Hunted by Kaylea Cross Read Free Book Online

setting up to play. “You know how I am.” He didn’t like crowds, didn’t do social niceties. Mostly because he just didn’t see the point in putting out the effort.
    “I’m beginning to think I actually don’t, no.”
    At the teasing note in her voice he shifted his gaze back to her and felt that all too familiar zing of attraction in his gut when their eyes connected. “You know me a lot better than most people.”
    She gave a nod of acknowledgement. “I’ll take that as a compliment.”
    She should. Since the divorce he’d made a point of walling himself off from others, especially women.
    Silence began to spread between them. Reminding himself of his manners, he took a sip of his beer and lowered the bottle, his thumb sliding over the condensation on the glass. “What about you?”
    “I’m great. Working on my next book.”
    His mind went right back to those insanely hot sex scenes. “I read them all, by the way. The ones you left for me.” She’d e-mailed him some research questions over the past few months too, and he’d always wondered if it was a convenient excuse for her to keep in touch.
    Her eyebrows shot upward. “You did?”
    He nodded, one side of his mouth turning up at the surprise on her face. “Yep, all three.”
    “The entire book, or did you skim?”
    “Cover to cover.”
    She set down her drink, turned to face him fully, her eyes wide. “Wow. And? Do you need therapy now?”
    A reluctant chuckle eased from him. She smiled in answer, her eyes sparkling. “No. Wasn’t what I was expecting, though.” That was an understatement.
    Her smile widened. “Hot, huh?”
    Grinning at her smug expression, he looked back down at his beer. “Yep. Helluva lot darker than I expected, too. And gorier.” He gave her a sidelong glance. “Never knew you were so bloodthirsty.”
    She seemed to take that as a positive, because she laughed softly. A beat of silence passed, and when she spoke her voice was quiet, barely carrying over the noise of the bar. “What did you think of the hero in the third one?”
    The one with his very favorite sex scene. “He was okay. Why?”
    “Just okay?” She didn’t sound offended, just curious.
    He struggled for something more complimentary to say. “I liked the action parts in that one the best.” Mostly the action in between the sheets, but he wasn’t going to say it.
    She sat back, looking supremely satisfied. “Thanks.” Actually, she looked like she was sitting on a big secret.
    It made him curious. “What?”
    “Was just thinking about that hero. He’s very special to me.”
    He didn’t respond, wondering what was going on in that razor sharp mind of hers. She scared him sometimes she was so freaking smart.
    Her lips curved in a soft smile. A private smile, just for him and he felt an electric zing travel through him. “He reminds me a lot of you.”
    Clay cranked his head around to stare at her, unsure he’d heard her right. “Me?”
    She nodded once. “You.”
    He frowned, trying to remember who the hero had been. He couldn’t remember the guy’s name, just that he’d seemed fairly competent, tactically speaking, and that he’d had insanely hot, rough sex with the heroine. “Why?”
    Her bare shoulders lifted, drawing attention back to the creamy skin of her neck and shoulders and tantalizing curves of her breasts pushed up by the corset. “Because you’ve got a lot of the same qualities he does.”
    At that cryptic comment Clay felt his face grow hot as he sat there, clueless as to how to reply, and though he wanted to know what she meant, he wasn’t going to press for details. She saw him as heroic? Even though he was usually gruff, cynical and rough around the edges? Though if she knew about what had happened with Eve, he doubted she’d still see him that way. “Thanks,” he said, not knowing what else to say.
    “Don’t thank me, it’s just the truth,” she said, turning back to her drink. “Celida reads all my stuff