Free Changing Beauty (Book 2) (The Deadly Beauties Live On) by C. M. Owens

the chaste touch turns into a fiery kiss, and I lose myself in him, forgetting the whole I-need-to-get-to-know you thing.
    His tongue dances with mine as though we’ve always kissed like this, and he pulls me as close to his shirtless body as he can manage. His skin is so smooth and tightly stretched over the hard lines of muscle. I swear he’s built like a completely new specimen of the human race. And I stupidly shattered the illusion by asking him why he liked me.
    “Because,” he says, pulling back and breathing a little hard, dragging his lips away from mine completely as though he can’t stop kissing me if he stays too close, “Well, I don’t know. You’re beautiful, but I’ve known plenty of beautiful girls. You’re sweet—even though you don’t like to admit it—but I’ve met sweet girls before. I’ve met bashful girls who blush when they see me, girls whose heartbeats pick up the second they hear my voice, and girls who act speechless. But I swear there’s something about you that has me scrambling to get closer. And I can’t seem to shut off this switch you flipped on the second I saw you. And I don’t want to.”
    That really is honest. It’s hard decide whether I like that answer or not. Then again, I’m not stupid enough to think I’m unique in any way, but it’s nice knowing that he doesn’t want to stay away from me.
    “How often does someone… flip your switch ?”
    His grin curls back up, and he thumbs my bottom lip. “That’s the thing that has me chasing you, sweet girl. Never. Not like this. So now I want to know why you’ve done this to me,” he says before dipping his head and kissing my neck again. Now that has my smile growing.
    “Coffee is ready,” one of the girls—I think Ella—calls out from the other side of the door.
    Thad smiles bigger before standing up, tugging my shirt back into place, and he walks out of the room as though he’s been expecting that announcement. A few garbled conversations muddle together, making no sense to me from in here.
    “Cream and sugar?” Thad calls.
    I assume he’s talking to me so I answer, “Nothing in mine.”
    Then Thad is suddenly back in the doorway with two steaming cups.
    “My kind of girl,” he says with that perfect smile still intact.
    Sitting up, I brush my hair away from my face, wishing I didn’t look like I just crawled out of bed. I’m still not sure how I fell asleep here to begin with.
    As he hands me my cup of coffee, he takes a seat on the edge of the bed and pulls my feet into his lap. Thankfully, my toenails are freshly painted instead of looking like polish-cracked/chipped death. Thank goodness for sandal season.
    “I don’t have anywhere to be until six this evening, so you have the day to get to know me,” he says with that devilish grin. “Then I’ll be picking you up at ten to get to know you even better.”
    Like my body loves to betray me, I blush when he winks. He really doesn’t have an ounce of subtlety in him, but that’s something I like. No games.
    “I take it you don’t want to get to know me since you’re not asking any questions.”
    It’s not a question, but I admit it sounds a little insecure and possibly bitter. As hot as he is, I’m not a toy. Even though I really want to be wild enough to jump in bed with a complete stranger, I’m not. I can’t believe I’m even over here right now. I’m not acting like me at all.
    His smile only broadens. “Easy, sweet girl. I’m letting you catch up. I already know the basics about you.”
    As my brow furrows in confusion, he reaches and opens a drawer. Then he pulls out a file and hands it to me. Warily, I open it, and a slight gasp breaks free from me.
    It’s me. My life. Everything on public record has found its way into this file. Even some things that aren’t public knowledge, such as my medical records.
    “Um… This is a little creepy,” I admit uneasily, but he only laughs while I continue to flip through the