Crimson Read Online Free

her keys into her purse. Crimson took a chance and grabbed her hand, liking the feel of her smooth, soft skin against his rough palm, and then led her to his bike in the parking lot. Holly stopped, pulling him to a halt.
    “You brought your motorcycle?” she asked.
    He glanced at the bike then back at her. “Yeah.”
    “I can’t ride that in this dress! Everyone will see…well, everything .”
    Crimson couldn’t hold back his laughter. “Look, sweet thing, you just climb on back and hang onto me. No one will dare say a word about you or stare too long, not if they know what’s good for them. One cross word and I’ll lay them out cold.”
    “I’m not sure if I should be thrilled that you’re willing to stand up for me or horrified that you’re threatening bodily harm to everyone.”
    “Go with thrilled.”
    She eyed the bike again. “You really think I can ride that thing in this dress and these heels?”
    “I do.”
    Her shoulders seemed to droop a little. “All right. Let’s get this over with. I don’t suppose I could convince you to pick me up in the truck, could I?”
    Crimson swung a leg over the seat, then helped Holly on behind him. As he pulled her hands around his body and settled them across his belt buckle, he glanced at her over his shoulder.
    “I suppose I could be convinced to do that, but I have to admit you feel mighty fine pressed against my back like that.”
    “You’re such a flirt,” she muttered.
    “I’d offer you a helmet, but I don’t have one,” he said. “If I’d thought about it, I’d have borrowed one for you. I know it’s dangerous for a human to ride without one, and I don’t want anything to happen to you.”
    “Just go slow.”
    He nodded, then started the engine. The bike roared to life and a moment later, they were pulling out of the apartment parking lot and onto the street. Crimson stuck to the side streets with a lower speed limit and less traffic, not wanting to take a chance with his mate’s safety. Mate? His bear rumbled in his head. Well, hell. He knew she was important to him, and thought she might belong to him, but his bear was getting rather insistent that she was theirs. Once the beast made up his mind, Crimson knew he would find no rest until Holly was in his arms every night. Now he just had to convince her that’s where she belonged.
    At Laguna’s, he helped her off the bike, killed the engine, and followed her inside. She paused inside the door and turned to face him.
    “Are you staying?” she asked. “I thought you were just dropping me off.”
    “I wanted to see you safely inside. I may come by later with some of the crew to have dinner though.” He smiled. “I’ll tell them to seat us in your section, then I’ll return at midnight to pick you up.”
    She smiled and nodded. Crimson fought an inner battle that he finally lost, as he leaned closer and brushed his lips across her cheek. He breathed her in, his beast roaring to the surface, wanting to claim their mate. Before anyone could notice his lengthened canines, he bid Holly goodbye and beat a hasty retreat to the parking lot. Dinner wouldn’t come soon enough.
     

Chapter Three
     
    Holly reached up and touched her cheek. A thrill had run through her as Crimson’s lips had brushed against her cheek, and now, hours later, she was still reliving the moment. She’d gotten through the day in a haze, barely able to focus on the task at hand. When dinner had arrived, and Crimson had walked through the door, she’d forced herself to wait patiently for him to be seated in her section. Her first response had been to run to him and throw herself into his arms, but she kept the urge in check.
    She was acting like a love struck schoolgirl. And all because of a silly little kiss on the cheek! The sad thing was that his brief goodbye kiss, even though it was chaste, was probably the most romantic thing anyone had ever done for Holly. Her ex-boyfriend had thought grabbing his crotch and