Read As Long As for Free Online Page A

mouth.
    “I’m not allowing you to bite my neck again. Okay?”
    “No?”
    “Oh. Absolutely no.”
    “Fetch my ushabti ,” he commanded. If she’d known him in his mortal life, she’d have recognized his tone. He was the eldest son of a powerful pharaoh. He was used to having his words obeyed. Instantly.
    “I don’t have it here.”
    He flicked a wrist. A cabinet door somewhere in the suite opened with a bang. An iron door clanked as it sprang open and smacked against the wood. The bundle containing his statue launched toward him. Sokar caught it to him without even looking. And then he waited.
    Her eyes were enormous. Her mouth open, stunned. “How...did you just do that?”
    “You don’t believe in Egyptian magic, either?” he asked.
    Her mouth opened and closed again. Nothing came out. And that was extremely gratifying. Sokar put his head back and laughed heartily.
    For the first time in several millennia.

CHAPTER FIVE
    The guy was beyond incredible. His massive frame rocked with laughter. Unbridled. Loud. Joyful. It was a contagious sound. Geena almost joined him before he finished and stared back at her. Things were getting strange. There was a weight to the surroundings, a bit of pressure in the room, pushing ever so slightly against her. She couldn’t define it. She could barely sense it. The sensation was rather ethereal. Not quite real. Geena fought the urge to push back against it more than once.
    And Sokar was at the center of it. Along with her.
    His amusement didn’t fade away when he finished. He didn’t brush away a tear. He simply stopped mid-laugh and brought his head back down. And he really did have the most amazing eye color! He seemed to possess an uncanny ability to make it feel as if he looked right through her. She’d initially kept her gaze on his for self-preservation. It was a defensive move. An opponent would sometimes show their move a hairsbreadth before it happened. With their eyes.
    It was for self-defense. And opportunity.
    Those reasons were elusive now. Looking up at him was entirely too enjoyable, almost addictive. She almost sighed with something resembling pleasure before yanking the reaction back. What was wrong with her? Her training made her emotionless. Driven. Hard.
    But she’d never been up against such a man.
    Sokar was tall, but she’d seen men just as tall. He had something more. He had an added dimension. If she had to peg it, she’d say it was self-confidence. He exuded it. Then again...that could be because of his looks. She’d never been around a man quite as handsome, either. Self-confidence had probably been his birthright. Anyone looking at him probably found their tongue silenced. Their wits scrambled. It couldn’t just be her.
    This was terrible. Really odd. Worrisome. He already had too many weapons at his disposal. The man possessed speed and dexterity. She had to factor in his ability with what he called Egyptian magic. While she didn’t believe in magic, that didn’t change what she’d just seen. The man had sprung a safe door without even being near it! Unbelievable. And now she was having trouble concentrating. Fate was delivering a combination she’d never dealt with before. She’d been right. Sokar was incredible. She might have to go with another plan.
    Maybe even...seduction.
    Then she wondered how best to go about it. She mustn’t be too brazen. Or overly coy. Geena swallowed. She couldn’t think. The sensation of pressure about them strengthened somehow. It was warmer, too. As if the air conditioning had died. She nearly fanned herself.
    “You are very young,” he commented.
    “Nearly thirty, not that it matters. And yourself?”
    His lips twitched slightly as if he fought a smile. And then it faded. “In mortal or immortal years?”
    Geena drew in a deep breath. It looked as if he did the exact same thing. She narrowed her eyes but didn’t break the gaze. She didn’t blink. He didn’t either.
    “Mortal,” she finally