Free A Ghost of a Chance by Evelyn Klebert Page B

house. She was awake, sitting straight up in the chair, rubbing her eyes. She looked completely disoriented. “I have the weirdest dreams,” she murmured.
    It was evident that whatever had instigated the dream had ended it rather clumsily.
    He looked around triumphantly. Standing up, he walked toward her. The icy wall had vanished. It had retreated for the moment.
    For him, the experience had at minimum been extremely informative. He knew now that Samory was not really his adversary. He had seen him twice now, but whatever was lurking around this house had deliberately avoided making an appearance.
    And secondly, whoever it was had misjudged him — throwing Monica at him as though he would abandon Hallie for, well for whatever the dream Monica was offering. Clearly “it” was not all that bright and that was comforting to him. He wasn’t outmatched. This was winnable.
    Hallie was walking around the room now, lost in thought looking extremely bothered. She was thinking about him now. He could feel it on his skin, or what felt like his skin. He smiled. “It” had done him a favor. He was becoming real to her now, not Jacob Mcfarin, not Sir Jacoby but plain old Jack who had kissed her tonight. He desperately wanted to reach out and kiss her again, but he knew that she wouldn’t feel it this time. And that crushing reality markedly tempered his triumph.

 
    CHAPTER SIX
     
    She stood on the terrace of her father’s villa overlooking the starless sky of the Paris night. It was as though the light had gone from the world everywhere. She felt desperate, trapped, but was not sure why.
    It had to be this man, this new presence in her life. It couldn’t possibly be Samory, not her love. She heard the heavy step of his boots behind her and knew that once again he was taking the opportunity to invade her private thoughts. “What is it Gabriella? Why do you seem so sad?”
    She spun around boldly to face the man who had against her will insinuated himself into her life. There were still the remnants of tears running down the alabaster white of her cheeks, but her soft eyes leaped out with fiery sparks of anger. “You certainly worked hard to win over my father tonight Captain Mcfarin with the grand tales of your seafaring voyages. He is an old man and it is unkind of you to use him as a pawn in this game you are playing.”
    His blue eyes sparkled in obvious admiration of her spirit. “I am glad you have a strong will Gabriella. You will need it to break free of the monster that has you in his grip.”
    “ Samory is not a monster. Stop calling him that.”
    He came closer to her, taking her small white hands once again in his powerful ones. “His deeds have been monstrous Gabriella.”
    She looked down, unable to face the intensity of his gaze. “He has done what he must to survive.”
    He grasped her chin forcing her to look at him. “Then, if he is powerless to stop himself, we must stop him ourselves.”
    Her eyes widened with fear, “What do you mean sir?”
    There was cold determination in his handsome face now. “He must be destroyed Gabriella.”
    “ No!”
    “ For his own good, but more so for yours. I am determined he will not have you. Even at a cost to myself. He will never have you.”
    And then he pulled her into his arms and kissed her with a savage tenderness that forced all other thoughts to blur away in the midst of their mutual passion.
    Hallie grimaced, maybe not. Maybe this kiss came too soon. And what would her Sebastian Winter books be with no Samory? But she had to protect Jacob Mcfarin somehow. Why exactly that was she wasn’t sure, only that she liked him too much. She didn’t want to let him go. Samory wouldn’t have him.
    But how could she have them both?
    She sighed deeply. This was so depressing. She really had to get a life.
    Her head throbbed. She closed out the file and began the process of shutting down the computer for the night. She’d figure this out later. She wondered whom