Blade of Darkness

by Dianne Duvall

  She whispered something to him.

  Sheldon snorted. “Yeah, right. Like she didn’t already know he’s smitten. It’s so obvious.”

  Tracy pushed him into the hallway and closed the door after them.

  In the wake of their departure, Aidan swung back around and met Dana’s gaze with obvious reluctance. “Apparently there’s something else I failed to tell you that you should probably know.”

  Seriously? Something else? “What’s that?” she asked, unsure she wanted to hear it.

  He sighed. “I suck at dating.”

  Dana laughed. She couldn’t help it.

  Sergio and the waiter returned with platters of food that smelled so delicious Dana’s stomach growled.

  “Thank you,” she murmured as the two smiling men backed away, then exited.

  A heavy silence fell.

  Dana picked up her fork and speared some salad. “So.” Tucking the crunchy veggies in her mouth, she chewed and swallowed. “You’re smitten with a psychic, are you?”

  Relief smoothed the lines in Aidan’s brow. His lips tilted up. “Very much so.”

  “Because of the visions?” she asked, trying not to blush.

  His smile grew as he picked up his own fork. “I was smitten before the visions. The visions just gave me hope that you might one day be smitten, too.”

  And damned if her heart didn’t give a little jump in her chest. “Don’t read my thoughts!”

  He chuckled. “I won’t. I’m afraid if I do, I’ll find you trying to think of a diplomatic way to end our date early.”

  Better that than him finding her mentally reviewing the visions of them making love.

  “You’re blushing,” he said with a wince. “Did I guess right? Are you wanting to end our date?”

  “No. I was just…” She shook her head with a smile. “Having those visions about you was already weird. Your knowing about them just makes it…”

  “Even weirder?” he suggested.

  “Yes.”

  “You’ve never had erotic visions before?”

  “No. Not even about the men I slept with.”

  He winked. “Perhaps they simply weren’t very talented in bed.”

  Laughing, she lowered her eyes to her plate and nudged the food around with her fork. “I don’t know.” How to explain it without scaring him off? “It almost feels like…”

  “Your gift is telling you we’re meant to be together?”

  “Yes,” she answered finally. And she didn’t know how to feel about that.

  Risking a glance up at him, she found him regarding her with understanding. A far cry from the Holy-crap-she’s-talking-about-marriage-on-our-first-date look or the Hot-damn-I’m-gonna-get-laid look she had expected to find.

  “I can see how you might find that a bit unsettling,” he told her, unperturbed.

  A bit unsettling was an understatement. “What did you think when you saw the visions?” she asked, curious.

  His eyes twinkled with mischief. “You mean besides wanting desperately to see those visions play out?”

  She grinned. “Yes, aside from that.”

  He seemed to think about it for a moment. “I was surprised the visions were so clear.”

  “They usually aren’t.”

  “And when you told me your visions always come true, I wondered the same thing you did—if your gift was telling you we’re destined to be together.”

  She carried another forkful to her lips, chewed, swallowed. “It isn’t just the nature of the visions. It’s that this has never happened before. Usually I get feelings or impressions or cloudier visions of other people’s futures. But I’ve never been given such vivid glimpses of my own. I just don’t know how I feel about it.”

  A twinkle of mischief entered his deep brown eyes. “You’ve seen your own future and can’t decide whether or not you’re happy with the choices you’re going to make?”

  She smiled, feeling another rush of amusement. “No. It isn’t that. It isn’t you. I don’t know how to explain it.”

  “I think I know what you mean.” He paused to consume a bit of mouthwatering chicken, then sighed. “I’ve been alone for a long time, Dana. But the fact that I haven’t been dating doesn’t mean that I’ve not been searching for someone I could love. Someone whose company I can enjoy so much that I never want to be without it. Someone I could easily imagine spending the rest of my life with.” He set his fork down. “And now that your visions are telling me I may have found her. Found you. That you’re the someone I’ve been searching for…” He gave her a wry smile. “I find I’m a bit torn.”

