Conjuring Darkness by Melanie James Read Free Book Online Page A

broad. She could barely take her eyes off of his chest until the breeze pulled back his unbuttoned shirt. She blushed at her own reaction to seeing such well-defined abs. She was glad that she had put her sunglasses on so he wouldn’t notice how she was checking him out. She turned to look ahead at the road.
    Why should it matter what he looks like, this is business anyway. A guy that looks that hot is guaranteed to be a conceited prick. Lexi still had not gotten a look at his eyes and she was curious to get a better view of his face and find out if he matched any of the pictures on Kurt’s desk. She looked back and since she couldn’t see his face, she let her eyes wander down his body. I’d love to run my hands or tongue all over that. I thought only photo-shopped guys in magazines looked that hot.
    She knew for sure she had to be blushing as she looked down at his shorts and saw the visibly large bulge on the inside of his thigh. She looked back at the road ahead. Holy cats! Holy cats! Is that all him? No way!
    She remembered Kurt telling her that some of his younger friends had broken away from the military and the government to work more in the freelance field. Mercenaries, soldiers-of-fortune he called them.
    The rapid change in scenery took Lexi’s breath away. Sunlight flashed through the cover of greens until it suddenly broke open to blue. Before them waves crashed over a rocky shoreline that met a steep bluff. Lexi imagined it to be a green fortress wall against the sea.
    The jeep slowed to a stop. She looked up at the wooden stairs that went up and left to a landing, and then up and right to a deck that was perched some forty feet above them. There, attached to the deck was a single story wooden beach house.
    The wood siding had only remnants of chipped and faded blue and green paint common to coastal houses in that region, although the majority of the colors had long ago surrendered to the sea air. The windows were wide and covered with wooden slat shutters. The screen door looked as if it had seen plenty of abuse.
    Kidd opened the screen door and unlocked the deadbolt on a heavy wooden door. “Welcome to my humble shack. Nothing fancy here but it’s pretty comfortable and it’s my home.” The room was open and airy. He raised the shutters and blinds to allow sunlight to stream in through many large windows. A warm salty breeze gently came in from the sea to join them.
    Lexi looked about the room. Several tall green leafy plants were scattered on the dark and worn wooden plank floors. Comfortable furniture of wood and wicker surrounded a large Persian rug. The walls were faded gray wood and well covered by shelves and assorted objects. She couldn’t quite ascertain whether they had been set out for display or just left wherever they had been set down. There were a few oriental statues, Greek vases, African masks, and more. In any case, she liked the fact that while it wasn’t dirty it was filled with the man’s things that were so varied. It spurred her curiosity about him.
    “So this is the lair of a secret agent for hire? It looks like a nautical antique shop.” She said. Kidd didn’t answer her. He was out on the deck and it sounded like he was talking to someone outside . Probably on his phone. She thought.
    The main room had a few doors that opened to what she presumed to be a bedroom and some closets. The living room was separated from a spacious kitchen by a peninsula countertop. The kitchen seemed like it was better organized than her own and she wondered if Kidd enjoyed cooking. It was hard to imagine a man like Kidd making a soufflé. She watched Kidd walk into the kitchen. She guessed he was about 6 feet tall. Maybe an inch or two taller. She had not known many men in her life and she had never been to the house of a man that lived by himself. She was intensely curious.
    “Can I offer you anything? Something to drink? Water, iced tea, coffee?” He asked.
    “Iced tea would be perfect,