e02ba46
|
Already he knew she was the one he wanted, and it had nothing to do with their shadows coming together.
|
|
romance
shadow-rider-series
suspense-thriller
|
Christine Feehan |
9c53904
|
He didn't want to take over her life, he wanted her to surrender it to him. Invading her privacy was far different than her volunteering to tell him what was going on in her life.
|
|
romance
shadow-rider-series
suspense-thriller
|
Christine Feehan |
e844e4b
|
You know me, gattina, you're just conditioned to think you can't trust anyone. He did that to you. Don't let him interfere with us. You have the right to live your life, Grace.
|
|
romance
shadow-rider-series
suspense-thriller
|
Christine Feehan |
cd5ab46
|
There was always a trail, skin cells, a scent, thermal imaging, parts left behind that the riders called prints. Sometimes those proved helpful when tracking an individual, especially if they were fresh.
|
|
romance
shadow-rider-series
suspense-thriller
|
Christine Feehan |
1b3dffa
|
She probably should have been afraid of him, but he brought her such a sense of well-being that fearing him was impossible.
|
|
romance
shadow-rider-series
suspense-thriller
|
Christine Feehan |
eeea79c
|
His smile was warm, impossible to ignore, and did something to her insides, making her feel happy. Happiness wasn't something she was used to feeling and it shocked her a little.
|
|
romance
shadow-rider-series
suspense-thriller
|
Christine Feehan |
f09b6a1
|
"Justice is served, " he said softly, and stepped into a long shadow."
|
|
romance
shadow-rider-series
suspense-thriller
|
Christine Feehan |
9b48015
|
Once he was set on a task, once he made up his mind, he was relentless.
|
|
romance
shadow-rider-series
suspense-thriller
|
Christine Feehan |
bdf4f50
|
She could be soft and sensitive. He'd provide the armor for her.
|
|
romance
shadow-rider-series
suspense-thriller
|
Christine Feehan |
10d0af9
|
He'd loved that she'd fought back, that she was no pushover. That wasn't wanted in a woman, but maybe it was just what he needed.
|
|
romance
shadow-rider-series
suspense-thriller
|
Christine Feehan |
26fdc76
|
"Are you certain she's the one?" Emme whispered. "Do you just know it, Vittorio?" In your soul, where you live, do you just know?"
|
|
romance
shadow-rider-series
suspense-thriller
|
Christine Feehan |
74d8551
|
He radiated calm, his energy peaceful, surrounding her in a cocoon of tranquility. He made her feel safe, wrapped up in their world together, even though she knew neither of them was.
|
|
romance
shadow-rider-series
suspense-thriller
|
Christine Feehan |
cfaa5ec
|
He could do that. Make her forget, even if it was just for a few seconds. She couldn't stop the slow nod of assent. Relief swept through her and she put her head back against the seat and closed her eyes. She didn't have to think anymore.
|
|
romance
shadow-rider-series
suspense-thriller
|
Christine Feehan |
a91131e
|
It had been hard to tell him. Very hard. She'd learned not to trust anyone, but more importantly, she knew not to get close to anyone.
|
|
romance
shadow-rider-series
suspense-thriller
|
Christine Feehan |
84f1c51
|
She found him very hard to resist, and if she was truthful with herself, she wasn't trying that much.
|
|
romance
shadow-rider-series
suspense-thriller
|
Christine Feehan |
190e72d
|
"He'd loved that she'd fought back, that she was no pushover. That wasn't what he wanted in a woman, but maybe it was just what he needed." "
|
|
romance
shadow-rider-series
suspense-thriller
|
Christine Feehan |
670d47a
|
There it was, again, that hurt in his eyes. Maybe hurt. Something. Sadness. That was it. She detested that look. He shouldn't ever feel unhappy. It was more than unhappy. Desolate, as if he was completely alone and she'd taken his last joy from him.
|
|
romance
shadow-rider-series
suspense-thriller
|
Christine Feehan |
c4f1046
|
Her wild imagination immediately interpreted his statement as him claiming her, making her his, letting her know no matter what, he would stand for her.
