Possessed By You (Overworld Underground Book 1) by John Corwin Read Free Book Online

emblazoned on his neck.
    "So, Miss Glass—"
    "Emily."
    "Miss Emily—"
    "Now you just sound ridiculous."
    He grinned. "Why do you have a British accent?"
    "I don't have a bloody—" I took a breath. Sighed. "I was born there. My father transferred us here with his job when I was sixteen."
    "Why do you try to mask it?"
    "To keep people from asking me about it, I suppose."
    He leaned back in his seat. "Well, Emily, I think that's silly."
    A shiver went through me when he said my name. I felt my eyes widen in surprise. "Silly?" I said, grasping at the line of conversation like a slippery rope dangling from the back of a boat.
    "I happen to think a British accent is sexy."
    A flush crept up my face. Thomas looked at me appraisingly. I could almost sense his satisfaction at keeping me off balance. "I'm not into older men," I said, regretting the weak riposte the second it left my mouth.
    "I suppose it is intimidating for a young woman." The soup arrived. He dumped bean sprouts and an ungodly amount of hot sauce into his as I floundered for a response.
    "No, it's just—it's just—I've never been attracted to older men." It was an outright lie, and I knew it. I found plenty of older men very attractive, even ones with more years on them than Thomas. He appeared so ordinary, and yet, there was something devilish lurking behind those eyes of his.
    He smiled. "No need to apologize for your preferences, Emily." He took a pair of chopsticks and shoveled a clump of beef and noodles into his mouth, not even attempting to be neat about it.
    I grabbed a pair of chopsticks, though a slight tremble of my hand made it difficult to control them. Why did this man have any sort of effect on me? Judging from the amused sparkle in his eyes, he seemed very much aware of my distress. Steeling my nerves, I steadied my hand and successfully delivered a mouthful of noodles, slurping the long ones in a deliberate attempt to show as little grace as possible. I'd show him I didn't care what he thought.
    He laughed. "I love the way you eat."
    I raised an eyebrow, a fresh bunch of noodles still dangling from my mouth and nearly choked trying to swallow them.
    "I hate it when people hide their true nature behind good manners." As if to demonstrate that contempt, he took a spoon, filled it with broth, and piled noodles and beef atop it before cramming it into his mouth.
    I accepted his challenge and followed suit. The noodles slipped off the spoon the moment I tried to put it in my mouth, splashing broth on the table and my blouse.
    "Oh, hell," I said, grabbing a napkin and brushing at the droplets.
    Thomas laughed. "I guess you're not ready for the big leagues of pho eaters just yet."
    "Very funny, sir."
    At the end of the meal, which was delicious I had to admit, I reached for my purse, but he stopped me.
    "My treat," he said, standing up.
    "I don't know if that's appropriate, Mr. Jones."
    He shrugged. "Appropriate can kiss my—" He looked at his backside. "My well-defined ass."
    His ass, obscured as it was in the folds of his khakis was anything but well defined from what I could see, but I giggled, covering my mouth and shaking my head. Again, I asked myself, what was it about this man that caused me to like him?
    He paid the bill. Looked back at me with an amused gaze that sent a shiver through me. Again, my intuition pinged with a strange sensation I couldn't identify. Was Thomas toying with me? Did he hit on all the interns? Perhaps that was what had happened to the last one. I suddenly felt very unsure about what I was doing out with this man. For all I knew, he might demand something I wouldn't give him. He could fire me.
    This was all a terrible mistake.

Chapter 5
    I felt a hand atop my shoulder and looked up into his face. "Stop worrying," he said. "Cut loose and have fun for once. I don't bite too hard."
    His hand felt feverishly warm. A chill sent goose bumps up my neck and into my scalp. How did he know what I was feeling? "I can't help but