Hunter's Desire
Page 135
She couldn’t help but notice that while it had looked like one, swift motion, she’d felt a change in pressure as the chain began to tug on her. Had he finally felt a split second of hesitation? Did he really think he could have pulled back then even if the trick had gone horribly wrong? That would have required quicker reflexes than she’d ever seen.
“Ava, please show the audience that Mr. Stryker has left your beautiful neck unscathed and very much still attached to the rest of your lovely body.”
She looked up at the ceiling and then turned her head from left to right, and the audience seemed satisfied.
“Would you care to inspect your handiwork, Mr. Stryker,” Adam asked, motioning to her neck.
Wait a minute. This wasn’t part of the act. She turned to glare discreetly at Adam. She’d be shooting daggers from her eyes if she could call up a little of her own magic at that moment. He just smiled serenely as Cade stepped closer, still standing behind her. She swallowed her agitation, though she’d definitely be having words with Adam after the show about this little stunt.
Nevertheless, she remained still as she felt Cade’s left hand against her bare hip, lightly holding her there. His right hand touched her then, his warm fingers trailing from the back of her neck to the front. Once there, he continued further, his fingers reaching up behind her ear while his palm pressed against the flesh of her neck. It was the most delicate, most erotic chokehold she could ever have imagined. It was over only a second after it had begun as his fingers started back the way they’d come. She couldn’t hide the shiver of arousal that raced through her body though, as it sparked a fire deep inside her.
“She’s flawless,” he told Adam and the audience in a husky tone that fanned the flames inside her, and then he dropped his hands. She resisted her body’s desperate urge to follow, to seek out his fingers. She breathed deeply instead, hoping neither Cade Stryker nor the audience had noticed the way her body had responded to him. She didn’t hear what Adam said next; she was too busy focusing on breathing deep and maintaining her outward calm. Seconds later, though, Cade descended from the stage, returning to his place at the back of the room amid a flurry of applause.
Good. With some distance between them, she could focus her attention on the rest of the show, and that was precisely what she did. She’d never admit that her eyes grazed across the back of the room repeatedly, looking for where he stood, wondering if he was staring back at her. She didn’t see him though; not once for the remainder of the performance.
It was better that way, even if she couldn’t help but to wonder why he’d left.
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Also Available From Meg Ripley
Ranger Knox
Shifter Nation: Werebears Of Acadia
I’m pledged–as every shifter is–to keeping our kind and its history a secret.
Because of my role as head ranger at Acadia National Park, as well as the Alpha of my clan, I have the responsibility of making sure no outsiders know about the real reason why our park came to be. Hannah, a journalist who’s been snooping around doing research for an exposé, is most definitely an outsider, no matter how much the ursine part of my brain keeps insisting that she should belong to me.
She should be mine. Except she’s not a bear–she’s not any kind of shifter. How could I want her? Is it possible that a human…could be my mate?
And how will I keep her from unraveling the mystery that has kept us safe from the public eye for generations?
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Meg Ripley is an author of erotic science fiction and paranormal romance stories. As a child, she had recurring dreams about being abducted by aliens and has been obsessed with extraterrestrial life ever since. A Seattle native, Meg can often be found curled up in a local coffee house with her laptop.
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