Mating Fever by Crymsyn Hart Read Free Book Online

abruptly from the chair. “Can we go, please?”
    His brow furrowed and his lips pursed. “Of course. Do you want to go home or back to my place?”
    Desire burned in his eyes, but I heard the concern in his voice. I shook my head. “Home. I just need to be alone for now. I’m sorry.”
    “There’s nothing to be sorry about.”
    We left the restaurant. I climbed back into his Mercedes trying not to let my mind drift backward. I thought I had walled up those memories so tight they would never escape. Here they were popping up when I least expected them. My date laid his hand on my knee and squeezed. It drew me back to the present. We were outside of my house. I tried to smile, but even that simple gesture was beyond me at the moment.
    “I’m sorry. I didn’t —”
    He placed a finger on my lips. “Don’t worry about it. We can always have another night. Right?”
    I didn’t want to tell him yes. But I did want to see him again. He was kind to me. My heart was turning from thinking he was a crazy stalker who bought me flowers and a cell phone to a man who truly wanted to get to know me. Being so I couldn’t endanger him the way I had Mark, Keaton had to stay out of my grasp. How could I do that if we were meant for one another? I brushed my lips over his cheek.
    “Right.”
     
     

 
    Chapter Five
     
    I looked at the clock and knew I had to go into work, but I just wasn’t feeling up to it. I had spent the night twisting and turning, trying not to think about my past. Trying not to think about Keaton or what he meant to me.
    The passion I felt for him and the darkness was consuming me. My body was enflamed each time I thought about Keaton. It was hard to breathe. When my mind wandered over our night together, wherever he had touched me came to life. The phantom caresses pressed upon my flesh. The ache to see him again grew worse. But then the images of my past boyfriends and how they died would flash through my mind. The thought of Keaton falling prey to my curse twisted my stomach in knots.
    I called in sick claiming I had the flu. While I dressed, I realized I needed someone to talk to. The one person I could think of who might understand what I was going through was Stephania because she had helped the last time. When I looked through my purse, I found her card she had had slipped into my jacket pocket.
    I worked my way through the tunnels from the T to her house. Standing outside her door, I wondered if she was even home. Will she talk to me? Maybe she could tell me if I was cursed. I raised my hand to knock when the door opened and Stephania was on the other side.
    “I had a feeling that you were coming. Come on in.”
    I smiled and went into the house. “Thanks.”
    She closed the door. The house was the same as it was the other night. She motioned me through the beads. I rubbed my arms and bit my lip thinking about what I would say. She’ll probably think I’m nuts if I tell her this. We went into her kitchen. The kettle was steaming on the stove. She poured the water into two mugs with teabags hanging off the side of them. The mint from the leaves perfumed the air once the water hit the teabags. Stephania handed me the mug and sat at the kitchen table. I rested my head in my hands and then combed my fingers through my hair.
    “So what was it you wanted to talk about?”
    I laughed. “How did you know I wanted to talk? Maybe I’m just here to see what other spells you could cook up for me.”
    She slapped her hand on the wooden table. “You are too much. I see that Keaton and you are getting along well now. Have you had a chance to crawl between the sheets yet? He really is a great lover.”
    “From the other night it seems you had a harsh reaction to him bringing me here. What’s up with that?”
    Stephania took a sip of her tea and grimaced. “Yeah. We’ve had our differences in the past. The last time we were together, he got a little bit too physical with me. We said some things to one