|
|
romance
shadow-rider-series
suspense-thriller
|
Christine Feehan |
4d6c48e
|
She loved to see that smile, the way it transformed his face from rugged, dangerous, very masculine beauty to something much softer and approachable.
|
|
romance
shadow-rider-series
suspense-thriller
|
Christine Feehan |
1190200
|
I'd like you to make an effort to share what you're feeling, good or bad, with me. I'll do the same. If we're honest with each other in our communication this will work for us.
|
|
romance
shadow-rider-series
suspense-thriller
|
Christine Feehan |
9da47f1
|
But he couldn't feel self-pity in the face of the memorial. He hadn't lost nearly enough as these children, who'd lost their homeland and, in many cases,their whole families. Perhaps they had gained something, too, though. They had at least escaped the concentration camps, been taken in by good, caring families, and had grown up to live their lives in relative freedom.
|
|
inspector-banks
peter-robinson
strange-affair
human-trafficking
missing
suspense-thriller
murder-mystery
detective
|
Peter Robinson |
a029ffc
|
He had thought to hold a part of himself back until she made up her mind. Getting his heart broken wasn't on his list of things he wanted to experience. But the effect of her welcoming smile told him it was too late. He'd already fallen.
|
|
romance
shadow-rider-series
suspense-thriller
|
Christine Feehan |
dfcfd16
|
His thoughtful Grace. He liked that trait in her. Te stillness in her. She brought a sense of peace to her surroundings.
|
|
romance
shadow-rider-series
suspense-thriller
|
Christine Feehan |
5b28c13
|
"She looked down onto his face. So gorgeous. It wasn't just his beautiful, very masculine features, it was the way he was inside. "I'm in love with you. There isn't anything that you can tell me that is going to change that."
|
|
romance
shadow-rider-series
suspense-thriller
|
Christine Feehan |
5442281
|
Since I've had to endure your ugliness my entire life, I'm immune to whatever venom you choose to spew. However, and you'd better hear me, Eloisa, I will not tolerate you doing the same thing to my woman. She's my choice. She's always going to be my choice.
|
|
romance
shadow-rider-series
suspense-thriller
|
Christine Feehan |
7ad1edf
|
Grace had filled those lonely places, replacing them with laughter and conversation. She'd given him the purpose he needed there in his home to maintain his balance in a world of stark duty.
|
|
romance
shadow-rider-series
suspense-thriller
|
Christine Feehan |
8a5f7a7
|
She was...salvation. Everything good. She lit up a room just as she lit up his life.
|
|
romance
shadow-rider-series
suspense-thriller
|
Christine Feehan |
2117911
|
He'd always had his family, his brothers and sister, and they had formed a unit so strong, when he was younger, he hadn't thought he would ever need anyone else. Loneliness taught him otherwise.
|
|
romance
shadow-rider-series
suspense-thriller
|
Christine Feehan |
f57d5ea
|
She took away sorrow and anger, replacing it with acceptance and love.
|
|
romance
shadow-rider-series
suspense-thriller
|
Christine Feehan |
8e4d4e5
|
The rider uses a technique, breaking the neck cleanly, so there is no suffering. That is why it is important not to allow it to be personal if at all possible. You always want the visit to be about justice, not revenge.
|
|
romance
shadow-rider-series
suspense-thriller
|
Christine Feehan |
d224cb3
|
"Are you absolutely certain that Grace is yours? She's not just a woman who would be suitable because she carries the genetic code we need? Francesca is my world. Your woman needs to be yours." "Grace is my Francesca, " Vittorio assured."
|
|
romance
shadow-rider-series
suspense-thriller
|
Christine Feehan |
4495266
|
He needed her to know who he was-her man. Her lover. The man she trusted to always take care of her, have her back, give her everything.
