A PSYCHIC HITCH
Bekki Lynn
EROTIC ROMANCE
Siren Publishing, Inc.
www.SirenPublishing.com
A SIREN PUBLISHING BOOK
IMPRINT: Erotic Romance
ABOUT THE E-BOOK VERSION: Your non-refundable purchase of this e-book allows you to one LEGAL copy for your own personal use. It is ILLEGAL to send your copy to someone who did not pay for it. Distribution of this e-book, in whole or in part, online, offline, in print or in any way or any other method currently known or yet to be invented, is forbidden without the prior written permission of both the publisher and the copyright owner of this book.
A PSYCHIC HITCH
Copyright © 2008 by Bekki Lynn
E-book ISBN: 1-60601-040-9
First E-book Publication: April 2008
Cover design by Jinger Heaston
All cover art and logo copyright © 2008 by Siren Publishing, Inc.
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED: This literary work may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, including electronic or photographic reproduction, in whole or in part, without express written permission.
All characters and events in this book are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead is strictly coincidental.
PUBLISHER
Siren Publishing, Inc.
www.SirenPublishing.com
DEDICATION
First and foremost, my family deserves an award for their patience and all of the sacrifices they have endured while trying to understand my obsession with my computer. Thank you to my employers over the years who have allowed me the freedom to set a schedule, which allowed me the time to wallow with my characters. The wonderful co-workers who made it possible to show the reader the unique world and the unity of food service. Last, but not least, the ladies of Eclectic Romance Writers and Romantica Writer’s Group, as well as the editors who rejected A Psychic Hitch–this is for you. Without you all, I would still be struggling with an ‘author’s blindness’.
Bekki Lynn
A PSYCHIC HITCH
Bekki Lynn
Copyright © 2008
Chapter 1
On the steps of the old two-story house, Cheri London turned back to the psychic who hadn’t helped her. Cydney Tryree stood in the doorway, her dark eyes bearing down on her. “Don’t apologize.” Cheri told her.
“You will have to come to terms with your past. Only then will you have the child of your dreams.”
Cheri shivered. There, the little woman did it again. Out of nowhere making references to something she swore her sister never told her. Out of nowhere, she referred to something she swore Karla, her sister, never revealed. It’s not that she didn’t believe in her powers of premonition, but they’d spent the last two hours chatting, and nothing. Cheri stepped back up on the porch, watching the woman. The intense look on her face had her own eyes narrowing. “Don’t pacify me, Cyd. If you didn’t get a read from me, don’t tell me what I want to hear to ease your conscience.”
“It’s up to you to recognize the signs of your time.”
What? “Cyd--”
“Green will bring balance and harmony to your life. You’ll fight it, but it’ll win.”
“I don’t understand what you’re saying.”
Cyd shrugged. “Don’t be afraid of the dreams. Let them be your guide. Green will bring balance and harmony to your life.”
Cheri’s breath hitched. She’d never mentioned having dreams. Dreams of her pregnant belly reflected in a mirror. Dreams where she’d held a baby she couldn’t see. Dreams of standing in a room decorated for a young boy. They’d been unlike the dreams where she’d dreamt of people dying only to learn they’d been in car accidents and died horribly. And when she’d really needed the dream to tell her something, it hadn’t come. The warning never came. Because of it, she hadn’t been able to save her father.
“Don’t let the past detour you. Plan carefully and follow the signs.”
“What kind of signs?”
“You have strength, health and love. Trust your heart and go after what you want.” She grinned and continued, “But, things may not take the turn you want. Don’t be afraid of it.”
She opened her mouth to speak, but Cydney had stepped back inside and shut the door. For a moment, she stared at the solid steel. Confirmation and riddles. What a strange woman, but her sister had warned her she would be. Cheri gathered up the lapels of her coat under her chin as she headed back down the steps, curbing the need to sigh with relief. Simply to have her urge to have a child confirmed as something she wanted and not pressure from the family to settle down, didn’t pump her up enough to call the nearest sperm bank. Nor, grab the first man she came to and have intercourse.
