Free London Bound: New Adult Romance (Chase Brothers) by Nana Malone Page A

now. Will I really see a green fairy?”
    He chuckled low, and Abbie wanted nothing more than to melt into that sound.
    “I think you’re safe from little green fairies. The absinthe they serve these days is missing the wormwood, so you’re unlikely to hallucinate.”
    “What? Then what was the point of all that? The sugar cube and the flame? I thought I was getting something really extraordinary.”
    “Well, you got the experience at least, if not the buzz.”
    She sighed and slouched. “Bummer. Not quite the London experience I was expecting.”
    “Oh, come on, at least you came to a cool party.” He winked.
    “Yes. There’s that.” Her arm accidentally grazed his, and she sucked in a breath as she shifted away. “Not what I meant. I meant the first time doing something out of my norm. Stepping out of the box.”
    “Ahh.” He nodded. “Seems I have a little adventurer on my hands.”
    “Ha. I’m hardly an adventurer.” She shivered.
    Lex shrugged out of his jacket and shifted toward her. Unsure of what he meant to do, she stiffened and leaned away from him an inch. His grey eyes met hers and his smile was soft. Careful not to move too quickly, he slid his jacket around her shoulders. The warmth of his heat cocooned her. Relax, Abbie, go with the flow. For once, be brave . She closed her eyes, and without thinking, snuggled into his coat and leaned into him.
    The moment her body made contact with his, they both stilled, and she didn’t dare breathe. When it finally came to a choice of inhale, or pass out, Abbie dragged in air quickly.
    The moment she tried to slide away, he scooted closer and threw an arm around her. For three long seconds, she forgot how to speak. Her brain, unable to command her body to move away, took stock of her emotions. Anxiety level—DEFCON One. Fear levels—low. Lust levels—skyrocketing.
    Minus a deep breath of his own, Alexi seemed completely unaffected by their close proximity. When he spoke again, his voice was mellow, modulated. “So you don’t think you’re an adventurer? How did you end up in London, if not?”
    If he could be cool, then so could she. “Would you believe it if I told you I ran away from home? Left my life and my apartment and my b—” She halted just short of saying boyfriend.
    She amended. “I left my family just to prove that I could do something extraordinary, be something extraordinary.” And ditched my abusive ex.
    He was silent for several beats, but she could tell his eyes were on her profile. Her skin tingled under his scrutiny.
    “That’s brave as hell. You are an adventurer.”
    “Well, the jury’s still out. Everyone back home thinks I’m going to give up and go back, if they bug me long enough.”
    “Well, how long has it been?”
    She grinned and forced herself to meet his gaze. “A couple of weeks.”
    * * *
    Lex held Abbie tighter as she shivered again. What the hell was he doing? This was not part of the plan. And there was something about the way she stiffened whenever anyone touched her. But she was relaxed in his arms now. He should let her go. But he liked her. Really liked her.
    All the more reason to let her go, mate.
    There was something so exposed and open about her. Something vulnerable but strong, unlike the girls he usually met. The over-processed, coy, game-playing girls who pretended they had no idea who he was or what he was about. But Abbie didn’t seem to know. She seemed real.
    He wanted a slice of that reality. Wanted to touch it, if even for a minute. Hell, he was at his birthday party, and only a handful of those people would he call his friends. He would have preferred to be home with a pile of movies.
    He smiled at her. “So, after a couple of weeks, what do you think of our little island?”
    “Besides having fallen completely, unashamedly in love with the history, and the energy, and the diversity, and the atmosphere?” She shrugged, feigning indifference. “It’s okay. If you like that kind of