Free Shadow Lover by Anne Stuart Page A

bottle. She could only hope Constanza had returned to the kitchen to make certain everything was cleared away after
midnight
raids and the like, but she doubted she'd be so lucky.
    Constanza had moved most of her clothes to the bedroom Tessa and Grace now occupied, but at least she'd managed to grab an armful and stash them in the little-used storage room. She threw on an enveloping flannel nightgown and headed for the dubious comfort of the fold-out sofa, travel alarm firmly in hand. Most of the MacDowells would be sleeping late, but she wasn't about to be caught in bed by any of them.
    There were no shades or curtains on the library windows, and the moon was bright and clear, reflecting off the melting snow, shining in Carolyn's eyes no matter how much she shifted.
    It was after four when she finally fell asleep, the deep chime of the grandfather clock still echoing in her head.
    It was after six when she awoke in the dark, murky stillness of the room. Dazed with sleep, disoriented, she couldn't remember where she was, and she blinked groggily, wanting nothing more than to settle back beneath the soft down comforter and forget all the things that lay ahead of her.
    "Rise and shine, beautiful," a low, seductive voice whispered in her ear. "It's time to hit the road."
    She struck out, in sudden, inexplicable panic, connecting with solid bone and flesh. Alexander MacDowell was leaning over her, and he caught her arm as she tried to hit him.
    "Calm down, angel," he said. "I didn't climb in bed with you. I just thought you'd want to make an early start, since you're hoping to do this in one day."
    She yanked her arm away from him, shivering in the early-morning stillness as she tried to regain her shattered equilibrium. "Today?" she said in a voice of horrified disbelief.
    "Why put it off? You'll just dread it all the more," he said.
    She didn't deny it. "Go away," she said sharply.
    He didn't move. "How long will it take you to get ready?"
    She wanted to tell him till hell froze over, but she was neatly trapped. She'd promised Sally, and she never went back on her word. Sally asked very little of her—she should welcome the sacrifice.
    "An hour," she said.
    "Well, don't waste time primping on my account," he said.
    "Trust me, I won't."
    He rose, and she almost wished he hadn't. It was a disturbing sensation, lying in the soft, warm mattress with him towering over her, staring down at her out of his enigmatic blue eyes.
    His smile didn't help matters. Cool and calculated, it played around his impossibly sensuous mouth and seemed to say that he saw right through her. "I brought you some coffee," he said, nodding toward the table.
    "I don't drink coffee in the morning."
    " Constanza says you like it with milk and no sugar," he continued, ignoring her blatant lie. "Seems to me you could do with a little added sweetener."
    "If you don't leave now it'll take that much longer," she said coldly.
    He let his eyes run over her body. There was nothing to see—most of her was beneath a fluffy duvet and the rest was covered by the flannel nightgown she usually reserved for the coldest parts of January. She could feel a slow heat envelope her skin beneath the layers anyway.
    "I'll wait for you in the kitchen. At least Constanza is glad to see me back." He stared toward the door, stopped, and then turned back. "Oh, I forgot something." He tossed a small object onto the bed, and she knew by the rattle that it had to be her pill bottle. "You left your drugs scattered all over the kitchen. You have to watch that stuff—Aunt Patsy's a druggie. She would have scarfed them down if she'd seen them."
    She didn't bother denying it—her name was on the prescription bottle. "It's for my headaches."
    "They're tranquilizers, Carolyn," he corrected her. "Mild ones, but tranquilizers nonetheless. And I intend to make sure you need them."
    And with a wicked smile he was gone.

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    Chapter 6
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    H e was so busy charming Constanza that he barely