by Jami Gray
“At first it was.” I gave her a self-conscious half grin. “Especially since my childhood goal was to grow up into the world’s best wizard or a kick-ass queen of a secret kingdom. I was not thrilled my siblings had the abilities I could only dream of.” My self-directed amusement faded. “As we got older, and I watched them struggle to deal with what having these gifts really meant, I was secretly grateful that the psychic fairy passed me by.”
“I get that.”
Somehow, I thought she just might. I looked at my toes, unable to hold her gaze as I gave her the rest. “Now it seems that maybe the psychic fairy is getting hers back.”
“What do you mean?” Meli asked gently.
Against the backdrop of normality, her quiet acceptance unlocked my tongue. “Wolf and Bishop think I might be psychic now.” Saying it out loud made the theory seem more real.
When I couldn’t get anything more out, she asked, “What do you think?”
“I don’t know.” Pressure grew in my chest, making my voice raspy. “But I want them to be wrong, because if they’re right…”
She waited until I looked at her before she finished what I wouldn’t. “Then you’re no longer normal, and you’re just like your sister and brother.”
God. Hearing the truth out loud meant I couldn’t dodge it. Uncomfortable, I rubbed my chin over my knee.
Meli leaned forward, compassion clear on her face. “Wolf didn’t share details, just that you were hoping he could help you find some answers. If they are right about this, it may not be what you wanted to hear, but it is an answer. Doesn’t that count for something?”
Does it? Or does it just add more weight to the fact that I might be the loaded gun aimed at the team? Doubt kept me mute.
After a few moments, Meli sighed and sat back. “I wish I could be like Risia and give you something solid to hold on to, but honestly, if anyone could see you through a tough situation, it would be Bishop and his team.”
“I know.” That wasn’t a lie. I’d gone to the colonel because I knew if my fears held any grain of truth, she and her teams would stop me before it was too late. I counted on them doing that. What worried me was who or what waited on the other side if I slipped through the teams and managed to do some real damage. “I just don’t want anyone to get hurt.”
Meli had opened her mouth to reply when she suddenly looked up and broke into a smile. She was uncurling her legs and getting to her feet as the sliding door opened. I twisted in my seat to see Wolf and Bishop step out onto the deck.
Wolf headed straight for Meli, but my attention stayed on Bishop, who held my gaze as he came up behind my chair. He moved with a flowing grace. Watching his big body walk my way made me feel as though a predatory cat was stalking me. Caught between thrilled and mesmerized, I kept my neck craned back as he stopped and brushed a hand down my hair. “We should probably head out soon.”
As he played with the ends of my hair, I kept my reaction to his touch confined to an internal shiver. He was right—we’d been here much longer than anticipated, and while I enjoyed getting to know Meli, what I really wanted was to retreat somewhere so I could consider what he and Wolf had dropped in my lap before determining my next move.
Grabbing my empty glass, I got to my feet, turned to Meli, who was standing under Wolf’s arm, and offered her a small smile. “It was wonderful to meet you, and dinner was lovely. Thank you.”
She stepped away from Wolf and gave me a hug. “I’m glad I got a chance to meet you, too.” She kept her hands on my shoulders but pulled back enough to see my face. “When you can, we need to do lunch or something.”
“I’d like that,” I answered with complete honesty.
Meli and Wolf led us to the door, where we spent a few more minutes exchanging goodbyes under the porch light. The sun had disappeared, and evening was settling in as Bishop gave a final wave. His hand landed on the small of my back, making the heat spread up my spine, as he guided me down the walkway to his Jeep.
We were halfway down when Wolf called out, “See ya tomorrow!”
I stutter stepped, but with Bishop’s hand in my back, I could only move forward as he twisted his head back and said, “Till tomorrow.”
I waited until I’d climbed into his Jeep before asking, “Tomorrow?”
He braced a hand on top of the frame, trapping me in the car. “We called Ricochet, and he agreed to see us tomorrow.”
“Excuse me?” I squeaked as I struggled to figure out how I felt about the impending meeting with the mysterious Ricochet and what it meant.
