In His Shadow (Tangled Ivy Book 1) by Tiffany Snow Read Free Book Online

corner. I unbuttoned my coat and Devon was there again, standing behind me, his hands on my shoulders as he lowered the heavy fabric down my arms.
    His proximity made the air freeze in my lungs, the hard wall of his chest at my back, and I couldn’t move. Lowering his head, Devon’s lips brushed the skin of my neck, bared by the loose blouse and my side-swept ponytail. My hands clenched into fists at his touch, my body leaning ever so slightly into his, then he stepped away.
    Devon’s manners were impeccable and I had to keep reminding myself that this man had shot someone and threatened me. He ordered a bottle of wine and our dinners, though I couldn’t fault his choices.
    We sipped our wine, an excellent vintage, and took measure of each other, as though we were calculating an opponent’s strengths and weaknesses. Unfortunately, it didn’t seem Devon had any weaknesses. As for me, well, I just prayed I wasn’t as transparent to him as I felt.
    “Why are you doing this?” I asked once the waiter had brought our food. “Is wining and dining me supposed to make me agree to sleep with you and forget you shot someone?”
    “You’ve already decided to sleep with me,” Devon said, refilling our wineglasses. “That’s a foregone conclusion.”
    The absolute certainty in his words, his demeanor, set my teeth on edge. There was confidence . . . and then there was Devon, who put a whole new level of meaning to the word arrogant .
    “You seem very sure of yourself,” I said stiffly. I took a bite of the lamb he’d ordered for me. No sense letting good food go to waste. I loved lamb. Like I said, champagne taste.
    “Just stating a fact,” he said. “Am I wrong?” His eyes studied me over the rim of his wineglass as he took a drink, his gaze like a palpable touch as it dropped to my neck, shoulders, and breasts.
    I suddenly wished I hadn’t worn the translucent shirt today, feminine as it was. If I was brutally honest with myself, in the back of my mind this morning I knew I’d wanted to wear something pretty . . . for him. But now that he was here and devouring me with his eyes, my instinct for self-preservation kicked in and it was only through sheer force of will that I didn’t cross my arms over my chest.
    “Why me?” I asked, avoiding his question. “I’m sure you could have your pick of women, a good-looking guy like yourself. Why accost me?”
    “So you think I’m good-looking?” he teased.
    I rolled my eyes. As if he didn’t know how gorgeous he was.
    “Why am I accosting you, then,” he continued. “You mean besides the fact that you’re beautiful, young, and detest me for reasons unknown?” His British accent made the question sound polite, friendly even, though the look in his eyes was anything but.
    “I told you why I don’t like you,” I replied stiffly. “You were going to kill me, remember?”
    “True. However, I proposed a much more . . . pleasurable . . . alternative,” he said with a smile.
    The smile was unexpected and warmer than I would have thought him capable. It softened the hard planes of his face and made his eyes appear less like chips of ice. It also had the effect of making butterflies dance in my stomach. The low noise of the restaurant grew distant as we stared at one another and his smile slowly faded.
    I was drawn to Devon in a way I couldn’t explain, with an intensity that I felt deep in my bones was dangerous and self-destructive. I’d been right to dislike him, my instinct pegging him correctly as someone who could hurt me. Not just physically—though he could obviously do that, too—but emotionally and forever.
    If I was smart, if I had any sense of self-preservation at all, I’d get up and walk out. I don’t know what kept me in my seat. It was akin to someone with their first taste of an illicit drug. Despite knowing all the dangers and warnings, they just couldn’t help themselves from taking that first step, that first taste, that said