Dusk Til Dawn Read Online Free Page B

grown up had felt like a personal attack, especially when everyone else had seemed to have some kind of inane talent for unearthing the unknown?
    Temperance sighed. “If it makes you feel any better, Annie shares your doubts.” She glanced at her sister. “Though she might be a bit more open-minded after tonight.”
    Annie stepped forward, joining the crude circle. “I’ve never actually told you they don’t exist.”
    Temperance grinned. “You didn’t have to, honey. It was written across your forehead.”
    Annie stomped her foot, waving her hand when more dust cascaded into the air. “Can we get past the part where we’re disbelievers and jump straight to the explanation of what the hell just happened?” She wrapped her arms around her chest, rubbing her hands along her skin.
    Dylan muttered under his breath as he removed his jacket and handed it to her. “Do I want to know why you’re only dressed in a bra…albeit a rather beautiful one? Not that I’m complaining, of course.”
    Her gaze cut to the holster strapped over his shoulder then back again. He waited to see if she’d expect a better explanation than Avery hinting at his occupation, but she merely accepted his offering, slipping it around her shoulders. It dwarfed her, but something about the way it hung around her made his chest tighten. He took an involuntary step forward before catching himself. Hell, he’d only just met her, and somehow tackling her to the ground wasn’t exactly romantic.
    Romantic .
    Damn, since when did he worry about being romantic around a woman? He hadn’t so much as stayed the night with a lady in years, opting for a more hit-and-run approach to sex. No commitment, no complications. No complications, no chance of getting hurt. And he’d already felt enough pain to last a lifetime.
    Annie tugged the sides closer. “Seems one of the residents decided to pour kerosene all over me.”
    He arched an eyebrow. “Residents?”
    She shrugged. “Trust me, I’ve spent the past several minutes trying to conjure up something, anything, to explain what I’ve seen, but I’ve got to admit. I’ve got nothing.”
    He nodded, swinging his gaze back to Avery. “Okay, Av. Out with it.”
    “You won’t like what I have to say.”
    “That’s generally a given when you start talking about ghosts and demons. Just don’t do any of that mind-reading crap. I hate even the slim possibility that you might be able to get inside my head.”
    A devious smile touched Avery’s lips. “You don’t have anything to hide, do you? Like a sudden attraction you can’t quite explain but scares you more than the prospect of ghosts?”
    Dylan punched at him, but Avery had already darted past, Temperance at his side. Dylan resisted the groan rumbling through his chest, knowing it’d come out sounding wrong. He chanced a look at Annie, nearly creaming his shorts at the way she watched him, staring as if she was trying to figure him out. God, what was wrong with him? He never reacted to women this way. Sure, he’d felt attraction, but only ever sexually.
    He drew a deep breath, trying to strengthen the walls he’d spent a decade constructing when Annie’s small fingers brushed across his arm. He snapped down his head, drawn to the contrast between the pale white of her skin and the slight bronze of his. His stomach dropped then flipped over, and he could have sworn there were a thousand tiny wings fluttering around inside it as he swept his gaze up her arm and along her shoulder, finally stopping at the perfect symmetry of her face. Those brilliant eyes stared up at him, the sparkle he’d noticed before even more vivid.
    She gave him a stunning smile. “Thanks for the jacket.”
    He nodded his reply, not sure he could speak without his voice cracking. He glanced over at Avery, glaring at the man’s knowing grin. Damn, this wasn’t the time for his little brother to go peeking inside his head. He mentally told the man to fuck off. They needed