Body Box: Adult Paranormal Romance (Supernatural Thriller) (Dark Suspense) (The Smoke & Fire Series Book 2)

by Michele Wesley

  “Will you share your disguise secret with me? Please.”

  She presented a cheeky smile and shot back, “Maybe. If you share your secret with me. I am sure that I’m not the only one that thinks that all Top agents are touched; by what, I have no idea. But, I’m not blind.”

  Kevin couldn’t help noticing that Kris was even more captivating than he remembered. She didn’t do anything special to draw him in, but he was drawn to her just the same. Although he didn’t voice it, he agreed with her statement about Top agents.

  She’d raked her hair into a messy ponytail, which opened the doorway to her big adorable eyes.

  “I’m sorry for staring at you, but I find it difficult not to. It’s not every day I witness a six-foot Caucasian man transform into someone as pretty as you.”

  He didn’t miss the tint of color that flooded her cheeks from his compliment.

  She cleared her throat.

  “Thank you.”

  Under her breath she said, “One track mind.”

  Then, she smiled and asked, “Do you promise to show me yours, if I show you mine?”

  He answered, quickly.

  “Definitely.”

  Chapter 11

  Show and Tell

  Kevin placed his hands atop his knees and concentrated on calming his revved up anticipation. The idea of finding out what he imagined was a fascinating secret had him fidgety.

  Kris sat immobile, meditating and likely contemplating what she wanted to reveal to him. She took a deep breath and exhaled slowly.

  “I thought I was ready, but I’ve never done this in front of anyone. I don’t know if I can do this right now.”

  Kevin placed his hand atop hers. Surprised, he found she was shaking.

  “For reasons I have yet to figure out, you trust me. Therefore, whatever you share with me, will always remain with me. I will never push you into doing or saying anything that you don’t want to.” Kevin kept his eyes trained on hers until she acknowledged his words.

  Kris nodded her head.

  “I know, but. Maybe, you should go first.”

  He took her hand and held it, enjoying the warm softness.

  “You don't seem like a screamer, but I'll say this anyway. Don’t scream and try to keep an open mind about what I'm about to show you.”

  “Okay,” she answered. There was a high level of uncertainty reflected in that one word.

  Silence filled the room for an anxious moment, before he instructed, “Close your eyes for me, Kris.”

  She closed her eyes, but the tremble in her body increased.

  After a silent moment, Kevin instructed, “Now, open your eyes, Kris.”

  ***

  When Kris opened her eyes, she found herself staring in a mirror.

  Wait!

  She shut her eyes and reopened them. Her glare darted around the room and back at herself.

  “Kevin, what’s happening? I’m sitting on the couch, looking at myself. Where are you? I know you told me not to scream, but is having a heart attack out of the question? I just saw myself rub my eyes.”

  “Look down,” Kevin instructed.

  He talked, but she couldn’t see him, yet she sat and watched her own mouth move.

  Flooded with confusion, she watched herself hold her hand up before saying, “I need a moment.”

  The mouth under her eyes was not hers. She glanced down and viewed Kevin’s body. Her eyes viewed things from inside his head; but she felt and saw her own body reacting, as her face expressed the fright she harbored.

  “Kevin. Please tell me what’s happening. Am I inside your body? I’m freaking out right now.”

  “I traded sight with you.” He voiced. “You can see through my eyes, and I can see through yours.”

  She was more confused than ever.

  “But. I still feel like myself.”

  His voice remained calm and relaxing as he squeezed her hand.

  “Kris, whatever you do, stay in place; don’t move.”

  Her muscles clenched and her mind trembled in anticipation of what might happen if she did move.

  When Kevin stood and started to walk, she sat still on the couch; but her eyes didn’t remain with her body. Instead, they scanned the bathroom, the kitchen, and finally outside into the hall. It was the freakiest moment she’d ever experienced. Her vision was anchored to Kevin’s body. She clung to her unraveling sanity as she forced her body to stay put and not chase her sight. Hands, she couldn’t see at the moment clinch her knees so tightly her fingers raked her kneecaps.

  The sensation of walking inside a dream overtook her mind and her body swayed. Kevin glance in her direction, and she saw her body sitting on the couch from the doorway. She was a ball of nervous energy that shook with anxiety.

  Kevin approached the window and called back to her. “I am going to turn on double vision. Don't get up because it takes some getting used to.”

  “Don't worry, I am too afraid to even blink.”

  Double vision must have meant getting her eyes back because she could see from her own body again. Panic took a quick u-turn and her heart skipped several beats when she could also see the view outside the window. "Oh! My God! It's not possible.”

  Her hand waved absently in front of her, thinking she could touch the window.

  “You can make me see out of two different bodies at the same time?”

  Out of one eye, saw everything in the living room and out of the other, she watched the view outside the window.

  Kevin had taken her eyes on the journey of a lifetime. When he came back to the couch and returned her sight to normal, Kris took a much needed deep breath.

  Kevin explained, “It's like I have an extra sense. I don’t know what it is, or where it came from, but it allows me to manipulate my other five senses in unique ways.

