Dark Memories (The Phantom Diaries, #2) by Kailin Gow Read Free Book Online Page A

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    “She’s fighting for her life, Kristine.   I can’t very well tell her to give up. She’d never listen to me, as she shouldn’t.”
    My heart rate increased and I knew Kristine was getting riled up again. I could feel her anger course through me and the more I fought it the more heated it became.
    “She’s winning, Eric,” she said in agitated frustration. She reached for the sofa, letting her hand pass over the fabric as though longing to recline. “Damn it, stop looking at her like that.   She’s winning. I can barely stand it anymore.   She’s taking over.”
    What?   I am?
    He held his gaze steady, searing through Kristine’s façade and looking directly at me.
    My hand reached up to touch his cheek and it was by my will. Kristine no longer had control.   I smiled with giddiness, elated with my victory.
    “I’m winning, Eric.” I said in a voice that was soft and joyful; a tone Kristine could never simulate.   “I’m beating her.”
    A smile came to his lips while a long, slow breath seeped through his lips. “Annette,” he murmured with uncertainty.
    “I can beat her, Eric, so long as you're there to help me.”  
    “I’ll never stop fighting for you, Annette. I brought this on you. It’s me she wishes to destroy.”
    “I won’t let her ruin you or me.”
    He brought my fingers to his lips and tenderly kissed each digit.
    “Every ounce of energy is being used to keep her from beating me and I’m feeling so fatigued. What a strong-willed woman she is.” I looked longingly at him, eager to taste his lips and fill the crush of his chest against mine. I leaned in closer.
    “Forgive my suspicion, Annette,” he said, his fingers gripping my hand and halting my approach. “I want to be sure it’s really you.   Beyond a doubt.”
    “What do you want me to do?”
    “Sing. Sing as only Annette can truly sing.”
    Smiling with the sense of assured victory, I plucked a sheet of music at random and set it in front of him. Just hearing the first few introductory notes heightened my senses and I was suddenly filled with the pain and betrayal the song needed. I sang.
    “Yes,” Eric moaned with relief. With his eyes closed and his lips curved into a smile, he mouthed the lyrics that emanated from my throat.
    After only one verse, he abruptly left the piano and pulled me into his arms. “It is really you, Annette.” For the longest moment he looked into my eyes, drinking in the undeniable truth. I was back.   He kissed me and I felt the softness and complete tenderness of his embrace. As though kissing a delicate flower, his lips barely brushed against mine and his hold of me was gentle and tentative. “How I’ve missed you.”
    I clung to him, enraptured by the sensations of his arms, his chest and his hands.   The warmth of his skin left me drunk with desire and I knew how badly I wanted him. “Now, Eric.   Take me now.”
    My hands reached for his pants and prepared to eagerly rid him of the garment that kept us apart. For a moment my breath caught in my throat and I stiffened in Eric’s embrace. As hungry as I was for him, that move had not been my own. My fingers fumbled with the button of his jeans then yanked at the zipper.
    He guided me into his bedchamber, his hands never leaving my body, his lips never far away. His breath swept across my cheeks and I could hear the struggle with every intake of air as he tried to maintain a degree of control over his passion.  
    My senses were overloaded with pleasure and I just wanted to get closer to him still. But confusion began to weigh on me as a fog rolled in, leaving me unsure which move was mine. My hands had a mind of their own as they roamed over his body. It’s the pure desire I have for him, I told myself. The desperate need to touch him has me losing control of my actions.
    His fingers combed through my hair and gripped the nape of my neck, bringing me in as his lips captured mine.
    “You’ve no idea how I feared for