Tapestry of the Past Read Online Free

spring.”
    “What makes you say that?” Gabriel watched her like a hawk but each subtle shift of expression and motion all backed up his original assessment. Kalesia Brannigan believed she’d had a psychic vision. A reluctant tug of interest reared its ugly head.
    “The woods were bare and the grass brown. I had the impression of winter or early spring. When I,” a delicate shudder rippled through her small frame, “looked at her face, I saw mine.” Her eyes darkened to almost black as the pupils swallowed the green. Slender fingers twisted together in her lap.
    Nervousness or an attempt at control?
    “There had been a struggle. She—I—had been shot. Once. Through the heart.” Irritation forgotten, she leaned forward and placed a carmine-tipped hand on his. “Please believe me, Mr. Steele, this isn’t some sort of a joke.”
    A trace of magnolia and exotic woods teased Gabriel’s senses. Against the ruined flesh of his wrist, her hand was small and smooth. He stared down for a long minute, breath clogged in his throat. He surged to his feet.
    “I can’t help you.”
    “Just like that?” Stunned, she stared at him, her eyes huge.
    He couldn’t do this. He could not have what little serenity he’d managed to carve out of the ruins of his life, taken from him. Rage, pain and need, coalesced in one tangled ball. He focused it all on the woman sitting so still. Gabriel leaned over her, a hand on each arm of the chair. He used his size and fury to intimidate her without compunction. “You’re very good, lady but we both know you didn’t come out here because of some so-called vision. Trust me. You would have gotten a lot farther if you’d been upfront with me.” He was so close he could see the faint trace of freckles across the bridge of her nose.
    Somehow, that made him even more furious.
    “I guess you do deserve something for coming out here all this way and for putting on such a superb performance.” He grinned, a feral showing of teeth.
    The pulse in the vulnerable hollow of her throat pounded. For some reason, it didn’t give him the satisfaction he’d expected.
    Before she had time to react, his mouth covered hers.
    Soft. Warm. Moist. His tongue pushed inside, not giving her a chance to regain her equilibrium. Her hands came up to rest against his chest, giving a tentative shove. Gabriel nipped her bottom lip in warning.
    She gave in with a soft moan. Her hands slid up to rest against his shoulders, nails kneading the heavy muscles like a cat.
    Triumph heated his blood. He rewarded her with a gentle swipe of his tongue to soothe the small sting. One large hand cradling the back of her head, his fingers tunneled into a wealth of red hair beneath the braid. He used his hold to tip her head up for a deeper kiss.
    That fast, Gabriel forgot he was trying to make her run away, forgot that she was dangerous to his peace of mind. All he cared about was how good she tasted.
    “That’s it, darlin ’. Open for me. Let me taste you. I need to taste you.”
    His tongue stroked the sensitive roof of her mouth, danced away from hers only to come back and tangle with hers. The sexy, little, back-of-the-throat sounds she was making drove Gabriel crazy. He couldn’t get enough of them.
    He fumbled with the over-large button on her jacket, swearing softly into the heat of her mouth as it resisted his attempt to unfasten it. At last he got it open. Immediately, he cupped her breast. She wasn’t wearing a bra! He rubbed his thumb back and forth over the crest of her breast, feeling the nipple peak beneath his touch.
    He swallowed her gasp.
    He tore his mouth free from hers, seeking and finding the small, hard nub. Gabriel braced himself with one hand on the arm of the chair. The position put unbearable pressure on his erection.
    Almost as if she knew, Kalesia popped the button of his fly free. Mouth around the tip of her nipple, he froze, hardly daring to take a breath as he waited for the feel of those soft