She walked down the sidewalk and the whiff of coffee drifted by. It smelled heavenly. A glance at her watch told her she didn’t have time to stop in Leaves ‘n Beans. Aunt Ethel would never let her out of there without ten minutes of gossip. She’d be late for work. Cheri stepped from the curb and rounded her car. After a deep inhale of the scented air, she unlocked her car and climbed in.
* * * *
Six months later
Cheri fidgeted with the napkin under her glass while she watched the entrance of Crabby Bill’s. A man entered the restaurant. Her heart raced. Could it be Darius Markum? He bypassed the host stand and headed toward a redhead who stood to greet him. She sighed and glanced at her watch. Forty-five minutes late. Damn him! She should have known better, but he’d done something to her in their chats online despite her insistence it wouldn’t be any more than a business deal. She emptied the glass and sat back in her chair.
The server approached her. “Can I get you another San Pel?”
“No, thanks. I’ll take the check.” The young server gave her a sympathetic smile, but she held her head up and smiled in return. It wasn’t the first time she’d been stood up.
Frustrated, she left cash in the check presenter and left. She scanned the parking lot. What happened to the man who left the hot, sexy email for her to read when she arrived? The man whose promises she scoffed at.
She started down the path to the hotel, and looked up toward her room. Part of her hoped to see a hand waving from the window, or at least movement of the drapes. But nothing. Shivers spiraled down her back when she thought of his tongue doing things to her he promised would rock her world. She huffed. Idiot, you didn’t tell him where you booked a room.
Cheri’s breasts rose and fell with a sigh as she looked around. A walk would do her good and the beach was less populated than it’d been when she walked over from the hotel. She headed down the path and left the sidewalk. Walking in the sand with sandals proved useless and she stopped to take them off. She removed one and the bare sole hit the scorching sand.
“Oh, hot!” Quickly, she took the other sandal off and hurried down to the wet, cool sand along the waters edge. Oh, yeah, much better.
Unfortunately, it didn’t cool the disappointment. It settled in her stomach like a rock. Darius Markum had been the perfect candidate to help her conceive. In between trying to win her over and persuading her to come down to Florida the day after they met, he’d asked questions. Lots of questions. What had been the point of his concerns of entrusting his child with her if he never planned to follow through? He’d admitted to being a single father and wasn’t ready to raise a second child. That admission both softened and moved her further in his direction. And now, what was she supposed to do? Accept strike three and assume she and Cydney’s confirmation were both wrong? She sidestepped a rock and her foot sank in the sand. Something pierced the skin.
“Ow!”
She pulled her foot up and saw blood oozing out the side. “Fuck! What else can go wrong?” A quick search of her purse told her she’d forgotten to replace her packet of tissues. She looked around the nearly deserted beach and hobbled toward the road to where a large rock sat. The cut throbbed and tears stung her eyes, pissing her off. It wasn’t like her to let emotions rule or to let others see them. She sat and buried her face in her hands to bring herself back into control.
The throb demanded her attention. She pulled up her first-aid knowledge. Pressure stops bleeding. Great, all she had available was the clothes she wore. She pulled the hem of her skirt up and tried to tear it at the side seam, but it wouldn’t budge. Just as she brought it to her mouth to use her teeth, she heard the crunch of tires on gravel. Her head jerked around when she realized a car stopped along the road, several yards behind her. Cheri moved strands of hair from her face. At least it stopped and didn’t barrel down on her. Though it would have been a fitting end to a crappy evening.
The driver stepped out and she realized she still held the fabric in her mouth. She spit it out, hoping he hadn’t noticed. “I’ll be right there,” he called to her. He opened the trunk and pulled out a small box and came toward her.
