Vibrations

by Wood, Lorena

  “Well, if it wouldn’t be too much trouble, I would love to take a drive to Sedona.”

  “That sounds fun. It’s only a couple hours away. What’s in Sedona that you like?” Nick knew the point would be to let Whitney recharge, so a little diversion would be perfect.

  “Sedona is where I live. I would love to grab some new clothes and check on my babies.”

  Nick realized again that he didn’t know Whitney very well. He didn’t even know where she lived not to mention her family situation.

  “Babies? When you said you avoided relationships, I guess I thought that would rule out babies.”

  His look of panic made her smile. “Well, I call them my babies. They’re my parrots. But they can be as much work as real babies.”

  Nick shook his head at her. “You enjoyed that reaction didn’t you? Just remember, payback can be a bitch.”

  “Sorry,” she said still smiling. “Do you know much about birds? I have one Blue and Gold Macaw and one Umbrella Cockatoo. Right now I have a young neighbor that stops at my house and takes care of them while I’m gone. She’s a college kid out for the summer.”

  “I guess you can’t just leave food in the cage when you don’t know how long you’ll be gone.”

  “Not only that, the bigger birds would get very upset if they were left alone for so long, especially the Cockatoo. He can’t be left in a cage all day or he’ll just start screaming and pulling out his feathers. Thankfully my neighbor’s girl Tina loves birds and used to work in a bird store. When she’s in school I have to board them with another lady.”

  “Sounds like an adventure that will take my mind off of work…but maybe not other things.” Nick smiled mischievously at Whitney.

  Whitney looked away and forced a smile. She didn’t want to encourage him, but she wouldn’t be rude. It was her fault for letting him think there was a chance at anything. He still hadn’t figured out for himself that he couldn’t just think about the weather every time he wanted some privacy. If she had to, she’d get into his mind on purpose to drive him away. For now, she just wanted to go home for the day.

  Nick saw the sadness in her eyes. Something had changed again. There was no way he could keep track of everything he’d been thinking, but something had upset her. He promised himself he’d have more self control and wait for more signs.

  Whitney got herself ready for the next day and went to bed early. There was nothing for her to do in his house and she didn’t want to be exposed to his thoughts. Years ago she had realized that some people were just meant to be alone, and that went double for freaks of nature. She thought she’d come to terms with it, but just a moment of hope had made her feel things that were best kept locked away. The awareness of what she was missing was fresh and painful and promised to keep her awake for most of the night.

  Chapter 6

  Whitney was already up by the time Nick woke up. He knew she was in the kitchen because the smells of coffee and bacon drifted into his room. He looked over at the clock. It was only 6:45. He threw on his sweats and followed his nose into the kitchen.

  “Whitney. Did you sleep last night? What are you doing up so early?” He took a deep breath to inhale the scent of bacon. “Smells yummy.”

  “Good morning Nick,” she answered sweetly. “I slept fine. I just didn’t want to waste my day off. It’s a perfect day.”

  “I know you couldn’t have found all this good stuff in my fridge.”

  “I didn’t. I borrowed your car to run to the store. Hope that’s not a problem. I got some water bottles and snacks for the trip today too.”

  “No problem.” He rubbed his hands through his hair and reached for a cup. “Coffee, java, the elixir of life.” He laughed at himself as he poured it into the giant mug. “What, no donuts?”

  “Very funny. No. Eggs, bacon, toast and coffee. Everything a growing boy needs to start a beautiful day off. A little cholesterol and caffeine and we’ll be ready to go.

  Whitney had tossed and turned all night until she came to her decision. She would put on a happy face and stop moping around. This was her life and she’d act like a grown woman and accept it. There was no need to punish Nick for her own problems. She also knew Nick didn’t take much time off, so she’d make it as relaxing as possible.

  Nick watched her putting their food on the plates. She moved so gracefully she looked like she was floating. Her beautiful black hair looked like it would reach to her waist, but she had it pulled back. Little ringlets fell around her face. Her hair fell in gentle curls down her back. Her deep brown eyes were flashing with the anticipation of the day.

  Nick couldn’t believe how exciting it was to just watch her eat. No one had ever made it look like such a sensuous event. She lifted a bite slowly to her mouth and ever so slowly slid it off the fork.

  “Mmmmmm. I love breakfast food.”