  “For example, I can trade and share sight with people or sneak behind their eye without them noticing. Comes in handy when I need to catch a killer or need to see the keypad code to a secure location or vault.”

  Kris had to remember to breathe as she gawked at Kevin. If he could do this much with just sight, she couldn't imagine what he could do with his other senses.

  “I can also magnify my vision and hearing. I can sense depth and distance from touch. And my eyes aren’t the only things I can swap with others. I can sense what others feel and actually manipulate how they feel. It's not as easy as it sounds. I can't just take over whenever I want. I have to be touching the person or at least be close enough to look into their eyes.”

  His last statement bothered her. Kris leaned closer to gaze into his eyes.

  “Have you done that to me? Do you make me feel things that I wouldn’t on my own?”

  The tenderness behind his gaze calmed her as he cupped her cheek.

  “I’d never do that to you Kris. You know that right?”

  She shook her head and her eyes fluttered closed when his hand slid down the side of her neck.

  His voice pulled her back to reality.

  “However, I can sense a buzz in you and in some others with abilities that I don't pick up in a normal person. It's like your energy signature has an extra spark.”

  Although the information was incredibly insightful, Kris failed to regain control of her nerves. One of her legs had never stopped bouncing and although the tremble in her hand had lessoned, it remained. The idea of revealing her secret to Kevin added fuel to nerves gone mad. She procrastinated a bit longer.

  “This is unbelievable. You’re empathic, but to the tenth power. On top of that, you can manipulate and amplify your senses and take control of other people’s senses and feelings. So, my assumption that Top agents possibly all have unique gifts is not just my imagination? And since you can sense the energy signature of some people with special abilities, it acts as your own internal radar.”

  He inclined his head and didn't appear bothered that they were not normal. He appeared, relieved.

  She squinted in confusion.r />
  “So, do you think Top knows that people like us exist? They’ve never asked me anything nor have they ever implied that they know anything about special abilities.”

  Kevin shrugged, “I don't know. The thing that surprises me is they don't ask. However, I do wonder; how do they know?”

  Kris's attempt to project calm was sabotaged as shock rode her smile and stimulated her body. She clutched her hands together to keep Kevin from seeing them shake.

  Curiosity was evident on his face. He was ready for her big reveal.

  “It’s your turn, Kris. I showed you mine, now show me yours.”

  He sure is calm about all this.

  She had a thousand more questions to ask, but she wasn’t going to make him wait any longer.

  She took a deep breath and exhaled in increments of three heaving burst.

  “Okay. Like you told me, relax and keep an open mind.”

  Kris sat taller and concentrated on the wall straight ahead. When the tingling sensation started, she let it take over. The moment her skin started to ripple and her bones started to shift, there was no turning back. She heard Kevin gasp, but she couldn’t stop herself mid-shift, so she let it happen.

  While her body twisted uncontrollably, she caught a glimpse of Kevin, inching back on the couch with his hands covering his mouth.

  When she finally glanced over at him, his mouth hung wide open.

  “Oh shit! Oh, my God!”

  His chest heaved, as his body struggled for breath. He was more concerned with watching her than catching his breath.

  He stated the obvious. “You just changed into another person, right in front of my eyes!”

  The entire room was silent except for his breathing. He stood and sat back down twice, but his gape never stop assessing her.

  She reached for him, and he jumped back. The arm of the couch stopped him.

  “You’re a shape-shifter! It’s not real. You can make me see things.”

  He rubbed his eyes, as if it would erase what he’d witnessed.

  “How? I mean, it can’t be.”

  Kris cleared her throat.

  “Kevin, you just put my sight into your head and walked around this apartment with it. You made me see two different views at the same time. The fact that I can change the way I look is no less amazing. The most mind-blowing thing of all is that we both possess supernatural abilities that allow us to do extraordinary things. Besides, it’s not like we didn’t sense that we were…different.”

  His body relaxed, a bit, but his breathing continued in ragged gasps.

  “You’re right; but to see it happen, to watch you change shapes, it’s unfathomable. To see you changing is unlike anything I have ever experienced. Not like the movies either. You didn't even burst out of your clothes. They fit tighter, but everything just slide and maneuvered to where you wanted it.”

  He stood and gawked at her.

  He lowered his voice and leaned close enough that his breath whispered across her face. “That’s why you’re so good with disguises. You can shift. No one else knows that you can do this?”

  Worry etched her faced, Damien’s face.

  “You are the only one Kevin; and based on the way you’re looking at me, I’m not sure I should have shown you.”

  He sat and blew out a breath before he scooted closer and took her hand, although she’d shifted into Damien.

  “Look, Kris. I am in shock right now, but please don’t take my astonishment as me not accepting you for the many people you are.”

  She smiled at his attempt at humor, but worry still crept into her face.

  “You know one of my deepest secrets Kevin, what now?”

  His shoulders dropped a few notches, losing some of the tension. He sat and stared straight ahead for a paused moment. He took a few more breaths for good measure.

  “This stays between me and you always, unless you say otherwise.”

