Caressed by Night by Amanda J. Greene Read Free Book Online Page A

that golden mane of his free. She sighed, imagining how it would feel as it slipped through her fingers. Silk. It would feel like cool silk.
    “What is it you need to do here?” she asked, needing to focus on something other than him.
    “I have a meeting with the owner.”
    “You know the owner?”
    “He is a close friend of mine.”
    Kerstyn stopped. She would never have pictured Dimitri hanging around with the kind of man who must own a place like this.
    Despite the fact that the club had been open less than a month, it already had a bad reputation. She didn’t know why her friends had decided to check it out in the first place. At the time, she had been so desperate for fun, she didn’t care where they went and, after her first visit, she had no desire for a second.
    34

    Dimitri tugged her forward. They rounded the corner and passed the line of eager guests who watched them walk up to the door.
    Disappointed mumbles rumbled through the crowd as it became clear they were not waiting in line.
    The bouncers stumbled trying to get out of Dimitri’s way, their faces colored with an odd mixture of shock, fear, and respect. They bowed their heads ever so slightly as Dimitri entered the club, their eyes focused on the cement.
    “What was that all about,” she asked, as they entered.
    Dimitri said nothing and paused at the threshold. Quickly scanning the dance floor and bar below with cold, predatory eyes. The tiny hairs on the back of Kerstyn’s neck began to rise as she watched him. He looked at home in the darkness. Her breath caught for a brief moment as his gaze touched hers. His eyes shimmering with an inner glow that made the blood freeze in her veins.
    He was old world, elegant, captivating, and not to be taken lightly. It was in his stance, the set of his shoulders. His cold, pale eyes scanned the crowd again and a shiver of fear tiptoed down her spine.
    Authority clung to him as he surveyed those below.
    Kerstyn had never noticed before, but Dimitri had a lethal side to him. As she watched him, her instincts told her to run. Dimitri wore power like a second skin. He was power personified. God help anyone who dare defy him.
    Judge, jury, and executioner , she thought.
    He pulled her to him, wrapping an arm about her waist, his large hand resting on her hip. The heat of his palm burned through her tight, strapless, way too short black dress as they descended the stairs.
    Raw power emanated from him and engulfed the club. The instant they reached the bottom level, the music skipped to a halt, glasses dropped and shattered as a collective gasp sucked the oxygen from the building. Everyone watched them cross the dance floor. Their mouths open from shock, their eyes filled with horror, their bodies frozen. Most dropped their gaze and stiffly bowed their heads as the couple passed, while others stood dumbstruck, confusion painting their faces.
    35

    Kerstyn shifted uneasily and he brought her tighter against his side.
    “Why are they looking at you like that?”
    “Like what?”
    “As if you’ve come back from the dead?” she whispered.
    Dimitri did not answer as they stepped up into the VIP section.
    He seated her at a booth next to a pair of silver elevator doors.
    “I will only be a moment. Feel free to order a drink.”
    “Everyone is staring at us. Are you famous and I’m so dense I don’t know about it?”
    Dimitri chuckled as he nodded towards the man draped in a black suit, standing guard by the elevator. Mr. Government Agent walked over, folded his hands behind his back, and stood beside the booth.
    “Do you really think I need a bodyguard while I wait?” she asked with a light laugh, trying to calm her nerves.
    “Gannon will keep you company.”
    She gave the man a once-over and came to the conclusion that he was not a winning conversationalist.
    “I’m a big girl. I don’t need a babysitter.”
    Dimitri flashed her a smile before heading for the elevator.
    Once the doors closed, the club came