  That shouldn’t hurt, should it? Because it did. Enough to surprise her.

  Leaning forward, he braced his forearms on the table. “Part of me is overjoyed. Part of me is thrilled that I may have finally found someone who makes me laugh and feel happy in a way I haven’t in a very long time. Someone I can look forward to spending all my days and nights with.”

  Her treacherous heart began to pound again.

  Lowering his eyes, he touched a finger to the breadbasket. “But there’s another part of me that I have to admit, much to my surprise, wants to dig in his heels. Because somehow acknowledging the visions and going along with them feels like I’ll be forfeiting free will.”

  “Yes!” Relieved that he really did seem to understand, she set her fork down and leaned closer. “That’s it exactly. You’ve described it perfectly. I like you, Aidan. And I like the idea that we may find something meaningful together if we keep seeing each other. But the idea that I may not have any choice in the matter just doesn’t sit well with me.”

  Smiling, he rested a hand on the table, palm up in invitation.

  Dana placed her hand in his and felt that tingle of excitement she always did when she touched him.

  He curled his fingers around hers. “You have choice.”

  Her heart leapt when he slid his thumb across the back of her hand in a soft caress.

  “You just have to decide which part of you is speaking the loudest.”

  The one that wanted to see him again. “Which part of you is speaking the loudest?”

  He smiled. “The part that wants to see you again. The part that enjoys your company.”

  Happiness and relief filled her, until she realized he had just echoed her thoughts. “Wait. Are you reading my thoughts again?”

  His eyebrows flew up. “No. I said I wouldn’t. Why?”

  She sent him a wry smile. “Because you just echoed them perfectly.”

  A boyish grin lit his face. “So you’re saying I don’t suck at dating?”

  She laughed. “No, you don’t.”

  He winked. “Then let’s abandon all thought of fate and just enjoy each other’s company, shall we?”

  She nodded.

  Giving her hand a squeeze, he released it and tucked into his meal once more.

  Dana did the same. And as the night progressed, she tried to remember if she had ever had a first date—or any date for that matter—in which her companion had enchanted her more.

  Aidan was charming and funny and so damned handsome. He was smart, too, which she found as great a lure as his physical appearance. Ignorance had always been a deal-breaker for her. If she had to pick one or the other, she would always choose brains over brawn. But with Aidan, she didn’t have to.

  Once he finished his dinner, he reached across the table once more and clasped her hand in his. Such a simple touch. His thumb caressing the back of her hand as he laughed over a story she shared about the time in high school she had had a vision of a male acquaintance getting pantsed by his so-called friends. She had tried to warn him, only to find herself accused of being the mastermind behind it when the vision came true.

  And she, in turn, laughed when he admitted that whenever his brothers didn’t want Aidan to read their minds, they pictured themselves naked to dissuade him.

  Dana didn’t realize how much time they had spent talking and laughing together u
ntil Sergio returned to ask them if they’d like to order another dessert.

  They had already devoured two, something she would likely regret when she got on the scale in the morning. But she had been having a wonderful time and hadn’t wanted it to end.

  “What do you think?” Aidan asked. “Would you like to try something else?”

  She glanced at her watch. Her eyes widened. “We’ve been here five hours?”

  Aidan grinned. “Time flies when you’re having fun, doesn’t it?”

  Yes, it did. And they had been having a lot of fun. But it was probably time for the restaurant to close.

  She looked at Sergio. “No, thank you. I’m good.”

  Aidan rose and held out a hand. “Shall we go then?”

  Nodding, she rose, looped her purse strap over her shoulder, and placed her hand in his.

  His was so much bigger than hers that the whole of her hand could fit in his palm. But it felt absurdly wonderful when he twined his fingers through hers and escorted her after Sergio.

  The large front room was deserted as they passed through it.

  Once ensconced in Aidan’s car, Dana began to feel both nervous and excited.

  Since he had seen the vision of the two of them naked in bed, would he expect her to make love with him tonight?

