Vengeful Shadows by Bronwyn Green Page A

responses just become instinctive.”
    She’d needed to respond like this before? His heart constricted. What kind of risks did she take there?
    Cold rain spattered against his skin in sharp contrast to the thick air that surrounded them. “You decked Aidan because it was the natural response?” He had a hard time keeping the incredulity from his voice.
    “Pretty much,” she said, not meeting his gaze.
    “Don’t lie to your friends—it’s not nice.”
    She was lying. Badly. Even a complete stranger would have recognized it. She may have responded automatically, but there was more going on here than she wanted to admit.
    Her eyes widened. Fear had darkened them to indigo. She pressed her lips together and forced a smile. “I’m fine.”
    The wind gusted and the glass-paned doors slammed shut. Zander twisted the handle and pushed. Locked. He cupped his hand around his eyes and tried to peer through the glass. There was no way to see around the curtain covering the window. He rapped on the door, but the sound vanished in a clap of thunder. The rain changed from splatters to slashes, soaking them.
    Laughter bubbled from Tessa. Had she lost it? He whirled around to see a genuine, brilliant smile on her face.
    “Are you okay?” he asked.
    “Mhm.” Her throaty voice spread over him like the sun.
    She tilted her head toward the sky. Water streamed over her and ran in rivulets along her neck. The elements molded her clothing to her body, accentuating her slight curves and hardened nipples. She looked less angelic and more primitive goddess. He wanted to worship her in the most primal sense possible.
    “You’re sure?” he asked. If he didn’t keep talking, he’d cross the scant space between them and take her against the railing.
    “Think about it. I just freaked out and leveled a perfectly nice guy, who also happens to be a close friend of my dear, fake lover. Then it starts to rain, well, more like storm, drenching both of us. And, as if that wasn’t enough, we’re locked out on a balcony in the middle of a torrential downpour. How is this not funny? I mean, it’s sadistically funny—but still funny.”
    She had a point. After being flattened, Aidan might not agree, but it was pretty amusing. Zander grinned as he remembered the shocked expression on his friend’s face as he’d gone down.
    “See? I’m right.”
    They stared at each other, and her smile faded. A maelstrom of emotion swirled through her. It was so strong he could almost touch it. The air between them changed.
    Eyes dark with intent, she stepped closer to him and slid her hands into his hair. Tightening her fingers, she drew his head down and licked a drop of rain from his lower lip. Heat flooded him. His common sense headed south along with the majority of his body’s blood supply.
    Her clever tongue darted out again, teasing, tormenting. He wondered how much she’d had to drink. The champagne had flowed heavily inside, and he remembered she’d had a glass in her hand most of the evening. Maybe, she was drunk. Or maybe, she actually wanted him. At any rate, he didn’t think she kissed him for the benefit of an audience. Where had the woman gone who’d shied away from his advances and insisted the heat between them meant nothing?
    Tessa nipped at his lip, and the answers to his questions seemed far less important than they had a second ago. Drawing her small, firm body closer, he opened his mouth against her hot and insistent lips. Her nipples pebbled against his chest as her rising temperature scorched him through the cold, wet press of the fabric that separated them. He half-expected steam to float off their bodies or the raindrops to sizzle where they landed.
    Standing on her toes, she pressed herself closer, skimming her lips along his jaw then nipping at his ear lobe. His cock throbbed, trapped between their bodies, He wanted nothing more than to bend her over the railing and pound into her. His cock jerked at the thought, but he