t h e r g o . T o o k a st e p b ack. Br o ke the sp e ll.
    “ I’ m s o rr y be ca u s e I d o n ’ t k n o w why I d id that,” s he sai d . L iv t o u ch e d h e r lips l ike may b e th e y might t e ll h e r the s e c r e t a s to what had p r o p e ll e d h er . “ T hat ’ s n o t l i ke m e . I’ m n o r mally…”
    He st ro k e d the r a d iat o r and s he c o u ld t e ll it was simply to give h is h a n d s s o m e thing t o d o . T h at t o u ch e d h e r f o r s o me re as o n. “ N o r mally what?”
    “ A f r ai d ,” she bre ath e d . I t was e asy t o a d mit it to G a rre tt. “ I’ ve bee n af r aid f o r a l o n g tim e . A nd m o st m e n sca r e m e .” She twist e d h e r fing er s i n h e r sw e at er . “A l o t.”
    “ I’ m s o rr y. I do n ’ t want to sca r e y o u .” “ Y o u d o n ’ t.”
    He g r imac e d f o r a split s e c o n d . “ M ay b e I s h o u l d .” “ Bu t y o u d o n ’ t.”
    “I s h o u ld g o .” He m o v e d to go past h e r and s he ca u ght his hand u p i n h er s as if s he had k n o wn him f o re v e r and e v e r and t ru st e d h im implicitly. Be ca u se as c r azy a s it w a s, she d i d .
    “ G a rre t, what a r e y o u ?” She h e ld h e r bre ath, h o ping s he w o u ld answ er .
    “ Y o u d o n ’ t want to k n o w,” he g r o wl ed , h is e y e s fl a shing flat si l v e r and hypn o tic. A nd th e n he had s o ftly, al m o st s o u n d l e ssly m o v e d past h e r and was g o n e .
    L iv h e a r d the do o r snick sh u t d o wnstai r s. She sat d o w n ha r d o n h e r be d and t o u ch e d h e r lips that still tingl e d with e n er gy and h e at. S he want e d t o g o aft e r him. Was dr awn to b e with h im. E v e n if s he ha d n ’ t fig ure d it ou t. S o sh e’ d sit h er e and c o u nt h e a r t b e ats w h ile she wait e d t o s e e what s he w o u ld d o . Bu t s he wasn ’ t c r ying and that was a sta r t.
     
     
     
     

     

 
     

C h a pt er Fo u r
     
    I nstinct

    G a rre t t st re tch e d o u t o n the bed , f ee ling m o r e l i ke a c o r pse than a man h u nting sl ee p. He w a s wi re d and c o nf u s ed , no re al ur ge t o sl ee p fill e d h i m, bu t he l a y th er e t o t r y t o signal t o his st ubb o r n b o d y that it was time to s e ttle d o wn. T o l e t the d ay go and s urre n d e r c o nsci o u sn e ss so that t o m o rr o w c o u ld sta r t a n e w d ay. I t was o n ly v er y re c e ntly that he d id n o t g ree t the r is i ng s u n with the d isapp o i ntm e nt o f waking to find y e t a n o th e r d ay to t r y to l i ve th r o u gh.
    He c o u ld h e ar h e r h e a r t be ating f r o m h ere . L iv. “ Bu t that can ’ t b e t rue ,” he said to the c e iling. He k n e w he was re ally ta l king to E il ee n. He had sp e nt m a ny n ights talking to the c e iling. T alk i ng to h e r a nd t e lling h e r h o w s o rr y he was. H o w s o rr y he was that he h ad fail ed . “ I t can ’ t b e t ru e e v e n f o r m e . I cann o t h e ar h e r h e a r t b e at.”
    G a rre t t s igh ed , r an a hand th r o u gh his hai r , still e d his hand b y his face and inhal e d dee ply. N o , he c o u ld n o t h e ar h e r h e a r t b e at f r o m h er e bu t he c o u ld sm e ll h e r o n his skin. T hat u niq u e e a r thy sm e ll o f h e r ch e mist r y and h e r wa r m b l o o d and h e r p er f u m e . S o m e thing that was m o r e w o o d a nd spice than fl o w er y. His c o ck sti rre d and he s t o li d ly ig n o re d it. H o w l o ng since y o u’ ve want e d a w o man?
    “ N o t l o ng e n o u gh.”
    I t w o u ld b e w r o ng to want s o m e o ne s o s o o n, he f e lt. I t had bee n a