  Nick laughed. He was enjoying watching her so much he tried to not think about the fact that she could read his mind. It was pretty confusing. He wanted to be with her, but he didn’t really want her to know every thought he had about her. He knew he wanted something with her, but he wasn’t sure what. He decided he had to stop obsessing over what thoughts she could hear. He would pretend he could block her out. Maybe he would even figure out how that worked. She could just tell him if she didn’t like something he was thinking. He wished he could read her mind. She looked relaxed and happy this morning. He kept thinking about spending a whole day with her alone, and he knew he had to taste her again.

  “If I don’t get dressed and out of here, we’ll never make it out the house today.” He hadn’t said it out loud, but Whitney had blushed. “Yup,” Nick thought. “She knows what I’m thinking.”

  He gave her a wink and put his dishes in the sink. “I’m gonna go get ready. You just leave the dishes where they are. I’ll take care of them later.”

  “It’s alright. I’m all ready. I’ll just straighten up a little.”

  “No, it’s supposed to be your little vacation today. You’ve already gone shopping and cooked for me. Just relax and I’ll be ready in a few.”

  Whitney sat on the porch to wait for Nick. She felt like a kid. Her stomach was doing flip-flops and her heart wouldn’t slow down. She was supposed to be ignoring him and accepting her fate. She was trying to ignore his thoughts, but having a man want her so badly was confusing. She didn’t want to hurt him, but she couldn’t let him get his hopes up. He made it seem possible when he pictured it in his own mind. She couldn’t believe what she was thinking, or what he was thinking. She’d had plenty of men interested in her. She’d always been scared. She was afraid of being hurt. She was afraid of falling in love only to scare someone off with her “gifts”. The more she thought about it the more she realized she had been protecting herself instead of the people around her.

  Nick knew what he was getting into. He wasn’t promising anything. He’d let her know he was afraid of relationships too. He was afraid he wouldn’t be there when someone he loved needed him. His life as a cop was very demanding and he had seen enough divorces and broken hearts to know the risks. She knew he’d really tried not to be interested in her, but had failed. She wondered again what it would feel like if she followed her heart. She’d never felt this way around any other man. She felt safe, and comfortable. She could be herself and he didn’t care.

  When he looked at her with his intense blue eyes her knees got weak. She couldn’t help but wonder how this day would turn out. Too bad she couldn’t predict the future too. “No!” she quickly said aloud. “Be careful what you wish for girl. You have enough problems now.”

  When they headed out of Phoenix there wasn’t a cloud in the sky. It was a typical Arizona day. Whitney remembered reading somewhere that out of three hundred sixty-five days in a year, Phoenix had something like two hundred twenty days of sunshine. Only Las Vegas beat them out at two hundred sixty days. That was one of the reasons she loved living here. No matter how depressing life got, it always seemed e
asier to handle on a sunny day than on the many gray and dreary days they had in her hometown in New York.

  Whitney loved the changes in scenery as they left the city and drove up into the high desert. The mountains were quite barren compared to those where she grew up. Only a few shrubs and cactus could grow amid all the rocks. A few of the hills were covered with Saguaros, the large cactus native to Arizona.

  If they had continued the drive north one more hour to Flagstaff, the landscape would have continued to change so that it almost matched the Adirondacks of New York. You could leave the hot desert in January and in three hours be skiing in Flagstaff. Sedona was in between the desert and the mountains. Whitney loved the breathtaking views of red rock mountains and formations. People came there for vacations from around the world. Sedona was also said to have three or four vortexes. These were the areas where the conditions were just right for the energy of the earth to be focused there. People traveled from all over the world to try to feel the energy. There was an abundance of little shops setup to cater to these people. They had crystals and gems of all kinds, tarot cards and psychic readings. You could even bring some of the genuine Sedona rocks home with you in a can.

  During the drive north Whitney could feel the sexual tension building. This was an easy vibration to pick up. Even people without special gifts could sense it sometimes. She felt like it was so obvious that even Nick would see it. How could she think about anything else with the excitement sparking between them?

  Nick pestered Whitney with questions to keep her from going quiet on the long ride. He had thought she had no family, but he learned she had one brother and one sister. She was the middle child. Her Dad had been strict but her Mom had been her confidant. Both her parents had died, and her brother and sister avoided her. They didn’t want her reading their minds or judging their lives.