Bishop’s dark eyes flashed with irritation, and his voice gained an edge even as it stayed low. “Let it go, Megan.”
Turning into a shrew in the middle of a quiet street wasn’t on my agenda, so I snapped my mouth closed and gritted my teeth. Calling him on his high-handedness required privacy.
Amused, he said, “Thank you.”
Giving an annoyed sigh, I fastened my seatbelt as he closed the door and rounded the Jeep’s hood. He settled behind the wheel, started the engine, and navigated through the neighborhood. Brooding, I let the quiet stand and simmer.
Once we cleared the neighborhood, he spoke. “You okay?”
Knowing that a lie would be pretty damn pointless, I answered, “Not really.” I winced, recognizing how unfair it was to take my crazy emotional roller-coaster ride out on him. Nor was it fair to be pissed because the visit to Wolf hadn’t fixed everything the way I thought it would. Stupid Megan. What’s next? Chasing freakin’ rainbows to find the pot of gold? Dammit. I cleared my throat and tried for something less likely to start an argument. “I like Meli. She’s a sweetheart.”
Fortunately, he took my conversational switch in stride. “Yeah, she’s perfect for Wolf. She can out stubborn him like you wouldn’t believe.”
Remembering the deep love wound around the core of steel in Meli’s voice when she spoke of Wolf, I had no trouble believing that. “I can see that.”
“I figured you two would get along.”
“Why?”
Bishop drummed his fingers on the wheel. The passing streetlights chased shadows over his face, morphing it from fascinating to intimidating and back. “You two are a lot alike.”
Confused, I blinked and blurted, “We are?” Granted, it hadn’t taken Meli and I long to bond over our shared love of books, but she was worlds beyond me. She exuded a quiet strength, while I was busy playing fifty-two-card pickup with my sanity. Heat hit my cheeks. “Sorry.” When he shot me a questioning look complete with raised eyebrows, I kept going, digging my hole a little deeper. “That question sounded like I was fishing for compliments. I’m not.”
“So why ask?”
“I guess I’m stunned that I’m faking it so well.”
“Faking what?”
“Having my shit together.”
Bishop’s quiet chuckle took me off guard. “Babe, I hate to break it to you, but everyone fakes it at some point.”
“Even you?”
The grin that curved his lips was wry. “Yeah, even me.”
Strangely, his easy admission eased the chaotic mix of feelings plaguing me. As I stared out the window from the cocoon of the darkened interior, my whispered confession slipped free. “I wanted Wolf to fix me.”
His answer was equally soft. “I know.”
I rubbed my forehead and sighed. Gathering my wispy courage, I cleared my throat and asked in a reasonably normal tone, “Do you really think Wolf’s right?”
Bishop shot me a look then turned his attention back to the road. He answered solemnly, “Yeah, I do.”
The unshakable certainty in his response triggered a series of internal tremors. The last of my fragile hopes that Wolf’s guess was horribly wrong began to collapse. I clutched the shoulder strap of my seatbelt with bloodless fingers as if it would keep me grounded.
Bishop reached over and squeezed my knee. “It’s going to be okay.”
“Glad one of us thinks so.” The words came out unmistakably bitchy b
ecause I was struggling not to scream in frustration. Logically, I knew it wasn’t fair to take it out on Bishop, but after having my hopes of ending my nightmares dashed by Wolf, I wasn’t all that keen to rebuild them on another slim possibility. “Are you sure this Ricochet will be able to help?” A small part of me was scared to death that if this didn’t work, I’d slip, screaming, over the edge and be lost.
Bishop’s jaw flexed. He was probably not thrilled with my snippy response. Oh freakin’ well. Sure enough, when he spoke, there was an edge to his tone, but he didn’t remove his hand from my knee. “If I didn’t, I wouldn’t have made the call.”
Still feeling resentful, I asked, “What if he can’t?”
“He will.”
“You sound awfully sure.”
“Because I am.” Before I could snap at him, he continued in a hard tone, “Chances are damn good that those nightmares you’re having are because you’re linked to the asshole who took you.”
