One Down: Bayou Heat (Pantera Security League Book 1) by Alexandra Ivy, Laura Wright Read Free Book Online Page A

that he was too, in the only way that worked.
    Her heart squeezed with pain. It was universal, the language of loss.
    “Trust me,” he said as the air inside the cave grew suddenly colder. “It’s better this way. Better for them.”
    “You may believe that—”
    “I know that.”
    “Stop. Don’t say any more.” The words came out in a rush, and without thought or good sense, she leaned in and kissed him. One simple, gentle kiss, then another until he was silent, except the catch of his breath.
    She had zero experience, just instinct. But she not only had to make him stop talking, she had to prove to him that he was very much alive. And wanted.
    “Hallie,” he uttered on a low growl against her lips.
    Believing that the animal-like sound was a call for more, she smiled and leaned in to kiss him again. But he pulled back and cursed viciously.
    Heat surged into Hallie’s cheeks. Oh god… She wanted to melt into the floor. Embarrassment and shame spiraled through her and she sat back on her butt and groaned. “I’m so sorry.”
    “Don’t be,” he insisted.
    She stared at the rock and dirt floor, illuminated by the lantern. She couldn’t look at him. “I wasn’t thinking—”
    “Hallie—”
    “If you have a girlfriend, or god, a wife—”
    She heard movement, then his hands were on her, warm, heavy palms on either side of her face. “Look at me.” His tone forced her chin up and her eyes to meet his. “Listen,” he said in a fierce voice. “I belong to no one. I have no mate. Your kiss”—his gaze dropped to her mouth and his nostrils flared—“was my heaven on earth. My mind is gone and my body is pulsing with a need I never even knew existed. But I don’t want to… Shit. After what you’ve been through…you deserve—”
    Understanding finally dawned, and she cut him off quickly. “Hey. Wait a second. That’s my choice.”
    He stared at her, wary, hungry.
    “I decide what I deserve… male .” She punctuated the word. Wanting him to see her certainty, her strength, her resolve.
    Dark eyebrows lifted over even darker eyes. “I’m just saying that perhaps you should focus for a moment on the past, knowing the truth and settling it, before you start on…” As he searched for the right words, those eyes flashed with a fire that was barely contained. “The future.”
    She inhaled sharply as a soft hum vibrated around her heart. Future . Was he actually suggesting they might see each other after all of this? Would the ghost actually allow himself to be resurrected for her?
    Stop.
    “Listen to me, kitten,” he continued, staring deeply into her eyes. “The passing years have helped to ease the pain of losing Evie, but it still isn’t easy.” His gaze searched hers intently. “Just as facing your own past won’t be easy. But the truth—”
    “Will set me free?” she finished for him, her brow lifting.
    He gave her a halfhearted smile. “Something like that.”
    She drew in a slow, shaky breath. Forget the future, planning for it or praying for it. Maybe he was right. Maybe she needed to know, deal with what had come before so she could see a clear path ahead. A real path. Hell, if Cerviel could endure the gnawing regret and guilt at the death of his sister, she could find the courage to rip aside the barriers and peer at what was behind them.
    However disturbing it might turn out to be…
    “You know how to do this?” she asked him. “Take me back?”
    He nodded. “It’s not a perfect science, but I’ll do my best.”
    “And you’ll stay with me?” she demanded.
    “I’m not going anywhere, kitten,” he said, his words sounding like a pledge. Like something that went beyond the moment.
    Something that spoke directly to her heart.
    With a hiss she released the breath she’d been holding. “Okay. Let’s do it.”

 
     
     
7B CHAPTER 6
     
     
    His training had been lengthy and in-depth. As it should be. To extract truth or memories from the mind was no easy feat.