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

lifted from my mouth and I took a deep breath. I could smell the faint aroma of his cologne and it had a calming effect on me.
    Opening my eyes, I focused on him. His face was cloaked in shadows, though light slatted through the open blinds from the street outside, sending bars of illumination across my bed, and my tree was still lit in the corner.
    Turning away from me, Devon locked the bedroom door, then discarded the jacket he wore, draping it over the chair. My eyes had adjusted and I watched as he carefully set aside his gun before divesting himself of the holster, then he approached me again and I promptly lost all train of thought.
    He sat on the edge of the bed, his hand moving to where my leg lay tangled on top of the sheets. My love for clothes extended to pajamas and tonight I wore my favorite despite the cold outside, a slip of a dove-gray gown that came to mid-thigh, held on by spaghetti straps, a panel of soft lace in the deep V neckline. His fingers brushed my calf, sliding up slowly to catch in the tender skin behind my knee. My heart was pounding so loudly, I was sure he could hear it, yet he said nothing.
    “What are you doing here?” I asked, my voice barely above a whisper.
    “You have to ask?”
    I swallowed. So this was it. Was I going to allow this to happen, to possibly mark a third awful sexual experience to the other two? But this was different—Devon felt different. My body, my mind, both responded to him in a way I’d never felt before. The way he’d so blatantly stated his intentions, while perhaps not romantic, was freeing in a way. Sex with Devon wouldn’t be about a relationship or love—it was only about two people finding pleasure in each other’s bodies. No need to overthink or overcomplicate it.
    Devon leaned over me and now I could see his face, fierce in the low light. His hand brushed the hair back from my face, his eyes looking so deeply into mine that I felt naked, stripped to my soul. The light trail of his fingers went from my knee up my thigh, catching the thin fabric and moving it upward with his touch until his palm cradled my hip. His thumb brushed the soft skin of my abdomen and the butterflies inside my stomach took flight.
    “Who’s the man you live with?” he asked.
    It didn’t occur to me to lie. “Logan. A friend.”
    “Just friends?”
    I managed a nod, embarrassed at the rapid rise and fall of my chest as I breathed much too fast. The linen of his shirt was almost rough on my sensitized skin, the smell of him enveloping me. The cage of his body over me made me feel trapped, but in a way that left my body humming for more.
    Devon caught the hem of my gown and tugged. I sat up, my heart in my throat, letting him raise the fabric and slip it over my head. The silk drifted to the floor, leaving me clad in just a pair of thin bikini panties.
    I hadn’t been this naked in front of a man in a long, long time. Instinctively, I crossed my arms over my chest. Fear warred with excitement inside me, but I was determined not to let the fear win. Not this time. Not with this man.
    “Don’t,” Devon said, catching my wrists and pulling my arms inexorably downward. “You have nothing to hide. You’re exquisite.”
    The flush of pleasure those words brought made my spine straighten. I’d always been self-conscious of how thin I was, my breasts barely able to fill a B cup, but the way Devon looked at me made me feel beautiful. Desirable.
    Devon took my hand and lifted it, palm up, to his lips. Bending his head, he pressed his mouth to the inside of my wrist. Eyes wide, I watched him slide his lips down my arm to the sensitive skin inside my elbow, the touch of his tongue warm and wet.
    “You’re trembling,” he murmured, his lips moving against my skin. He lifted his head, now much closer, our faces just inches apart. “Still quite afraid of me, sweet Ivy?”
    Was I afraid of Devon? He’d killed a man. Broken into my apartment. Taken off my clothes and touched me.