Tempted by the Night by Colleen Gleason Read Free Book Online

their bodies in darkness.
    Marisa adjusted her glasses, then bent her knees upright and wrapped her arms around her calves, resting her chin on top. A wavy lock of hair from her ponytail fell free, tickling her jaw. She fidgeted. How long would she have to wait until it was safe to sneak off?
    Other than the couple in front of her—teens who couldn’t keep their hands off each other—the rest of the audience seemed engrossed by the movie, despite the title. No surprise there, for the DVD was a new find that had just been brought into town by one of the traveling scavengers. Probably no one had seen it before.
    Marisa was just about to ease to her feet and slip away when three shadows rippled over the rows of people near the front of the audience, off to the right. She turned her head slightly and recognized Ian, Juniper, and their companion.
    Apparently they had come to watch the movie after all.
    Damn.
    Now she wasn’t going to be able to get up and sneak away for fear one of them would see and recognize her. It was dark, but not that dark, and she couldn’t take that chance…could she?
    Should she?
    Just move over to the side some more , she told them silently. Then you won’t see me…
    But they stood in a forbidding cluster, their long shadows from a single light casting over the people of River Vale like a warning. A stark reminder of their presence and power.
    Marisa chafed and tried not to worry. They weren’t going to stand there all night. Surely they weren’t.
    Then all at once, she felt the air shift behind her. Movement. Someone was there—someone who sat down behind her.
    Marisa stiffened, because that someone sat really close. Close enough she could feel the warmth of new presence. And that someone shifted forward, and the next thing she knew, two strong, jean-covered legs slid onto either side of her, and a hand touched her arm.
    She drew in a startled, shaky breath, ready to speak or push him away when a low voice said, “Shhh. It’s me.”
    Me?
    Again?
    But her surprise and shock had waned, making way for her senses to take over. The warmth, scent, and most of all the feel of the man who’d settled behind her was definitely Luke. Oh boy.
    â€œJust play it cool.”
    â€œAre you crazy ?” she hissed, realizing the fact that he was nearly hugging her from behind was the least of her problems. Well, at least he wasn’t lying dead in a pool of blood on the floor…
    â€œIt’s dark. They didn’t see my face. They can’t see your face either. I’m sure they think we’re just another anonymous couple, cuddling up to watch the movie. ”
    Marisa closed her eyes, battling anger, desire, and a wave of sadness. As if. “If you say so.”
    â€œI say so.” He shifted closer, and she stiffened even more as he curved his arms around her from behind. Please don’t let him feel my heart pounding like this.
    Luke’s face was just behind her ear, and the warmth of his body burned into her. His thighs bracketed her on either side, and she refused to let herself think about how he was cradling her rear end right there at the juncture of those thighs. She felt the brush of a soft curl of hair against her cheek, and noticed his wide, bare feet settling on the grass on either side of hers. His breath was warm on her bare neck, sending gentle tickling sensations over her skin. She was ashamed to admit she could hardly breathe, and she was getting hot, and damp, and—
    â€œAre you cold?”
    â€œN-not any more,” she managed to say. What the hell is he doing? Then she realized she had a lot more pertinent questions for him, and the last thing she needed was to be distracted from them. “How did you get out?”
    â€œI found the other door. Are you okay?” His words shuttled softly against her, his breath warm against her hair. Little prickles of awareness and hot sparks of desire exploded