|
|
romance
shadow-rider-series
suspense-thriller
|
Christine Feehan |
b80972c
|
Vittorio had recognized early on he had a gift. His voice could be compelling, or commanding, and those in a room reacted to it. He could calm others down, arouse or infuriate, all with his tone.
|
|
romance
shadow-rider-series
suspense-thriller
|
Christine Feehan |
87eb490
|
By conversing about the weather, a job, just everyday things, whoever was listening would be able to ascertain a rythm to a voice. The way a person breathed. Their heartbeat. That would help indicate if they suddenly told a lie.
|
|
romance
shadow-rider-series
suspense-thriller
|
Christine Feehan |
8f49a86
|
She glanced at it now, thrown from the light from the flames dancing in the fireplace. Her shadow and Vittorio's were connected. More than connected. The tubes had intertwined to the point that it appeared to be one shadow, not two.
|
|
romance
shadow-rider-series
suspense-thriller
|
Christine Feehan |
2d10793
|
She had no idea what a gift she'd just given him. She was the one he'd searched for. She was the one he hadn't believed could possibly exist. She had strength, a backbone of steel, and yet she could put herself in his hands and give him what he needed in their relationship.
|
|
romance
shadow-rider-series
suspense-thriller
|
Christine Feehan |
a793fff
|
You're a good man, Vittorio. No matter what, you're a good man.
|
|
romance
shadow-rider-series
suspense-thriller
|
Christine Feehan |
dfd5e19
|
He knew he had to have harmony in his home at all times. He had to have a sanctuary where, no matter the horrors he saw, the things he had to do in order to bring justice to those who would harm others, he could find his peace.
|
|
romance
shadow-rider-series
suspense-thriller
|
Christine Feehan |
c04b714
|
Someone to care about him. Someone to be his center. Someone to make him feel alive and passionate about living.
|
|
romance
shadow-rider-series
suspense-thriller
|
Christine Feehan |
e1d8b82
|
His voice. It was beautiful. Low. Soothing, yet the same time, there was absolute command, as if he ruled the world and knew it.
|
|
romance
shadow-rider-series
suspense-thriller
|
Christine Feehan |
bdc3eb9
|
She was the one. His only. He knew it with every fiber of his being.
|
|
romance
shadow-rider-series
suspense-thriller
|
Christine Feehan |
4c91e82
|
How could she not answer him more fully when he was looking at her so directly? When the deep, commanding way he said her name made her feel that if she didn't tell him the truth, he would be disappointed.
|
|
romance
shadow-rider-series
suspense-thriller
|
Christine Feehan |
5bd51f9
|
It was as if the very shadows connected them and she could feel his emotions.
|
|
romance
shadow-rider-series
suspense-thriller
|
Christine Feehan |
455ca08
|
He could hurry everything else in his life, but he was never going to make the mistake of hurrying his time with Grace. She was too important and everything else could take a backseat.
|
|
romance
shadow-rider-series
suspense-thriller
|
Christine Feehan |
8796e0e
|
She would be a part of their world and that meant secrecy at all times. She couldn't tell a soul anything he told her. Trust worked both ways and he was trusting her with his life and the lives of his family members.
|
|
romance
shadow-rider-series
suspense-thriller
|
Christine Feehan |
83790ea
|
He could see faint streaks of light as if the man left behind prints. They didn't appear like footprints, there were more faint bluish lights, more of a blob-line than a print, but every person left them behind and from shadows he could see them. He couldn't spot the imaging once out of tube, but the shadows acted as if he was seeing through a thermal lens.
|
|
romance
shadow-rider-series
suspense-thriller
|
Christine Feehan |
1d83474
|
He breathed away all the anger, all emotions, cloaking himself with Grace and everything in him settled, once more allowing complete control.
|
|
romance
shadow-rider-series
suspense-thriller
|
Christine Feehan |
7d6268c
|
Vittorio practiced discipline at all times. This was one of those times when he needed to stay very calm. Deep inside, the volcano that could emerge was at a boiling point.