When he came to a stop before her, she let her eyes rove up over well-fitted charcoal slacks, over a two-toned black and grey Polo shirt and into a face, young, handsome.
He dropped to his knees. “I hope I didn’t scare you,” he spoke with a gentle, southern draw.
She shook her head, speechless. The man had a beautiful face, much like the guys in her niece’s teen magazines.
“I saw you bobbing up and down from the restaurant parking lot and figured you cut your foot. It happens a lot on the beach.” He handed her the first aid kit. “My name is Allen.” With a gentle hand, he lifted her thigh and cupped her foot. “Looks like a nasty cut. Did you see what did it?” he asked as he opened the box that sat in her lap.
“I didn’t think to look.”
“Are you allergic to latex?” he asked as he pulled out a pair of gloves.
“No.” She watched as he pulled them on and removed a gauze pad from its package. The warmth against her cool skin distracted her. The pressure of his fingers somehow eased the pain of his dabbing at the blood.
He probed around and she squeezed the flesh above her knee to keep from yanking her foot from his hands, especially when he spread the gash further open, causing excruciating pain. She blew out to help deal with it as he wiped the blood with gauze.
Allen turned his face up to hers. “I’m sorry, but I think whatever it was broke off and has embedded itself. I’m afraid it means a trip to the emergency room.”
Cheri searched his eyes and felt the pain lessen when he stopped messing with the cut, or maybe it wasn’t much the lack of attention, but his beautiful eyes. The clear speckles in the emerald green fascinated her. It reminded her of a gem reflecting light. The sun was behind her. When she lowered her eyes to his mouth, his lips parted and the tips of her breasts tingled. Darius’ email came to her like a flood. The way he described what he could do with his lips around her nipples had felt as though she’d been reading an erotic novel. A sarcastic laugh bubbled up and she quickly swallowed it. At least the novels she’d begun, but never finished. The sex didn’t ring true for her. Men didn’t take their time and she’d sure never enjoyed it like the fictional women did. She gave her head a shake and realized he waited for a reply. What did he say? Emergency room. “No trip to the emergency room.” She rummaged through the box. “Don’t you have any tweezers in here to remove whatever it is?” Emotions welled up in her chest. Damn it! Who had a first aid kit without tweezers?
Allen reached out and stilled her hand. “Hey, it’s ok. It won’t take them long to remove it and stitch it up.”
She shook her head. “No. I don’t like emergency rooms.”
He sat back on his heels. “Ok, the only other alternative is to come home with me and let me do what I can.” Then he turned his attention back to her foot. She tightened her leg muscles when pain shot through her foot.
He gave her an apologetic look as he folded the gauze pad and set it over the wound then reached in the box and pulled out a roll of adhesive tape. “Would you mind?”
She took it, her fingers grazing his and popped it from the metal casing. “If you take me to my hotel, I’m sure they have supplies you can work with. It isn’t far.” With a nail, she brought the end up where it could be grasped. It stuck to her finger and he ran his fingers up hers and loosened it, letting it attach to his. The deliberate act had her looking at him. His expression didn’t give her any indication it’d been an attempt to flirt. But damn, she could drown in his eyes. His lids lowered and she fought the urge to tell him to look at her.
Cheri watched him secure the gauze and put the roll back in the canister. She reached for it and placed it back in the box. “Thank you. I do appreciate your help.” His fingers massaged her leg. Heat crawled up her thigh and… “Oh,” she whispered as her skin quivered beneath her skirt. She knew he meant nothing by it, but she wanted to stretch out and have him continue massaging anywhere he wished. Her shoulders, the small of her back, the soft flesh pulsating around her pussy. Oh, fuck! What am I doing? She leaned back resting her palms on the rock and watched him.
He closed the box and looked at her with concern. “I know I have the equipment and I promise no harm will come to you. My place is just down the road in Clearwater.” He gave a nod indicating down the stretch of road his car faced. She followed the direction with her eyes. He must have been on his way home. Looking back at him, they just watched one another while she contemplated the offer. She did need it taken care of and there were no guarantees the hotel had what he’d need. She’d hate to put him to the trouble of having to run to a drug store for anything.
