Seduced in Shadow by Stephanie Julian Read Free Book Online Page A

toward her. He held out a pair of boxer shorts.
    “Your brother will be here in about an hour. The shower’s down the hall on the right. You can put these on after. I don’t figure you want Justin to find you in here.”
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    She took the boxers but grabbed his hand before he could move away. He didn’t meet her gaze. “Your ears…”
    Antonin shook his head just once, his hair shifting back and forth, showing only glimpses of his earlobe but nothing else.
    “We don’t have ti—”
    “Oh yes, I think we do.” She wasn’t about to be put off, not now. “We have at least an hour.”
    Still not meeting her eyes, he sighed and shook his head again, but this time she took it as defeat.
    “The doe said you were an elf. What did she mean?” The words were out before she could stop herself. Now he would know that she talked to animals.
    But he didn’t seem to notice, only lifted his eyes straight up the length of her body.
    “Why don’t you take a shower and then we’ll talk downstairs.” His heated gaze remained fixed on her breasts.
    Ellie opened her mouth to argue then realized she was still naked under his shirt and when she was naked around this man, she did uncharacteristic things—like jump him. She was going to need a chastity belt without a key if she kept this up. Or if he kept staring at her like he was now.
    Jeez, he looked at her as if she was liquor and he was an alcoholic, as if he could see right through the shirt she wore.
    She liked that look. It made her weak in the knees and wet between her legs. It also made her feel just a little bit more in control of the situation.
    “Fine. I’ll take a shower. But,” she crooked her finger at him, “you come along so we can talk while I do.”
    Ellie wanted answers and if she had to resort to dirty pool to get them, she would.
    Walking across the bedroom to the door, she let her hips sway just the tiniest bit.
    He’d follow.
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    Heart pounding, Antonin watched Ellie walk out of the room, hips swaying in a seductive rhythm. The shirt was long enough to cover the curve of her ass but left bare those enticing legs, so recently wrapped around his waist.
    He felt as if he’d just run a marathon—euphoric, lightheaded, winded and tingling from adrenaline overload.
    Damn, he wanted her again.
    But he shouldn’t have had her the first time. Her brother was going to tear him into little pieces and use him as the crunchy bits on his salad when he found out he’d had sex with Ellie. And her dad… Hell, he didn’t even want to think about that.
    Only it hadn’t felt like just sex. They’d shared a connection. Something that had nothing to do with the bassadone spell in his genes. Something real.
    Antonin wanted to keep her close, wrap her next to him in bed and just hold her.
    He’d never felt that way about anyone before. And that was frightening.
    He shut the door on those thoughts and decided to try his luck behind door number two.
    Not surprisingly, Ellie had found the bathroom. The house only had three rooms on this floor—two large bedrooms and one decent-sized bathroom.
    When he pushed open the bathroom door, he was greeted by the sight of her fiddling with the handles in the oversized shower stall. The shirt she wore had ridden up so he could see her naked beautiful ass.
    His cock twitched and hardened. Ready and willing again. Damn.
    Straightening, Ellie looked over her shoulder at him, her gaze considering. Did she find him lacking in any way? Did she see only the bodyguard who’d saved her this morning? Or did she see the man who couldn’t get enough of her? The man who was pretty sure he’d found the woman he wanted to spend the rest of his life with.
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    Shit. He couldn’t have this affecting his judgment. Not now with the Mal up to their tricks again and Justin arriving soon.
    Grabbing the bottom of the shirt, she lifted it over her head and flung it at him.
    Caught off-guard,