dark paranormals and humorous contemporaries. She lives in eastern Canada with her husband, two kids, and chocolate Labrador retriever.
Turn the page for a sneak peek of the next novel in the
sizzling Eternal Pleasure series
Impulsive
BY CATHRYN FOX
Available from NAL in June 2010
Chicago: A Century Ago
Hurried steps carried Ray Bartlett across town; his dark clothes as well as the black sky masked his foolhardy presence. As he approached the train tracks, the silhouette of the old abandoned building on the other side of the railroad came into view, prompting him to reach into his pocket and pull out the heavy tin can he always brought with him—a familiar beacon in an eerily unfamiliar night.
“Here, kitty, kitty,” he called out as he gently shook the scratched and dented container of sardines, letting the thick oil inside slosh about in an effort to herald his approach. He pitched his voice low, knowing the sound would carry in the breeze and alert the lone occupant of the building to his presence, and signal her to free the latch. He darted a glance around and hoped like hell he’d gone undetected by any resident gangs, should they be lurking about. After all, he was a far cry from his elite Gold Coast neighborhood, and he was now setting foot into Chicago’s seedy south side—a testament to his foolhardiness, for sure.
As he took note of his shaking fingers, he slid the can back into his breeches and stuffed his hands into his coat pockets to still his rather unusual jitters. His discomposure was partly because he’d snuck out of his dorm—and should he get caught, the consequences doled out by his headmaster would be most severe—and partly due to his excitement in seeing the girl waiting for him on the side of town where he had no business frequenting—the side of town the folks in his social circle avoided like a diseased wharf rat. But, unlike him, they didn’t have Sunni Matthews waiting for them.
Sunni...
God, his heart raced and his body grew needy just thinking about her. She had a certain energy about her: a spark, a light in the darkness that filled him with a deep warmth and unearthed things inside him he’d never felt before.
Everything from the way her golden hair framed her porcelain skin and the way her beautiful blue eyes sparkled with love and laughter, to the way she trusted him completely and thoroughly with her body, heart, and soul rattled his emotions and practically rendered him senseless. Ribbons of want—no need—worked their way through his veins because he knew he was only minutes from gathering her into his arms, pressing his mouth to hers and paying homage to her lush body until the early hours of the morning.
As he took in the shape of the slumbering structure tucked just inside the woods, a mixture of joy and sadness invaded his thoughts. He was thrilled to spend a few stolen moments with Sunni—he ached to embrace her, to feel her naked body against his skin—but it pained him to know that he’d wake up tomorrow between a set of starched white sheets, and she on a dusty cot. His heart twisted and his stomach clenched. He halted his forward momentum and took a moment to fight down the feeling of helplessness, as well as the pang of loneliness that ate at his guts like a thousand hungry cockroaches.
Soon, he reminded himself. Soon they’d be together forever, and he’d make things better for her. It was a promise he’d made to her a long time ago, and a promise he intended to keep.
Off in the distance the whistle of an approaching train pulled him back to reality. The high-pitched whine broke through the unnatural silence as he carefully counted the wooden sleepers and made his way over the tracks—tracks he knew better than to cross. Yes, it was dangerous, maybe even downright suicidal to venture into this part of town, but it was a damn strange thing how love affected one’s ability to make rational decisions.
He ducked into the woods and glanced around, camouflaging himself amongst the towering maple trees and densely packed foliage. As he stepped onto the overgrown walking path, he once again took note of the strange quiet surrounding him. Not even the cacophony of the bullfrogs living in the swamp just beyond the tracks could be heard. It was as if someone or something had scared them silent. That thought aroused the fine hairs along his nape as the long,