  He griped her hand tighter. “We’ll use our gifts to our advantage and solve this case. I’m surer than ever before that we’re not the only people harboring secret abilities. However, this is the first time anyone has ever admitted it or shown me anything this extraordinary. It’s an eye opening experience to know that I’m not a freak, or alone, or crazy. I appreciate you showing me this, more than you could possibly know.”

  After Kevin watched her shift back into herself, Kris relaxed under his penetrating gaze. She realized it was a relief to know she wasn’t alone, or an alien, or mentally unstable. She and Kevin talked for hours about the case and about others they suspected of having special abilities.

  For once in her life, Kris didn’t mind being stared at. However, she took Kevin in small sips. If she let herself, she could end up lost under a hazy layer of desire. Supernatural abilities aside, she could have stared at Kevin all night.

  Hours later, Kevin was still amped up about her special ability. Excitement sparked from his voice.

  “You have the perfect cover, you know. Do you disguise yourself every day?”

  She brushed her palms over her pajama pants.

  “This is my first assignment as an investigator, so I figured I’d be myself with the doctor and shift when I need to.”

  Unable to get comfortable under Kevin’s more heated gaze, she crossed her arms over her chest.

  Kevin’s lips twitched as he eyed her. It appeared he knew a secret she hadn’t yet figured out. The way his gaze dashed over her body when he talked made her insides quiver.

  She lost pieces of her calm with each pass of his eyes. She couldn’t trust her attraction to this man and chalked her reaction up to their heightened adrenaline due to the revelations they'd exchanged.

  She had no intention of forging a relationship with him—it was an idea she found preposterous—but she couldn’t deny that she enjoyed being around him.

  Why am I thinking about a relationship anyway? Goodness.

  She’d shown the man one of the biggest secrets she harbored, a secret she had never shared with anyone else.

  Kris could have talked to Kevin all night, but she wasn’t that selfish. She cut their personal conversation short by switching to the Body Box case.

  She provided a detailed synopsis of the case and answered Kevin's questions as best she could.

  “The doctors received the head of another victim today. I didn’t mention it earlier, since there’s not much we can do, except look at it.”

  Kevin motioned with his head, in understanding, but his face held uncertainty.

  “The doctors will call us, if they need us before tomorrow. I think this would be a good time to give you the full background and specific details on the case. Your fresh insight may discover details the doctors and I haven’t seen or noticed. I also have hours of surveillance footage we can scan. I have only had a few shaky leads, so we don’t have any suspects we can track down yet.

  “We aren’t expecting the second part of the body for roughly another day.”

  He agreed with her logic. Having time to play catch up on the case was a gift he stated he wasn’t going to turn away.

  When the hands of the wall clock pointed at eleven o’clock, Kris stood.

  “It's time for me to call it a night. I’m going to bed.” Her smile met his gaze before her eyes. “Sleep well, Kevin. I look forward to working with you.”

  “I’ll see you in the morning,” he called after her. She felt his gaze on her until she disappeared into the shadows at the top of the stairs.

  Sleep didn't come to either of them. Less than two hours later, they both gravitated back to the couch. They were too fascinated with finding out about each other's secret abilities. They ended up playing show and tell until their eyes and bodies droop with exhaustion.

  Chapter 12

  Suspect

  Focusing, Kevin took in the beautiful face hovering above him, while his mind came awake.

  Kris greeted, “Good morning. Are you hungry?”

  He sat up on his elbows.

>   “Good morning, and yes.”

  “I’m going downstairs for breakfast. Would you like to join me?”

  “Yes. If you don’t mind waiting until I freshen up and use the restroom?”

  She shrugged.

  “No problem. I have to comb my hair and throw on something anyway.”

  Kevin reached, to remove the throw he’d used for cover, and noticed the bulge in his sweats. He glanced at Kris to see if she'd noticed.

  What could he say?

  It was morning, and she was becoming more tempting the longer he remained in her presence. He jumped from the couch and sped towards his bedroom.

  He glanced back and saw Kris squinting at his abrupt departure. As often as she pretended to be a man, she likely knew what his problem was.

  Moments later, Kevin stepped out of his room. He usually dressed to fit into his environment. Since today was going to be an educational day, he threw on jeans and a fitted T-shirt. He didn’t miss Kris checking him out.

  She’d brushed her hair back into a neat ponytail and wore jeans and a polo shirt. She smiled as he assessed her.

  “It’s more trouble than it's worth, you know.”

  He had no idea what she was talking about.

  “What?”

  She elaborated.

  “The makeup, glam, fancy clothes. The way I see it, if a woman spends an hour a day putting on makeup and picking out the perfect outfit and remains single, she probably isn’t as cute as her mind has her believing.”

  Now, he understood.

  “You should be happy you don’t have to worry about it.”

  He noticed she didn’t take his compliments well.

  He wondered if her shying away from his compliments had something to do with her not being used to taking on the female role.

  He snapped his finger.

  “I don’t know why I just thought to ask you this, but what should I address you as? First, you were Kris, next Damien, and now you're…”

  Her face remained expressionless.

  “I’m Agent Kris Lawrence for this job and for all its intent and purpose. But, you can call me Yala.”