His to Claim Read Online Free Page B

array of tiny stars sparkling all over the living-room and her open kitchen.
    Interested in neither the cosmic display, nor her quiet surroundings, Elaine busily poured herself a glass of crystalline water. Later, replacing the bottle back in its place she closed the door and the veil of black shrouded everything once again.
    Thirst, then light, was the order of her priorities when she had stepped into the apartment.
    Now that the cooling drink had restored some of her vitality drained from Henry’s probing questions, water still in hand, she sauntered to turn on the lights.
    Sighing in the dark Elaine extended an arm, feeling for a switch on the cool wall. But in a flash, her hand retracted as though jumping off a hot plate.
    What she had truly felt under her touch rendered her heart beating a mile per second.
    Her breaths were weighed by her growing dread. Her eyes roved unfocussed, sweat beaded on her forehead. She didn’t need sight to know what her touch had sensed.
    There was a man standing right in front of her. A big, tough man. Her soft, feminine fingers hadn’t missed the corded strength bridled beneath the wide, hard masculine chest they had come into contact with.
    Rooted to her spot, Elaine remained unmoving, caught like a hare in a trapper’s snare. She could feel the heat emanating from his body like biting incisions of a scalpel. Had he just moved closer?
    A whistled blow of heated breath glided down to caress her face. Its electric intensity validating his lethal proximity instantly galvanised her from a paralysis induced by an icy fear.
    Her mind and body rocked out of a horror of finding herself in such an inconceivable scenario. The glass of water shaking in her nerveless hand finally slipped to the floor, sound of it crashing reared an instinct to live in her.
    And Elaine bolted.
    Her feet scrambled zigzag towards the main door avoiding the general clutter of furniture she knew was there. But the man didn’t have her advantage. From behind her, she heard a thump followed by a muted curse.
    Elaine hoped that gained her the precious seconds she needed to escape from the house and the vile clutches of this dangerous intruder. Once outside, she would bring the whole block down on him with her ear splitting screaming!
    She reached the door, turned the knob, pulled at it.
    A slice of light from the hallway streamed in. Yes!
    Bang!
    The door closed in her face, and she, slammed against it.
    No…! No. No!
    Hopes dashed, fear hammered against her breast. She grappled to draw back the air that had left her at the impact. It seemed to her as though the intruder had pitched his entire weight after her to cut her flight.
    Hands barred to her sides, Elaine tried fighting his hold with her meagre strength–all useless.
    She was jammed between the door and this large man twice her size. To top it all off, this unproductive tussle was putting a serious constraint on her lungs already depleted of air.
    She would have to say something, somehow try to persuade this man to let her go.
    “Please.. Y..You wouldn’t find anything here. There’s nothing of va..value.”
    A hard thrust of his lean hips against the plush rounds of her soft buttocks stole a gasp from her.
    “I beg to differ.” A hoarse whisper wafted over her ear, its barely restrained anger evident.
    And with terror, she found he was dangerously aroused. The brand of his burning erection, large and threatening, unmistakable behind her.
    Oh, God, was she going to be raped?
    *****

CHAPTER 4
     
    A bsolute alarm was taking her over at the thought of rape. She could feel every line and length of the man behind her.
    Standing where he had her pinned, Elaine ceased all movements. Waiting.. dreading..
    The contrast from the cool surface of the door in front, and the heat swirling from his body behind, was striking dense fright in her.
    The possibility of his stealing from her was no longer a threat, the probability of his raping her was.
    “It is. What I