Bound By Blood by Amanda Ashley Read Free Book Online

sipped his wine, and for one moment out of time, Kaitlyn imagined his lips pressed against the side of her neck, his tongue lightly stroking her skin.
    “Katy, let’s go where we can be alone.”
    She nibbled one of the canapés, then shook her head. “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”
    “Why not? Are you afraid of me?”
    “Yes.”
    He sat back, his brow furrowing. “What are you afraid of?”
    “The way you make me feel. We’re moving way too fast. I hardly know you.”
    “What do you want to know?”
    She sipped her drink, then set her glass aside. “Everything.”
    “Everything, huh?” He dragged a hand over his jaw. “My parents are dead. I’m an only child. I’m rich and single and I’m crazy about you. What else do you need to know?”
    “How old are you?”
    “Thirty-one.”
    “When’s your birthday?”
    “August the fourth.”
    “A Leo,” she said, smiling.
    He nodded. “You?”
    “I’m an Aries.”
    “Both fire signs,” he mused.
    “Are you into astrology?”
    “No, not really.”
    “Do you read your horoscope every day?”
    “No,” he said, laughing. “Why, do you?”
    “No. Well, not every day.”
    “How old are you?”
    Grinning, she said, “Don’t you know it isn’t polite to ask a woman her age?”
    “At least tell me you’re over twenty-one.”
    Kaitlyn laughed. “No worries. I turned twenty-one on my last birthday.”
    “Just a baby.” He wondered what she would think if she knew how old he really was. “Do you have brothers and sisters?”
    “No. My mom wanted more children, but . . .” She shrugged. “I would have liked a brother or a sister, but it wasn’t meant to be. My dad comes from a really large family though, so I have lots of aunts and uncles and cousins. Of course, there was a plus side to being an only child,” she said, grinning. “My parents spoiled me rotten when I was growing up.” She ran her finger around the rim of her glass, her expression thoughtful. “They still spoil me rotten.”
    Zack nodded. He would love to pamper her, to give her everything her heart desired, to show her all the wonders of the modern world. To introduce her to the magic between a man and a woman.
    “Why did you call me Katy?”
    He shrugged. “Doesn’t everyone?”
    “No. No one.” She smiled a shy smile. “I like it.”
    He leaned toward her, his gaze resting on her face. “Come home with me, Katy.”
    “Zack . . . I can’t.”
    “Just my luck,” he said with a good-natured grin. “You’re a good girl.”
    “’Fraid so.” She couldn’t blame him for having thought otherwise, considering the sexy “come and get me” outfit she was wearing.
    He nodded. He might be a lot of things, but he had never forced a woman into his bed, or taken advantage of a virgin, although Kaitlyn tempted him sorely. He was about to refill their glasses when his cell phone rang.
    Murmuring, “Excuse me,” he put the phone to his ear. “What is it?” He listened a moment, then slipped the phone back into his pocket. “I need to take care of something in the casino. I’ll be back shortly.”
    “All right.” Lifting her glass, she watched him walk swiftly toward a door marked STAIRWAY.
    She sat there a moment, thinking about Zack. He wanted her; there was no doubt about that. And she wanted him. There was no doubt about that, either. She glanced at her watch, drummed her fingertips on the table as she wondered what kind of emergency—if that’s what it was—had called him away. Too curious to wait any longer, she took the elevator down to the main floor.
    The first thing she noticed was the silence. Standing in the doorway, she glanced around, searching for Zack. She gasped when she saw him. He was standing in front of one of the poker tables. On the other side of the table, a man wearing a Hell’s Angel leather jacket stood holding the edge of a knife to the dealer’s throat. The dealer’s face was paper-white, a vivid contrast to the angry red flush