Grave Attraction Read Online Free Page A

the bloody hell . . .” the stranger muttered, and a chill ran up Adam’s spine.
    He hadn’t heard that voice in nearly four years, when he was just a fledgling reaper struggling to cope with the loss of his humanity.
    Pushing up to a sitting position, the man rubbed the side of his head. He groaned, and then his shoulders slumped on a heavy exhale. Slowly, he twisted his torso in Adam’s direction, his eyes squinting against the flashlight’s beam. Recognition sparked in his eyes, followed quickly by unmasked annoyance. “Turn that damn thing off.”
    Adam’s mouth went slack. After hearing so many horror stories about his boss, he’d never expected to find Samuel naked and disheveled in his backyard. For a moment, he regretted not bringing his pistol, but then he realized a bullet would be absolutely worthless against anything powerful enough to fuck with Death.

Chapter 3
    A dam woke the next morning to the reek of Buford’s hot breath blowing across his face.
    He grunted, jerking his head away from the foul odor. Undeterred, Buford placed his front paws on the mattress and shoved his cold, wet nose against Adam’s bare back. Little by little, the dog’s pants grew louder until they became an insistent whine.
    Best alarm clock ever.
    â€œOkay, okay. I’m up.” With a yawn, he flipped back the covers and swung his legs over the side of the bed. Damn, he felt exhausted, like he hadn’t slept in a week. Of course, that wasn’t the case. The dreams from last night still lingered in his mind, all starring the blonde from the serial killer’s house.
    There was absolutely no reason to be thinking about her. The job was done and behind him. Given the situation, there hadn’t been any kind of flirtation or pull of attraction. And yet for the life of him, he couldn’t get her out of his mind.
    After rubbing the sleep from his eyes, he gave Buford a quick scratch behind the ears and the dog bounded out of the bedroom. A few seconds later, someone yelped in the adjoining room, and every muscle in Adam’s body tensed. Then he remembered who’d crashed on the couch the night before, and his apprehension turned to dread.
    He’d been hoping the big boss would be long gone by the time he woke up this morning. As the newest reaper in the Orlando unit, Adam had never really interacted directly with Samuel. From what he’d seen and heard, the guy was a prick, and he wasn’t looking forward to dealing with him. Steeling his nerves, he pulled on a pair of knee-length shorts and strode out of the bedroom to see what Samuel was up to.
    â€œMorning,” Adam said as he walked to the sliding glass door and let Buford out.
    Samuel was stretched out on the couch in front of the television with a blanket covering the lower half of his body. Scores of scrapes and bruises on his face and torso made him look like he’d been run over by a Buick. Why hadn’t they already healed? His life force seemed hearty enough. And since reapers recovered from injuries at an accelerated rate, shouldn’t the same be true for Samuel?
    Bleary-eyed, the big boss pushed up to a sitting position and peered in Adam’s direction. His bottom lip was split and swollen, and his hair was sticking up in every direction. “How did I get here?” His British accent sounded raspy and rough.
    â€œYou don’t remember?” There had to be one hell of a story behind this. For a wiry guy, Samuel was remarkably heavy, and it had taken most of Adam’s strength to drag him inside the house last night. He’d passed out on the couch as soon as he hit the cushions, leaving Adam no choice but to cover his scrawny ass with a blanket and let him sleep.
    Samuel slowly shook his head, his brows dipped into a V. “The last thing I remember is eating breakfast in Budapest.”
    Yep, definitely a good story behind this, if the guy ever happened to remember it.