Nocturne Read Free Page A

fingertips, and shone the light into them. Her eyes were a lovely shade of green. Her pupils were equal, round, and reactive. Good. No severe intracranial issues. He took her pulse again. Its strong beat and the color in her cheeks reassured him that there was no worry of internal bleeding anywhere else. She seemed stable. If all went well, she’d wake up soon with nothing more serious than a headache.
    He went to fetch a bowl of warm water and a soft wash cloth. Crouching down beside her, he gently cleansed the blood from her face. He liked the subtle spray of freckles across her small, straight nose, the shape of her ears, and the gentle curve
    As he worked—his body in such proximity to hers, his fingers grazing her warm flesh, the cloth soaking up her blood—the act felt very intimate. His eyes lingered on her mouth before moving to her throat. In the quiet of the room, the sound of her heartbeat thudded tantalizingly in his ears. Despite himself, his eyes traveled down her body. She was wearing a royal blue, V-neck sweater over a striped cotton shirt, tucked and belted into tight-fitting blue jeans that hugged her shapely figure. Her long legs, which disappeared into tall, insulated boots, were slender and perfectly proportioned.
    Once again, a stirring welled within him, the pull of a physical attraction so powerful it made his nerve endings tingle. He silently cursed himself and stood up, exasperated, resisting the urge to slam the bloody bowl of water onto an end table. This was going to be even more difficult than he’d imagined. What happened to the sense of professional distance he’d once been so adept at? He was far too long out of practice.
    Drawing a blanket up to her chin, he made a mental note to keep a careful distance between them while she was here, or the consequences might not be pretty.

CHAPTER 3

    N ICOLE’S HEAD THROBBED. She heard and smelled a crackling fire and could feel its warmth, but she couldn’t see any flames. What had happened to her? It was dark, so dark that she couldn’t see her hand in front of her face. Was she in a cave? A warm liquid oozed down her cheek. She was bleeding! No, she thought with equal horror, someone—or something—was bending over her, washing her face.
    Nicole’s heart began to pound in cadence with the violent drumming inside her skull. The dark figure moved away, but she could still hear it breathing, could sense its feral presence. It was a Thing. A beast. A monster. Terror snaked through her, setting her every nerve on edge. She wanted to move, but she was paralyzed. She wanted to scream, but she couldn’t make a
    Nicole awoke with a start, her heart and head still pounding. Opening her eyes, she saw to her great relief that she was not in a dark cave, but gazing up at a light-filled, open beam, vaulted ceiling lined with a pale-colored wood. Turning her head, she discovered that she was lying on a comfortable leather couch, covered by a soft blanket, in someone’s very spacious living room. What a strange, strange dream , she thought in groggy confusion as she silently took in her surroundings. Where was she?
    The room was decorated with a masculine flair. Assorted leather easy chairs were grouped around an oak coffee table with curved legs and an eclectic mix of hardwood tables that looked antique. An expensive-looking area rug stretched out atop a shining hardwood floor. On one side of the room stood a black grand piano, its shiny surface gleaming beneath a strategically placed lamp. On the other side was a gigantic flat screen TV. The rest of that wall was taken up by a massive stone fireplace. A fire burned brightly within, giving off a comforting heat. The entire place looked scrupulously clean and neat as a pin.
    A man was bent over the fireplace, his back to her. He wore a dark green, long-sleeve shirt. Who was he?
    Muted daylight shone in through a row of tall windows that reached the peaked, vaulted ceiling. A blizzard raged outside.
    Then