  Quite a few of Dana’s friends and acquaintances wouldn’t have hesitated. But she had never ended a first date with sex before.

  Granted, she’d never gotten to know a man so well on a first date. Another novelty about Aidan was that he had not looked at his cell phone once during the five hours they had talked and dined. He hadn’t taken any calls. He hadn’t texted. He hadn’t scanned his social media feeds or anything else of that nature. He had instead given her his full, undivided attention.

  You could learn a lot about a person over the course of five hours of conversation.

  Aidan parked in front of her shop. “I believe dinner and a movie is a standard first date. I’d say I’m sorry we didn’t get to see a movie”—theaters closed fairly early in North Carolina—“but I enjoyed your company too much to complain.”

  She smiled. “I enjoyed yours, too.”

  Opening his door, he stepped out into the night.

  Dana opened her own and got out as he strolled around the back of the car. Closing the door, she unzipped her purse and withdrew her keys.

  Aidan placed a hand on her lower back as they walked toward her front door. “So. What’s the proper way to end our first date?”

  “I’m not having sex with you,” she blurted, then bit her lip.

  His eyebrows flew up. “Ever? Or tonight?”

  “Tonight.” She gave him a self-deprecating smile. “I’m sorry. It’s just, I know you saw the vision of the two of us in bed and was afraid you might…”

  “Expect you to invite me in so we could reenact it?” he finished for her.

  “Yes.”

  He frowned. “Is that how couples end first dates now? I was just hoping you wouldn’t think me too forward if I asked you for a kiss.”

  Amusement sifted through her, soothing her nerves. She had discovered tonight that his speech and attitudes were a very entertaining combination of modern and old-fashioned. “A kiss sounds good.”

  He smiled. “You don’t know how happy that makes me.” Sliding one arm around her, Aidan drew her close.

  Her pulse increased with anticipation as she looked up at him.

  Dipping his head, he touched his lips to hers.

  Her breath caught. Her heart stopped, then began to pound in her chest so loudly she wondered if he could hear it.

  He tilted his head, increased the pressure. And that first tentative caress soon became a fiery exploration that made her whole body burn.

  Dropping her purse and keys, Dana slid her arms around him and flattened her hands on the muscles of his broad back. A deep rumble of approval emanated from him as she leaned into his hard form, pressing her breasts to his chest and washboard abs.

  Never had she been so turned on by a kiss.

  Wrapping his other arm around her, he tightened his hold, pressed her closer, let her feel his growing erection.

  She parted her lips.

  He slipped his tongue inside to stroke and tease her own.

  Dana moaned. He tasted so good. Felt so good. She didn’t want it to end. Wanted to jump up and wrap her legs around his waist.

  Aidan ended the kiss. Eyes closed, he pressed his forehead to hers. Both fought for breath, their chests rising and falling quickly. Bodies still pressed together.

  Then he released her and took a deliberate step back. Sliding his hands into his pockets, he drew in a deep breath, held it, then let it out slowly.

  Dana stared up at him, trying to calm her racing pulse, stunned by the intensity of the desire she felt for him. One kiss and she was ready to say, You know what? Forget what I said a minute ago. Let’s get naked.

  And he appeared to have been just as affected as she.

  He opened his eyes. Such a deep, dark brown. “Well.” His lips turned up in that winsome smile she found so irresistible. “I don’t know about you, but the part of me that was digging in his heels earlier is now telling me he’s all in.”

  She laughed. “Mine is, too.”

  Bending down, he picked up her purse and keys for her.

  “Thank you.”

  Drawing his own keys out of his pocket, he touched her arm with his free hand and gave it an affectionate squeeze. “I’d better leave before I go back on my word and ask for more than a kiss.”

  She nodded.

  Dipping his head once more, he pressed his lips to hers in a light caress. “Good night, Dana.”

  “Good night.”

