Shadow Play: by Erin Kellison Read Free Book Online Page A

bladder.
    Next time, no pill. No pill ever again.
    He exited the small room, followed by the shadow.
    Think. How could this happen? He turned to face the shadow. “Why now?”
    Not that he expected a complex answer.
    On the contrary, her answer was very simple. “I love you.”
    The words stole Cam’s breath. He and Ellie had been in serious territory since day one, of course, but things had not been going well lately. No, they had not. In fact, not a day went by when Ellie didn’t push him away. And today had been awful, very difficult for her. Yet somehow she’d come to this.
    For her shadow to say such a thing … wow. Love.
    Meant the feeling went all the way down deep. She was his.
    He looked toward the open doorway. Wanted to kiss her, squeeze her tight, but she was in no shape to reciprocate. She was so brave, beautiful, smart … and her shadow was staggering. Together they were more than he could have ever wanted in a woman.
    When she woke up, then—
    No, wait. This was more like a diary confession. Ellie might not know, might still be working toward the realization. Might not be ready.
    “Love me,” her shadow said, advancing to wrap her arms around him.
    He resisted, though the press of her body was … well, problematic. He could feel the flush of heat on his neck, the hammer strike of his heartbeat at his broken nose. He pulled her silky arms from his neck. “You need to sleep. I want you to sleep.”
    “I am asleep,” she agreed. “And I love you.” She kissed him, except this kiss wasn’t like any of flesh and blood. She was pure energy and instinct wrapped in satin. Erotic as hell. A sci-fi goddess right out of his pubescent fantasies. That she was real made him giddy every day.
    But this wasn’t Ellie’s conscious choice.
    The shadow pulled back to look at him. He’d never seen her look hurt, until now.
    “Don’t you love me?”
    “I can’t do this,” he said. Not to her. Not to the woman who trusted him, when trusting anyone was so hard. “You’ll hate me.”
    Ellie’s shadow drew back, her posture hollowed, expression stricken. “You don’t love me. I knew you didn’t love me. How could you love me? ”
    But he couldn’t reject her, he realized. Not this most vulnerable part of Ellie, who didn’t understand anything but absolutes.
    “That’s not true,” he said, though he could easily see how she’d feel that way, considering her background. And theirs. He’d shot her.
    “I …” He wasn’t ready to say it either, and not to the shadow first … or maybe the shadow was the one that really mattered—he had no idea anymore, but … “I do love you. You know that.”
    The shadow’s dusky body took on a grey-gold hue, also new. He blinked and she was on him, smooth arms at his neck, her mouth fitted to his. Dexterous fingers worked at his pants, parted his shirt. Skin like taut energy buzzed against his own. His ribs ached, his groin ached, his head boomed with the rush of blood. He’d been aching to hold her like this for so long.
    He didn’t know what to do—if he rejected the shadow, she would never again trust him, not really. She would always be unsure. The deepest part of Ellie, unsure of him.
    “Love me,” the shadow said. She had him in her grasp, stroked long. Arched against him, looked up at him with that expression of joy that now closed his throat.
    Or was he just talking himself around to doing what he wanted deep down?
    He wanted.
    Ellie at least he could reason with. Ellie could understand. Could forgive?
    Her shadow, never.
    Which part of her would he betray?
    Or had he been struck stupid by four months of acute, denied lust, and a female like no other unlocking his resolve with each caress?
    He bowed his head to her breasts, full, gorgeous, made for his mouth and palm. The texture of her skin was phantom silk, not human, not blood-warm, but dizzyingly hot anyway.
    The shadow straddled him, one leg wrapped around his waist, the other knee drawn up to