Free Deadly Obsession by Elle James Page A

mean to startle you.” He handed her a brush and her toiletries bag, holding on to her discarded clothing with one hand. With the other hand, he helped her to her feet, cinching her to his warm body until she had her balance.
    Holy hell. He felt so good and smelled of the outdoors, naked skin and 100 percent male. Jillian’s brain synapses fired off in every direction, scrambling her wits. “I’m okay,” she said, more to ground herself than for him. She had to remind herself to breathe in and out.
    So what if she stood in her short nightgown and robe, her legs visible from just below her bottom to her toes painted with pretty pink polish? She was wearing more than anyone would see in a bathing suit. And Chance... Holy hell, he looked so big, strong and handsome with all that lovely tanned skin stretched tight over incredibly solid muscles.
    Short of breath, Jillian managed to push words past her vocal cords. “I was just finishing up. You can lay those across the rest.” She held out her arms, mortified when she realized he was carrying not only her jeans and shirt, but her lacy black bra perched on top of the pile, in plain sight.
    â€œI’ll carry them. Which room?” He turned, as if looking for the right door.
    With a silent groan of resignation, Jillian said, “Second on the right.” Then she followed, her gaze drinking in every inch of his bare back, marked with a few disturbing scars that only managed to make him even sexier.
    â€œNext door to mine,” he commented as he walked to the door and reached for the crystal doorknob. He pushed the door open and stepped inside, filling the room with his size and presence.
    Jillian stopped in the doorway, her mouth dry. Her tongue darted out to wet her lips. Seeing him wearing nothing but blue jeans and standing beside her bed made her knees weak.
    Chance set her clothes on the bed, his fingers lingering on the black bra. When he turned to her, his blue eyes were a steely shade of gray, his face dark and brooding. His gaze slipped for a brief moment to the deep V of her filmy robe. “I hope you sleep well.” Before Jillian could respond, Chance brushed past her, closing the door behind him.
    What did he mean by I hope you sleep well ? She felt as though a heated whirlwind had blown past her, leaving her hot, dry and in need. Of what, she didn’t know.
    Actually, she did, but she wasn’t ready to admit she needed him. With every red blood cell in her body. She needed that man to come back into her room, take her into his arms and kiss her to show he meant it. Then kiss her again. Hell, he could have had her with just a crook of his finger.
    Jillian went through the motions of patting the kitten, turning back the covers and crawling into the antique bed. But sleep was the farthest thing from her mind. Not with Chance standing naked in the shower a few short steps down the hallway.
    She listened, though she couldn’t hear the shower. Eventually, a door opened and closed, and the wooden floors creaked ever so slightly outside her room.
    Jillian held her breath, straining to hear the footsteps, but realized he’d been barefoot, just like her. She didn’t hear the floorboards creak for a few long seconds, and then they sounded again, the creaking moving away from her door and farther down the hallway. A door opened and closed.
    As tired and achy as she was, she willed her body to relax. Sleep would help fix what hurt and hopefully give her a fresh start in the morning, free of wickedly sexy thoughts concerning a certain groomsman.
    Staring at the clock for an entire hour, her eyes remained wide-open, with not a hint of the fatigue she’d felt earlier. No matter how hard she tried, she wasn’t going to force herself to go to sleep. Jillian gave up. Perhaps a cup of hot cocoa would help to settle her nerves and make her drowsy.
    She threw back the covers and shivered at the chill in the air. Wrapping