Temptation by Storm Emma

Author:Storm, Emma [Storm, Emma]
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Published: 2015-06-06T07:00:00+00:00

“This is your bedroom.” Joy hesitated on the threshold of the room that smelled so much like Gabriel, she wanted to throw herself onto the large bed and bury her nose in the rumpled green comforter.

“It’s the only room with a ground-level window and a lock on the inside.”

“Those are…odd requirements for a chat. Am I going to need a door that locks from the inside and a ground-level window?”

“Maybe.”

His tone was so serious that she turned to look at him. “Gabriel? What’s going on here?”

“Just an explanation that’s long overdue. I want you in here where I can’t get derailed by your big eyes or soft lips, or your--”

“Derailment in progress,” she said.

“My point.” He angled his head at the window. “So the lock’s for me. With a locked door between us, I’ll have a fighting chance at saying what I need to say instead of putting my mouth all over you. The window, that’s for you, because you might want a way out of here that doesn’t involve going through me. You should use it if…well, if you feel like you need out.”

“Um…I don’t know about this. It’s more than a little weird, you know?”

His lips kicked up at the corner. “I know. Close the door, Joy. Don’t forget to lock it.”

“Okay,” she whispered. Gabriel stepped back into the hall and, after a moment’s hesitation, she closed the door.

“Lock it,” he reminded.

Blowing out a long breath, she thumbed the twist-style lock on the knob.

The floorboards in the hall creaked as Gabriel paced. Joy stared at the closed door for a minute before turning to study the bedroom. Except for the intoxicating smell of him, the room wasn’t a lot different from the others in his house. Neat, but lived in. Personal, but…not.

A glint of something on the nightstand caught her eye.

“Huh,” she whispered, studying the 5x7 frame angled toward the bed. Maybe Gabriel had some sentimental attachments after all.

Before she could cross to look at the picture, he stopped pacing.

“I know this town is about all you know of the world,” he said, “but it’s not all of the world.”

Irritation flared in her chest. She went back to the door. “I’m not going to have this talk with you again.”

“There used to be wolves around the lakes. Can you remember them?”

Her brow furrowed. “There still are. I heard at least two howling way off while I was brushing the snow off my car.”

“You heard wolves tonight?” he asked sharply.

“Yeah. I mean, I guess they could have been dogs but they sounded too far away to belong to anyone in town. Maybe a family a few miles out…?”

“Maybe.” But he didn’t sound convinced.

“Yeah, um, maybe. So, you were saying?”

A light thump jarred the door. Joy pictured Gabriel dropping his head against it. She wanted to go out to him, was reaching for the knob, when his voice cut through the wood.

“Whatever you heard, there aren’t many wolves left out there. Winters are longer and longer. The cold drives them away to find food.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.