Perfect Double by Merline Lovelace

Author:Merline Lovelace
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 1996-01-10T05:00:00+00:00

The soft scratching on the wooden door to his room brought Adam instantly awake. He didn’t move, didn’t alter the rhythm of his breathing, but his every sense went on full alert.

The door creaked open.

“Adam? It’s me. Taylor. Are you awake?”

Maggie’s use of her assumed identity in this supposedly secure part of the house tripped warning alarms in every part of Adam’s nervous system. He rolled over, the sheets rustling beneath him, and followed her lead.

“I’m awake.”

She stepped out of the shadows and moved toward the wide double bed that took up most of the floor space. Bright moonlight streamed through the windows, illuminating the fluid lines of her body. She wore only a silky gown, and without the constraining Kevlar her breasts were lush and full. Nipples peaked from the cold pushed at the thin gown.

Adam felt his stomach muscles go washboard-stiff. Forcing himself to focus on the reason behind her unexpected visit, he rose up on one elbow. The old-fashioned hickory-rail bedstead bit into his bare back as he propped a shoulder against it.

“I couldn’t sleep,” she whispered, her feet gliding across the oak plank floor.

She stopped beside the bed, so near that Adam could see the tiny beads of moisture pearled on her shoulders. Her hair was spiked with water, as though she’d hurriedly passed a towel over it once or twice.

As if in answer to his unspoken question, she ran a hand through her damp waves. “I took a hot bath. To help me relax. It didn’t work.”

His mouth curved. “I tried a cold shower. It didn’t work for me, either.” He raised an arm, lifting the covers, not sure where this was going, but following her lead. “Maybe we can help each other relax.”

She hesitated, shifting from one bare foot to the other. “I know we promised to take this slow and easy, to use these two weeks to get to know each other, but…”

“Come to bed, Taylor.”

“I need you to hold me, Adam. Please, just hold me for a little while.”

She slid in beside him, her gown a slither of damp silk against his skin. He dragged the covers over them both.

Her body felt clammy through the gown where it touched his, which was just about everywhere. Wrapping an arm around her waist, Adam brought her closer into his heat. She burrowed against him and tucked her icy feet between his. Her head rested on his shoulder. Her mouth was only an inch from his.

They fit together as if cast from molds. Male and female. Man and woman. Adam and Maggie. Thunder and Chameleon, he amended immediately.

“I was thinking about what happened last night,” she said softly, “and I started to shake.”

That didn’t help him much. A lot had happened last night. He didn’t know if she was referring to Stoney’s unexpected appearance, her near-fall, or the sharp difference of opinion they’d had over procedures. A difference that had yet to be resolved.

“I guess I experienced a delayed reaction to the fall,” she murmured, her breath feathering his cheek.

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