|
|
romance
shadow-rider-series
suspense-thriller
|
Christine Feehan |
a388625
|
He was lonely. He wanted his own family. A wife. Children. Someone to come home to. Someone to care for, to take care of. He needed a purpose. His lifestyle had no balance. He needed someone to become his center, to anchor him.
|
|
romance
shadow-rider-series
suspense-thriller
|
Christine Feehan |
ac79561
|
He was a complete stranger to her, but he knew that connection between them had started there in the parking lot, their shadows touching coiling together, their eyes meeting.
|
|
romance
shadow-rider-series
suspense-thriller
|
Christine Feehan |
4630c3c
|
He heart beating too fast. He had always known he had no chance at finding a woman of his own, one who might be able to love him, to live with him, and in the blink of an eye that had turned around. Just as fast, she was being taken from him.
|
|
romance
shadow-rider-series
suspense-thriller
|
Christine Feehan |
e958cc6
|
He brought justice to all kinds of criminals. The rule had been drilled into him over and over:'Never let it be personal.' This was as personal as it was going to get.
|
|
romance
shadow-rider-series
suspense-thriller
|
Christine Feehan |
59ab25d
|
I never ever expected to meet a woman I wanted to spend my life with, let alone think I would ever admit to anyone what I was really like. You said you had nothing to give me in return for the things I do for you, but you can clearly see that wouldn't be the case.
|
|
romance
shadow-rider-series
suspense-thriller
|
Christine Feehan |
37c34af
|
She turned back to him slowly, those eyes of hers meeting his until he felt the impact all the way through his body, as if she'd shot an arrow and it was lodged in the vicinity of his heart. He had to resist putting his hand over his chest and pressing hard.
|
|
romance
shadow-rider-series
suspense-thriller
|
Christine Feehan |
37f5f26
|
She'd been drawn to him before she met him. Immense satisfaction filled him. He liked that, more than liked it.
|
|
romance
shadow-rider-series
suspense-thriller
|
Christine Feehan |
ca04f97
|
He was a shadow rider and that meant no one, 'no one' other than family, and even then close family, could the truth about him. She had to be in completely. Committed to him.
|
|
romance
shadow-rider-series
suspense-thriller
|
Christine Feehan |
a322261
|
Vittorio Ferraro stood in the shadows, his skin crawling with the need to move. Something was wrong. Not just wrong. Whatever his churning gut was about, he'd never quite felt the urgency of finding the source of the trouble as he did right then.
|
|
romance
shadow-rider-series
suspense-thriller
|
Christine Feehan |
cb4ed92
|
The paparazzi always swarmed around them, giving them better alibis for their work then anything else ever could.
|
|
romance
shadow-rider-series
suspense-thriller
|
Christine Feehan |
df3ffd6
|
This wasn't about bringing justice to criminals no one else could get to. This was about the knots in his gut that coiled tighter and tighter, and felt personal. Very personal. And that in itself was shocking.
|
|
romance
shadow-rider-series
suspense-thriller
|
Christine Feehan |
7f97ad4
|
He had to find a woman who would have the genetics to produce children capable of riding the shadows and carrying on their work. That was his obligation. He could never simply fall in love; he had to fall in love with the right person. The odds of finding that were so slim, most riders never believed it could happen.
|
|
romance
shadow-rider-series
suspense-thriller
|
Christine Feehan |
a1be679
|
Standing in the mouth of the tube, he needed a few seconds for his body to feel as if it had come back together. There was always the sick feeling that came with fast travel, with being pulled apart and put back together.
|
|
romance
shadow-rider-series
suspense-thriller
|
Christine Feehan |
3ef5b97
|
Vittorio's breath left his lungs in a long rush of shock. Something tight in his chest loosened. Someplace vulnerable. Someplace guarded and protected. He pressed his hand tightly over the spot, feeling as if that voice had been a key, fitting perfectly into the lock and turning it before he had a chance to react
|
|
romance
shadow-rider-series
suspense-thriller
|
Christine Feehan |
4e549b9
|
The woman, as small as she was, standing valiantly in the face of the threat the Saldi enforcers presented, sent heat rushing through his veins.
