Free His Dark Embrace by Amanda Ashley

here,” he said sternly, and left the room.
    Sky glanced around. It was the first time she had been past the entry hall. The living room had high ceilings, paneled walls, and beautiful hardwood floors. Although it was a big room, it was sparsely furnished with only a black leather sofa, a matching chair, and a couple of end tables. The same furniture she had seen when he’d moved in years ago. A beautiful Oriental carpet was spread before the fireplace. An enormous crystal chandelier hung from a thick black chain.
    The walls were bare save for a large painting of a green-and-gold dragon breathing fire at a sword-wielding knight in silver armor while a raven-haired maiden clad in a red dress looked on.
    Kaiden returned moments later wearing a pair of gray sweatpants and a long-sleeved, V-necked T-shirt.
    “There’s a small bathroom down the hall,” he said, pointing. “Go get out of those wet things.” He thrust a black velour bathrobe into her hands. “I’ll make you a cup of coffee while you change. Or would you rather have tea?”
    “Coffee’s fine.” Sky hesitated a moment; then, with a shrug, she went into the bathroom. After kicking off her boots, she peeled off her jacket, jeans, and sweater. Her underwear wasn’t wet so she left it on. After towel-drying her hair, she slipped into the robe. It had to be his, she thought, belting it tightly. It smelled just like him.
    He was waiting for her on the sofa when she returned to the living room. A round wooden tray bearing two coffee mugs, a sugar bowl, and cream pitcher waited on an end table.
    “I’m afraid I can’t offer you any cake, burnt or otherwise,” he said with a wry grin.
    “You’re not going to let me forget that, are you?” she muttered, taking a place beside him on the sofa.
    “Sorry,” he said, stifling a grin.
    “No, you’re not.”
    He shrugged. “Are you warm enough?”
    “Yes, the fire is wonderful.”
    He handed her one of the cups. “Milk? Sugar?”
    “Thanks.” She took a sip, her eyes widening. “What’s in this?”
    “A bit of brandy to take away the chill.”
    “Oh.”
    He added a generous amount of sugar to his cup, then sat back, one arm draped over the sofa.
    Sky noticed he was barefooted. It seemed oddly intimate, the two of them both sitting there in their bare feet, as if they had just made love and were relaxing in front of the fire... .
    Sky felt her cheeks grow hot. Lordy, where had that thought come from?
    “You look flushed,” Thorne remarked. “Is the fire too hot?”
    “What? Oh, no, it’s ... I ... no.”
    He nodded, a faint smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.
    Sky stared into her coffee cup to avoid his gaze. Good grief, did he know what she was thinking? But that was impossible. Wasn’t it?
    Thorne pretended to watch the fire, but he was aware of the woman beside him with every fiber of his being. Less than twenty-four hours ago, he had acknowledged that the best thing he could do for Skylynn was to stay away from her, yet here she was, in his house, at his invitation, within arm’s reach. What the hell was he thinking?
    The answer was, he wasn’t thinking. His lust and his hunger had combined to override his common sense and now all he could think about was Skylynn, sitting quietly beside him, ripe for the taking.
    She jumped when the cup shattered in his hand, raining bits of crockery and spraying drops of coffee onto her lap and the floor.
    “What happened?” she asked. “Are you all right?”
    “Fine.”
    “Your hand’s bleeding.”
    “Leave it.” He clenched his fist, heedless of the shards that cut into his skin, or the blood dripping between his fingers.
    Sky looked at him, her brow furrowed. “Kaiden, are you ill?” She leaned forward. “Your eyes ...”
    Rising quickly to his feet, he turned his back to her and took a deep breath. “I think you’d better go.”
    “Should I call someone?” she asked anxiously. “A doctor? I think you might need stitches. And your