  Withdrawing his touch, he walked backward toward the driver’s side of the car, as if he was loath to let her out of his sight. “Would you by any chance be amenable to my seeing you again tomorrow night? Or would that be too soon?”

  She smiled. “Tomorrow night sounds good. Seven o’clock?”

  Grinning, he offered her a gallant bow. “Seven o’clock it is.” He opened the car door. “I’ll wait to leave until after you’re inside with the door locked.”

  And she’d thought he couldn’t appeal to her more. “Thank you.” Unlocking the door to her shop, she stepped inside. “Good night, Aidan.”

  “Good night.”

  Closing the door, she locked it and watched through the window as he ducked into his car and started the engine.

  Tossing her a jaunty wave, he backed out of the parking space and drove away.

  Dana couldn’t wait to see him again.

  Aidan stared at the quaint home before him. Off the beaten path, it was small and painted a pale, cheery yellow with white trim. In front of it, a picture-perfect lawn bore edges as straight as a blade. A row of dark shrubs butted up against the house on either side of the stone sidewalk. Flowers in every color of the rainbow proliferated in front of them and poured over the sides of hanging baskets on the front porch. Bright white window boxes offered even more colorful plants, proclaiming the homeowner’s green thumb.

  A heart beat, slowly and steadily, inside the house.

  “Stop procrastinating,” he grumbled to himself and strode up the walk, the setting sun at his back.

  His boots produced thumps as loud as a bass drumbeat in the night’s quiet as he scaled the wooden steps and ducked under the porch’s roof. Raising a fist, he knocked on the front door.

  Nearly silent footsteps carried to his ears as the individual inside crept over to the front door. Aidan bent his knees a bit so she could see him through the peephole.

  He knew the moment she did. Her heart began to slam against her ribs.

  A full minute passed.

  He sighed. “I can hear your heartbeat through the door, so pretending you aren’t home isn’t going to work, Emma.”

  A whispered curse. “What do you want?”

  “I need to speak with you. Open the door, please
.” When she made no move to do so, he sighed again. “You know who and what I am, so you know no locks can keep me out. I’m asking you as a courtesy.”

  Another quiet moment passed, then the click of locks being unlatched intruded upon the night.

  The door swung open.

  Aidan stared down at the woman illuminated by the porch’s light.

  She opened the door only the width of her body and held it there, indicating she had no intention of inviting him inside.

  He fought a smile.

  She was lovely, with smooth, flawless skin the color of Melanie’s favorite chocolate bars. Eyes as dark a brown as his own filled with anxiety as they rose to meet his.

  He guessed her height to be in the neighborhood of five feet five inches. Her thick black hair was drawn back from her face in intricate braids he had heard Cliff call cornrows, until about the place where some women and girls wore headbands. Then it sprang free in an Afro that looked as soft and fluffy as cotton candy.

  Narrow shoulders bared by a tank top stiffened as she braced herself and clenched her jaw, gearing up for a fight. Her slender arms ended in hands that gripped the door and doorframe so tightly he could see the tendons in her knuckles. Small breasts. A barely there waist. And full hips clad in yoga pants that clung to shapely legs.

  “You know who I am,” Aidan stated again.

  She gave him an abrupt nod. “You’re Aidan. I’ve seen you around at the network.”

  “And Cliff has mentioned me.”

  She seemed to debate the wisdom of answering that one. “Yes,” she responded, voice neutral.

  “As I said, we need to talk.”

  After hesitating another moment, she stepped back and opened the door wide enough for him to enter.

  Aidan stepped inside and glanced around while she closed the door behind him, leaving it unlocked. They stood in her living room. Small, but tastefully decorated. Beyond it lay a modern kitchen and a breakfast nook that housed a treadmill instead of a table and chairs.

  “So?” she prompted, folding her arms just under her breasts.

  “So,” he parroted and wondered how to begin. “You’ve been seeing Cliff.”

  Something flickered in her eyes, and he could almost hear the debate waging inside her. Should she deny it? Feign ignorance? Brazen it out?