In Heat (In Heat Shapeshifter Romance Series #1) Read Free Page A

voice remained a whisper, teasing her senses and sending her thoughts back to her dreams. “Do you like the heat?”
    She stared at his chest, watching the rise and fall of it, mesmerised by his nearness.
    She nodded.
    He was gone.
    She blinked and turned to face the garden, breathing hard as she tried to steady herself. He was a client, and he really wasn't interested in her. It was just harmless conversation. This attraction was one sided. Nothing was going to happen.
    She jumped when someone touched her shoulder.
    “Kim?” Simon smiled at her. “Little jumpy today.”
    She nodded, smiling back at her friend. She was glad that he was sitting in on this meeting. Hopefully he'd ground her and she'd make it through without messing up.
    “Just a bit nervous,” she said.
    Simon looked over her shoulder. She turned her head to see what he was looking at and found Erik watching them.
    “Looks like Mr. Blackwell doesn't like to be kept waiting,” Simon said with another smile. “I hear all kinds of things about him. It's hard to know what to believe.”
    Before she could ask what Simon had heard about him, he'd gone into the room, leaving her alone on the balcony. Her eyes were drawn to Erik again and she found he was still watching her while he spoke to Laura.
    Walking into the room, she placed her jacket down over the back of the chair and opened her notebook. She wrote the date in the corner and Erik's name. She stared at it, getting the feeling there was more to its owner than met the eye.
    Just who was Erik Blackwell?
    * * * *
    Erik leaned back in his chair, fascinated with the woman across the table from him. She was writing furiously, scribbling down note after note of what was being discussed. He wondered if she could feel him watching her in the same way that he could sense when she was looking at him.
    He gave Ms. Townsend half of his attention, answering her questions about the contract as much as he could and keeping his girl writing so he could observe her. There was a pause in discussion as the man who had introduced himself as Simon stood, offering to order coffee or tea. He declined both and asked for some water, his eyes still fixed on Kim. He didn't like the easy manner she'd had with Simon when he'd gone out onto the balcony. There was something wrong about him. Whatever Kim thought their relationship was, Simon clearly thought it could be different.
    A glass of water appeared in front of him and he licked his lips as he looked at its crystal depths that promised cool relief. The heat wasn't abating and the air in the room was so hot now it was stifling. He'd taken his jacket off and loosened his tie, but it hadn't helped. The hair at the nape of his neck was damp with sweat.
    Simon placed a glass down in front of Kim and Erik's attention was with her again. She pressed her bare wrist against the condensation on the ice cold glass. Her tongue swept across her lower lip, wetting it, and her eyes closed briefly. He could almost feel her relief as the coldness of the glass lowered her temperature. It only made him hotter.
    His eyes followed her every move as she took hold of the glass and brought it to her lips. He watched the movement of her throat as she drank, her eyes closed in pleasure, and then stared at her mouth when she lowered the glass and licked her lips again, capturing every drop of moisture on them.
    He grabbed his glass and downed it in one go, trying to cool himself down but failing dismally.
    Putting his glass down, he continued his observance of Kim.
    She thoughtfully bit the end of her pen, her fine brows knitting as she scrunched up her nose and stared at the piece of paper.
    There was no doubt it was her.
    The attraction he felt, the way she reacted to him, and the shape of her. Even the smell. It was her. He'd been dreaming about her for so long now, desperate for her touch and dying to know who she was.
    And now he'd found her.
    She was younger than he'd expected and seemed a little