Cheri closed her eyes and wished the throb in her foot wasn’t trying to control her decision. Or the throb between her thighs. The muscled thigh beneath her foot felt good despite the pain. Unconsciously, she curled her stiff toes. “Oh,” she groaned. He began to massage her calf again. She watched his hand glide up and down, feeling the pressure of it work out the tightness in her muscles. Her eyes rose to his. He watched her with interest. “What?’
“Your eyes. They’re an interesting shade of green. Reminds me of a head of iceberg.”
“Lettuce, ok. Haven’t heard that line before.”
“It’s just an observation.”
“Ok.”
“I promise I’ll take good care of you and return you to your hotel unharmed.”
I hope I don’t regret this. “If we can do this fast, so I don’t take up any more of your evening, let’s get it done,” she replied as she pulled the strap of her purse over her shoulder and picked up her sandals.
Cheri stood, putting her weight on her good foot. She fell into him when the attempt to walk failed.
“Well, since we’re in close proximity, can I have your name?” he asked, sliding his hands down her arms and scooping her up into his arms.
She put her arm around his neck as he settled her before heading toward the car. The clean, spicy scent of him had the nerves in her stomach jumping. “Cheri,” she said, with more emotion than she liked. He readjusted her in his arms and her hand went to his chest.
“Well, Cheri, are you from around here or vacationing?” he asked while he trudged through the sand on the way to the car.
“I’m here on personal business.” She let her hand slide up his hot, muscular chest and rest on his shoulder. A flash of her hands running over his hot naked flesh had her belly quivering. She blamed the man who stood her up for her wayward thoughts. Her body wanted to experience what he’d promised and cheated her out of.
Allen stopped and checked traffic before stepping around the car. “I’m going to put you in the back seat where we can prop up your foot.”
He set her down near the rear fender of the passenger side. “Hot!” The pavem
ent burned the bottom of her foot. She stepped down on her injured foot without thinking about anything but relieving the discomfort of the heat. “Damn it!”
“I’m sorry. I didn’t think about that,” he said while opening the door. He helped her down on the seat. The sudden vision of him coming in with her, over her, sent liquid heat through her pussy as she scooted across to the other door. She watched him, wondering what it’d be like to have those supple lips on hers, his hands skimming up her thighs, gripping her hips as he pounded her flesh. She raked her fingers through her hair. Damn Markum!
When his warm fingers grasped the heel of her foot, she saw the gauze had turned as red as catsup. “I’m going to bleed all over your seat.”
“It’ll wash.” He picked up a small pillow from the floorboard and placed it under her foot to elevate it.
“Thank you.” She closed her eyes and immediately opened them, shocked by the image of his fingers buried in her pussy. My foot hurts like hell and I’m thinking about sex. Darius Markum is going to find one hell of an email in his inbox.
“Are you doing all right?”
“Yes,” she replied, though the distraction of her thoughts remained the focus of her attention. He simply oozed sexuality. The broad shoulders, solid biceps and from the hardness she felt against her hip, he had a six pack. He obviously took care of himself. Maybe he could fill in for the man who stood her up? She’d never see him again and if she conceived, no issues. Oh my God! I’m losing my mind.
“It won’t take us long to reach the house.”
What won’t take long? She saw the corner of his eye crinkle and she realized she’d been staring at him. “Ok.” After he shut the door, she rested her cheek against the warm leather and closed her eyes. She heard him talking as he neared the driver side, but couldn’t make out exactly what was being said. The thought she’d interfered with plans he’d had drew guilt from her. When he climbed in and tossed his cell phone on the seat, she told him, “I don’t want you to cancel your evening. Please, take me to my hotel. I’m sure someone can run out and get what I need.”
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