His explanation was like a brutal fist to the gut. “Me?” Panic filled me. The idea of being connected in any way to that monster coated my mouth with the sick taste of fear.
“Yeah, you.”
I stared at him as terror churned and kicked my pulse up until the beat throbbed in my temples. “If there’s a link, can Ricochet destroy it?”
His hand on my knee tightened, and the hardness in his voice eased. “I don’t know, and neither will he until he sees what he’s working with.”
Swallowing against my tight throat, I choked out, “What if he can’t break whatever connection exists?”
“Megan, stop.” His tone was both commanding and gentle. “There’s nothing more we can do tonight.” He lifted his hand and put it back on the wheel as he exited the freeway.
I stopped myself from reaching out to bring it back, and instead, I tucked my hands between my thighs and stared out the window. Right, it didn’t do me any good to sit and stew about what would happen. Tomorrow would be here soon enough. I needed to focus on how I would get through the night because there was no way in hell I could even contemplate sleeping—not when the chances were so damn high that another nightmare lay in wait. I tried to drag in a breath without making noise, not wanting to clue Bishop in to the fact that I was, once again, falling apart. When I was sure my voice would work, I asked, “What time are you picking me up tomorrow?”
“Excuse me?”
Leaning my head against the window, I said, “For the meeting with Ricochet. What time will you be by?”
“I’m not leaving you alone tonight, babe.”
Relief seared through me, and I closed my eyes, cursing how needy the situation made me feel. “You don’t have to.”
“Yeah, I know that,” he said gruffly. “But I’m going to.”
“Okay,” I said. If he thought I was going to argue, he was sadly mistaken. I was too busy trying to pick my way through the emotional fallout that left me with a familiar numbness. I lifted my head and rubbed at the ache in my temples. “Thanks.”
All I got was a grunt in reply as he turned into the apartment’s parking lot. He parked in a visitor’s slot and shut the engine off. Moving on autopilot, I reached for my seatbelt only to stop when his hand covered mine. When he didn’t say anything, I looked up to find him bracing his other arm on the steering wheel as he studied me.
Caught in his gaze, I froze in place as awareness hit me. The heat, gentleness, and determination with which he stared back at me slipped past my encroaching numbness, and I felt an ache. Involuntarily, my hand twisted under his until I could lace my fingers with his, finding solace in his touch.
His hold on my hand tightened. “I’m not going anywhere until this is done.”
I struggled to stay ahead of the avalanche of my tumbling emotions and couldn’t make sense of his words. “What?”
“You’re not doing this alone.”
It was nothing short of a vow, and it sank deep until the hot press of tears rose behind my eyes. To keep them from falling, I widened my eyes and said, “Okay.”
He lifted his hand from mine only to cup my face, and my breath stalled in my lungs. His gaze dropped to my mouth, and my lips parted as his thumb brushed over them. My pulse picked up, and my focus narrowed to the slow, seductive slide of his thumb. His eyes darkened, and the skin along his cheekbones flushed as his head lowered. I tightened my grip on his hand, trying not to drag him down to me even as I leaned in to meet him. His hand left my face to slip to the back of my head, and I angled myself for the kiss I desperately wanted. But before our lips could meet, light flooded the interior, breaking the moment and making us both wince. I found my forehead pressed against his hard chest while a curse rumbled above my head. Relearning to breathe, I listened to the car drive by. We sat there for a moment, our breathing loud in the quiet.
“We should go up.” It came out as a whisper because that was all I could manage.
“Yeah.” The hand cradling my head drifted down my spine.
I pulled back slowly until I could see that he was still thinking of our almost kiss. Hell, so was I. I wanted to know what he tasted like and get lost in his heat for just a little bit. And as selfish as it was, I wanted an escape from the mess.
So do something about it.
Heeding that internal voice, I held his gaze and reached up with both hands to cup his jaw. He didn’t pull back—in fact, he angled his head against my palms. His goatee rasped against my skin, the soft brush lighting up nerve endings. I felt it in other, much more sensitive places, too. Carnal thoughts danced through my mind, and my breath stuttered. Unable to talk about my wants, I did the next best thing. I leaned in, despite the shoulder strap, and brushed my lips against his. When I pulled back, I gave him a shaky smile and dropped my hands. Before I could do more than that, he growled. It was the only warning before his hand was back in my hair, holding me in place as he took my mouth in a heated rush.
