Hunted, The Complete Edition: A Full-length Steamy Vampire Romance (New England Nightwalkers) Read Free Page B

out and rushed toward the shape in the street.
    "Please be a deer, please be a..."
    She trailed off as she looked down, her worst fears confirmed.
    Not a deer.
    A man.
    A very still and totally silent man.
    Christ, what had she done?
    Her legs buckled beneath her and she dropped to her knees next to the prone form, gravel digging into her skin through her tights as she did. Pain was good right now. Pain would ground her, keep her from flying off into blind panic.
    "Please, oh God, please don’t be dead."
    Her heart pounded wildly as she reached down and laid a hand on his cheek, flinching at the chill of his skin. It made sense, given the bitter winter weather, but regardless, the sensation sent a wave of dread running through her.
    She resisted the urge to pull her hand away and instead slid her fingers down to the side of his neck. For a full three seconds, she searched for a pulse, and dread became full-blown terror. But then, there it was.
    One beat.
    Two. Before she could process what was happening, a hand snaked out and closed over her wrist as the man sat up with a growl.
    “What the hell?” he demanded, his tone a low rasp.
    She struggled to find her own voice to respond as she stared at him in stunned silence. When he’d been prone, she hadn’t been able to see, his face had been cloaked in the shadow of the car. Now though, she could see him clearly by the streetlight. The close-cropped, dark hair, a perfect foil for his ice blue eyes. That slash of a mouth, hard and sensual at the same time. Shoulders so wide, he looked like he could’ve carried the world on them.
    She pushed aside her inappropriate and disturbing reaction, focusing instead on the most pressing fact.
    He wasn’t dead.
    In fact, he looked very much alive.
    The relief that coursed through her was all-consuming and she bit her lip hard to stop it from trembling before she spoke.
    “I hit you with my c-car.” She swallowed the lump that had wedged itself in her throat. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t see you until it was too late. Are you all right?”
    He never took his eyes off her face, and she found herself suddenly desperate for some space between them. She tugged her hand from his strong grip and pulled back a bit, making a show of looking him over for any obvious sign of injury.
    “Maybe you should lay back down again. I’ll call the ambulance and they can check you out. I wasn’t going that fast, but I hit you full on and we need to make sure you aren’t seriously hurt. Could be that shock is keeping you from feeling anything right now.”
    Although, he sure didn’t look like he was in shock. In fact, he looked intense…almost hyper-focused as his penetrating gaze drilled into her. She resisted the urge to wring her hands together under his scrutiny.
    “Sir?” she murmured, only realizing after she’d spoken that she was leaning toward him now, hand extended.
    To what? Comfort him? Check his pulse again? She hadn’t a clue and she snatched her hand back, fisting it at her side.
    “I’m okay. Sorry, I didn’t mean to frighten you.” He shook his head as if to clear it, his handsome face screwed up in confusion. “I don’t even know what happened. One second I was crossing the street, the next I was lying here with you above me. But now that you mention it, my arm is aching pretty bad.” He rolled his shoulder and winced.
    Guilt rushed in, hard and fast. She’d been careless to the point of recklessness, paying more attention to her phone than the road. It was only by the grace of God that this poor man was sitting before her, speaking now instead of on his way to the afterlife.
    “Don’t apologize to me. It was my fault entirely,” she said. “I took my eyes off the road when I heard my phone ring. I never do that. I don’t know what I was thinking,” she murmured miserably.
    The last part was a lie. She’d known exactly what had been on her mind, and it wasn’t driving. Now wasn’t the time to dwell though. She