|
|
romance
shadow-rider-series
suspense-thriller
|
Christine Feehan |
f9c7146
|
Vittorio, always the one to seek solutions verbally, had no middle gear. Either he was talking logically, or he was acting, and when he went into action, he made every blow count.
|
|
romance
shadow-rider-series
suspense-thriller
|
Christine Feehan |
023d5d4
|
There's always going to be a part of me that is that little girl no one wanted.
|
|
romance
shadow-rider-series
suspense-thriller
|
Christine Feehan |
2587cbd
|
All three brothers were their signature three-piece suit. Gray, pin-striped, made of a special material one of the many cousins invented, the stripes allowing the Rider to fade immediately into the shadows, making it more difficult for anyone to see them. More importantly, the suit would come apart with them when they were pulled apart, drawn into the tubes in the shadows.
|
|
romance
shadow-rider-series
suspense-thriller
|
Christine Feehan |
7a4acf8
|
She had the beginnings of trust in him. He needed that from her. To gain the kind of absolute faith and trust he needed from her, he had to show in every way that he would always be there for her. That trust could never be in any way taken for granted or abused.
|
|
romance
shadow-rider-series
suspense-thriller
|
Christine Feehan |
357506f
|
I was always in danger. Always. I felt every minute of the day that I was walking a tightrope and any moment I was going to fall. Part of me just wanted it over.
|
|
romance
shadow-rider-series
suspense-thriller
|
Christine Feehan |
de669e5
|
Where was her sharp intellect? She relied on her brain. She could think fast and was good at details. When Vittorio was around, the only details she could remember were how his smile was so beautiful and how his voice was so gentle and yet compelling.
|
|
romance
shadow-rider-series
suspense-thriller
|
Christine Feehan |
0d97a6b
|
The feelings of conquest and possession mixing with love were a heady combination. Those traits were deep in him and she accepted him without judgment. How could he not be in love with her?
|
|
romance
shadow-rider-series
suspense-thriller
|
Christine Feehan |
fa264b2
|
His shadow and hers had become entangled in spite of his efforts to keep them apart. Although, truthfully, he hadn't tried that hard. He knew if she rejected him, the consequences to him would be dire.
|
|
romance
shadow-rider-series
suspense-thriller
|
Christine Feehan |
56d2a9e
|
Vittorio Ferraro was the most extraordinary man she'd ever meet and she would forever regret being a coward if she didn't give what had been growling between them a chance.
|
|
romance
shadow-rider-series
suspense-thriller
|
Christine Feehan |
117a695
|
She didn't want the mask he wore around others. She wanted the true intamacy he had given her, the real Vittorio, the real man. He had offered her that man and she'd been so afraid she'd rejected him.
|
|
romance
shadow-rider-series
suspense-thriller
|
Christine Feehan |
d8147bd
|
She didn't tell him, but his voice alone could seduce her. Having his hand on her was beyond exciting. Exhilarating. She wanted more. She wanted to feel as if she belonged to him.
|
|
romance
shadow-rider-series
suspense-thriller
|
Christine Feehan |
096b38e
|
If you let yourself believe in me, I'll take care of us. I believe absolutely, without a shadow of a doubt, that you'll take care of us just as well.
|
|
romance
shadow-rider-series
suspense-thriller
|
Christine Feehan |
acbfbe1
|
Now there was Grace. An unexpected gift. She was far more than he'd ever fantasized about. She was courageous and beautiful. Intelligent and no pushover.
|
|
romance
shadow-rider-series
suspense-thriller
|
Christine Feehan |
00736dc
|
Claiming her as his. He was rough, demanding and possessive. He wanted her to feel his brand of love. Complete. Encompassing. Reverent. Carnal.