Chapter Ten
BISHOP
There was no way to resist Megan’s unspoken invitation. Hell, I wasn’t even going to try. Instead, I took what she offered, teasing along those lush lips until they parted, letting me in. My hand tightened on her ponytail when she didn’t shy away but met my advance with one of her own. Her tongue danced with mine as we fed the fire racing between us. Her taste—heated spice and traces of tea—seared through my bloodstream like a lit detonating cord, triggering an explosive hunger that left me hard and aching.
With the hand that wasn’t holding her in place, I stroked her neck then moved downward until I could brush my knuckles over the warm skin of her upper chest. I kept my touch gentle as I traced a path down the soft material of her scoop-necked shirt and over the slope of her breast.
She tore her mouth free, and her quiet whimper filled the space between us. The very feminine sound made my dick twitch, and her hands fisted my T-shirt as she tried to pull me closer. Happy to accommodate, I leaned in and laid a line of open-mouthed kisses along her exposed neck. As much as I wanted to keep going, the Jeep’s interior wasn’t exactly comfortable. It took every bit of my hard-earned discipline to pull back from the temptation. Somehow, I managed to do it without inflicting serious bodily harm.
Her lashes lifted, revealing blue eyes dark with feminine hunger. That, along with her flushed face and lips reddened from our kiss, created a picture that would fuel my fantasies for a fucking long time. The urge to finish what I’d started rode me hard and left me harder, but the gentleman my mama had tried to encourage managed to rein in my baser instincts.
God, I am in so much trouble here.
She blinked, and the flush crept up along her cheeks as she pulled against my hold. Not wanting to hurt her, I let her go and moved my hand to her back. Instead of drawing away, she dropped her forehead against my sternum until it rested above her hands, which were tangled in my T-shirt. “Okay,” she murmured on a breathy exhalation. “Well, wow.”
Yeah, that was one way to put it. Hiding my satisfaction at her comment, I pr
essed a kiss to the top of her bent head and made a noncommittal sound. She took a shuddering breath but didn’t look up.
Since staying in position might leave me crippled, I finally said, “We need to head up.”
“Right.” She pulled back and let go of my shirt. When she ran her hand over it, carefully smoothing the material out, I wanted to smile. It was obvious she was trying to get her bearings.
I let her go and undid her seatbelt, waiting for her to open her door before I made my exit. Getting out with a hard-on wasn’t easy, but by the time I made it to her side, I could at least move without imitating the hunchback of Notre Dame.
We moved through the parking lot, passing through the pools of illumination cast by the scattered lights. We were roughly halfway to Megan’s building when the hairs on the back of my neck stood on end. Considering the fact that we were in a well-lit complex in a fairly upscale neighborhood, my reaction was highly unusual, but I would have been beyond stupid to ignore it.
Letting Megan move ahead of me, I scanned our surroundings, trying to pinpoint the threat. The parking lot was full, the cars dark. An older couple was walking a small fur ball, and some kids on bikes were shooting the shit.
Megan headed to the bank of elevators tucked between two buildings and hit the button for her floor. Coming in close behind her, I continued to scan as the itch at my neck got worse. The elevator dinged, and the doors slid open, revealing an empty cage. Ushering Megan in, I hit the button, and once the doors closed, the aggravating itch eased a bit.
The warm weight of Megan’s hand landed low on my back. “Bishop?” I craned my neck to find her studying me with a small frown. “What’s wrong?”
The quiet ding as we bypassed floors chimed. I shrugged. “Maybe nothing.”
“But?”
I rubbed the back of my neck. “Just an itch.”
She bit her lower lip and dropped her hand as her gaze shifted away. “Got it.”
Not missing the stiffening of her shoulders, I caught her hand and held it. “We’re good, Megan. We’ll just play this smart, so let me go first, okay?”