Remember Me (Storm Lords Book 1) by Nina Croft Read Free Book Online

She’d told herself she was an idiot, taken a long hot bath in an attempt to soothe herself, and gone to bed.
    After hours of tossing and turning, she’d managed to sleep, only to have her old nightmare return to haunt her.
    Now, she glanced from Cade to her laptop, trying to avoid remembering what had come next. But the dream was still imprinted indelibly on her mind.
    She was tied to a stake, and all around her, a mob was jeering, calling for her death.
    Why did they hate her so?
    One man approached, triumph in his dark eyes, a burning torch in his hand. He touched the flame to the branches piled around her. The crackle of t he fire sounded in her ears as the flames caught the pitch-soaked wood.
    The stink of roasting flesh filled her nostrils as the fire licked at her limbs and her skin turned black and peeled from her bones. But the physical agony faded, insignificant compare d to what she was feeling inside. Her heart was breaking. Her soul ripped from her body.
    They’d dragged him away, but beneath the roar of the mob, she heard him calling. “Eleni—”
    She opened her mouth to scream his name…and awoke, her skin clammy, nausea ro iling in her gut. She’d rushed to the bathroom and been violently sick, heaving until there was nothing left in her stomach. The dream had lingered in her mind as it always did, but this time something was different. Eleni? She’d never heard the name befor e, had she? Not in her dreams, but something hovered at the edge of her mind.
    Afterward, she hadn’t tried to go back to sleep, knowing from experience that it would be impossible. Instead she’d put on a pot of coffee, got out her laptop, and gone over her extensive notes on Stormlord Securities.
    Now, eighteen hours later, she couldn’t suppress a yawn as the sleepless night and the busy day caught up with her. A dull ache throbbed at her temple, and she rubbed her forehead to ease the pain. Glancing up, she found Cade still watching her. He rose to his feet, and came around to stand in front of her.
    “Are you sure you’re okay? You need to take things slowly.” He reached out a hand, and she took it without thinking, allowing him to tug her to her feet. “Let me look,” Cade said. “Please,” he added when she remained unmoving.
    She bit her lip, but nodded and turned around.
    His warm palm rested for a moment on her neck, then he tipped her head forward and ran his fingers through her hair, slowing as he felt the rais ed scar where she’d slammed into a rock that day in the compound. She closed her eyes at his touch.
    “I should have been more careful,” he said.
    “You saved my life.”
    His fingers shifted to stroke down the line of her throat and little ripples of awareness shivered through her. For a moment, they rested on the spot where her neck met her shoulder, his thumb rubbing over the pulse point. Phoebe raised her head and opened her eyes. She stood, facing the floor-to-ceiling windows. The sun had set hours ago, and in the darkened glass, she saw their reflection.
    Cade’s tall figure towered a good foot above her. His gaze caught hers in the glass, his eyes glowing, then he slowly lowered his head and kissed the side of her neck.
    His lips were soft, and she felt the ti p of his tongue, hot and moist, as it tasted her, tracing lazy patterns on her skin. The air was dragged from her lungs, and the strength seeped out of her limbs. His hands tightened on her shoulders as she swayed back against him.
    What had happened to kee ping everything on a professional level? She knew she needed to move, but stayed rooted to the spot while his mouth hardened against her. She could sense the tension radiating from him.
    He drew back, and a small mewl of protest emerged from her lips. Then he turned her in his arms.
    Now.
    Now was the time to move. It wasn’t too late. She could just pick up her laptop and say goodnight. And tomorrow she could pretend this had never happened.
    But she didn’t move. Instead,