The Thorndyke Trilogy 2: Dancing at Midnight by Lynne Connolly Read Free Book Online Page B

nearby who donates. Why? Can’t you cook?”
    Dalton laughed. “Not much. I don’t have the knack. I don’t enjoy it much either, so I pay somebody else to do it.”
    Nathan grinned, in a much better mood this morning for some reason. “So in situations like this, you’re pretty much fucked?”
    “Nah. I can forage.” He studied Nathan for a moment, a frown appearing between his eyes. “You’re getting better.”
    Nathan sucked in a breath. “In what way?”
    “I didn’t know if you were ever coming back from that…snafu.”
    “Not a snafu. Betrayal.” It still hurt to think that a woman he’d put his trust in had betrayed him so deeply. Too many people died because of his mistake. At least he could think about it now without his mind freezing, although he still preferred to avoid the mess he’d made in the past. He’d spent a long time trying to make amends, but nothing could remove the bitter memories from him. That was the worst of a long, long life. More memories. People long dead who he remembered so well he felt that sometimes they were just outside the door.
    At first the loss had been too raw for him to take. Then he’d worked with a Sorcerer who had helped him put distance between the experience and his present life. Then Dalton got Nathan to start a new life with the Thorndykes, and he’d continued to work for the organization. A kind of witness security program for Talents.
    Dalton was one of the few friends Nathan had allowed to see him during that time. Dalton was right—he was getting better. The dancing helped. He’d danced before, but reacquainting himself with the discipline had soothed him, given him something else to think about. Perhaps that was why he’d connected so strongly with Kristen.
    Had to be.
    He took his offering upstairs, to where she still lay in bed. She didn’t snore, even though she was currently lying on her back. And she looked delicious, the covers tucked up under her chin, her hair a wild tangle. He found it delightful to know what lay beneath the covers.
    But their night was over now, and they had to get moving. Although he’d have no objection to her staying here awhile. He put the tray down on the bedside table and watched her wake. Blue eyes, cloudy with sleep, blinked up at him. Before she could object, he swooped down and claimed a kiss.
    She pushed him away, mumbled, “I must have morning breath.”
    “No more than you did two hours ago. Do you want more sleep?”
    “Always.” When he drew the covers to her waist, she made a sleepy protest, but he ignored it and devoured her breasts as if he hadn’t seen them before. He loved the way they responded so fast, tightening into little berries against his tongue.
    He pulled away reluctantly and let her drag the comforter back under her chin. “I have to leave in an hour.”
    “Aren’t we snowed in?”
    He shook his head. “It’s not snowing anymore. The forecast isn’t good for tonight. If I don’t leave in the next few hours, I might be stuck here. I’m using this window to get back to the city. You can come with me, or you can stay. It’s up to you, but I have business to be getting on with.”
    He shrugged as if he didn’t care, but he wouldn’t break the rule he’d lived by for the last few years. One woman, one night. “You could rest. Get some sleep. Travel in at your own pace when you get your car back. Dalton’s coming too,” he added. Just in case she got any ideas. He’d shared women before, but where Kristen was concerned, the demon called jealousy had reared its ugly head and refused to go down. Like his cock when he was around her.
    Which was doubly ridiculous, given his resolution not to spend more time with her.
    “Did you really lock yourself out last night?”
    He gave her a one-sided grin. “I really did.”
    “Why did you go out on your balcony naked?”
    “Ah.” He had an answer. “I got a stupid impulse to feel the snow on my bare skin. I’d just showered, and I