|
|
romance
shadow-rider-series
suspense-thriller
|
Christine Feehan |
af11e90
|
She was an intelligent woman and she wasn't just going to hand herself over to him because she was tempted. He loved that about her because it meant when she did fully surrender, he'd earned it and he had a much better chance of keeping her when he had to tell her he was a shadow rider and what that meant for both of them.
|
|
romance
shadow-rider-series
suspense-thriller
|
Christine Feehan |
e243dd0
|
He'd meant what he'd said when he'd told her he didn't want to ever see her hurt or with tears in her eyes. He knew never was a long time, but he would still do his best to make that promise count.
|
|
romance
shadow-rider-series
suspense-thriller
|
Christine Feehan |
500eaf4
|
"She was known as QBSITDROH" She rattled off the letters fast as if she'd used them often. [...] "You'll have to teach your special name to sisters-in-law. They occasionally need a humorous way to cope. What does it stand for?" "Queen bitch spawned in the deepest recesses of hell."
|
|
romance
shadow-rider-series
suspense-thriller
|
Christine Feehan |
415faa8
|
It was at home, when she was alone with herself, the way she'd been her entire life, that she was lost. She had no purpose. No focus. No center to balance her. Now, this man, Vittorio Ferraro, an amazing, sensual, intelligent man offered those things to her.
|
|
romance
shadow-rider-series
suspense-thriller
|
Christine Feehan |
487cc91
|
He was born a shadow rider and trained from the time he was two. There was no other job or interest for him. It was considered a sacred duty and no rider, if he was capable, would ever walk away from it, no matter how difficult.
|
|
romance
shadow-rider-series
suspense-thriller
|
Christine Feehan |
77dd5b9
|
The life was lonely, regimented, dangerous and formidable. Now that he had Grace in his life, even for a short few weeks, he wasn't willing to go back to that stark, lonely existence.
|
|
romance
shadow-rider-series
suspense-thriller
|
Christine Feehan |
5f50b8e
|
For all the downsides to being a rider, there was his family. Always there. Always ready to help and watch out for one another. His family was one of the biggest gifts he had to offer Grace.
|
|
romance
shadow-rider-series
suspense-thriller
|
Christine Feehan |
0ef1e19
|
What did she think? That a man like Vittorio Ferraro was playing an elaborate hoax on her? That was absurd. She just knew she knew she couldn't take rejection from him, so it was easier to leap on the first legitimate excuse to run. Her jumbled fears weren't making any sense.
|
|
romance
shadow-rider-series
suspense-thriller
|
Christine Feehan |
00c4b20
|
She didn't want to be that girl, the one curled up in a little ball. The one under the covers in the fetal position. She'd been there hundreds of times and every single time she'd told herself to stand up. This time, win or lose, if she just stood up, she had the very real opportunity, which would never come again, to be with a man she'd dreamt of.
|
|
romance
shadow-rider-series
suspense-thriller
|
Christine Feehan |
20d0cfa
|
"She looked desperate. He felt that way. He wasn't about to be separated from her. "No matter what, I'll be with you," he promised."
|
|
romance
shadow-rider-series
suspense-thriller
|
Christine Feehan |
be45fe5
|
You make me feel alive, Grace. Every cell in my body wakes up around you. My heart. Who knew it was even possible?
|
|
romance
shadow-rider-series
suspense-thriller
|
Christine Feehan |
a772d57
|
"Don't talk, Grace. Save your strength. I've got this. All you have to do is stay alive for me. I'll take care of everything else. Will you do that for me? Just stay alive." Her nod was nearly imperceptible, but it was there."
|
|
romance
shadow-rider-series
suspense-thriller
|
Christine Feehan |
20010cc
|
It was just her luck to be in the worst possible circumstances when she met the hottest man in the entire world.
|
|
romance
shadow-rider-series
suspense-thriller
|
Christine Feehan |
ccb2235
|
I want you to be mine completely. I need you to give yourself to me the way you kiss me. More importantly, I need to be your man. The one who shelters you, protects you, gives you everything.
|
|
romance
shadow-rider-series
suspense-thriller
|
Christine Feehan |