  Nick hadn’t known his Dad, he had left them when he was young, but he had plenty of family in his life. Everyone who knew his mother knew she was devoted to raising honest, hardworking kids. She worked more than one job to keep Nick and his sister fed and in proper clothes. Nick had decided to become a policeman because she had stressed the value of helping others and having pride in your job.

  Nick tried to watch the road and keep up the conversation, but he couldn’t keep his eyes off Whitney. Her eyes would change from distant to excited and then back to sad again. That was the closest thing he had to reading her mind, so he was determined not to miss anything. He could tell when she was lost in thought, or remembering something painful. They could look so distant and disturbed or so warm and inviting. He wanted to hold her, taste her, and smell her. She smelled like a vanilla candle. His lips curved up as he wondered why she smelled like that.

  There were times she seemed to be less guarded, but then he would see the shields go back up. How could he move forward slowly when she knew all of his thoughts? “Total honesty,” he thought. “I’ve always heard that was good in a relationship.” What other choice did he have if he wanted to be with her? What if she knew all of his secrets? Of course, she might know them already. The point was that if he accepted her abilities, and she accepted him for all his faults, they might be able to have something amazing. Nick had always sucked at love, and amazing seemed far out of reach.

  As Nick drove into the small town of Sedona he remembered another thing about Sedona. It was very expensive to live here. The FBI must be paying her pretty well for her abilities. They drove past some small shops and Whitney directed him to turn up the mountain road. The houses were set apart from each other on large lots, and looked to be at least 4,000 square feet or more. He could tell by the ornate designs and perfectly manicured yards that these people had money. Somehow he had not pictured her living like this. He imagined the “energy” of the area had drawn her to live here, but he didn’t picture her as part of the elite social circle that existed in Sedona.

  They took a turn up a little lane called Boulder Drive. At the end of the road sat Whitney’s house. It wasn’t as big as the houses they had passed, but it was landscaped just as beautifully and surrounded by a gorgeous desert view. Nick liked the Cedar siding on the house. Especially the large starburst effect set over the garage. He could see a large open room off to the left as they entered the house. She gave him a quick tour of the one story home finishing in the large room he had noted when they first entered. He knew before he stepped in what he would find. He could hear the birds squawking and yelling throughout the house. Whitney closed the door to the room and ran to open the cages.

  “Hello Charley. How are you? Did you miss me?”

  She introduced Nick to her Blue and Gold Macaw named Charlie. Next she opened the cage to let out a large white bird that sounded like he was saying “I Love you” over and over again.

  “This is Cockatoo Dundee.”

  The bird answered in a squeaky voice, “Good day mate.”

  “Took me a year to teach him that!”

  Nick laughed and reached out to pet him. The bird suddenly stood up and hissed at him. The feathers on his head shot straight up and made him look much taller. Whitney placed her hand on his head and murmured to him.

  “Birds are afraid of new things, especially when they come from above. Take it a little slower, and talk softly. Don’t reach over his head. Just offer your hand low here and then scratch his head like this.”

  Nick felt a little foolish for being afraid of the bird that looked so cuddly in her arms. But the bird’s beak looked like it could take off a finger. He reached over slowly and told him he was a friend. Once Nick started scratching him the bird relaxed and snuggled back into Whitney’s arms.

  “Want to pet the Macaw?”

  Nick looked at the bird and saw that his beak was twice the size of the Cockatoo’s beak. “No thanks. I’ll wait until we get to know each other better. Matter of fact, I’m going to take a little walk and stretch my legs. That’ll give you some time to visit your babies.”

  Whitney took advantage of the time to clean the cages and play with the birds. They were so excited to see her they were climbing all over her. She tried to give them both attention so that no one would get jealous. “Just like kids,” she thought. Charlie, the macaw soon flew off to find something else to do and she played with Dundee for a few more minutes. On her way back through the kitchen she decided to leave a note for Tina.

  Tina,

  I had some time off, so I drove up for the day. The birds look great. You’re doing a great job. I cleaned the cages and changed the food and water. I’ll be here ‘till late so you can take the day off and come back tomorrow if you’d like. Call me if you need me.

  When she walked into her bedroom she found Nick looking at the things on her dresser. He turned and smiled at her.

  “I hope you don’t mind me being in here.”

  “No, I guess not. Feel free to look around.”

  “Well, I was thinking how unfair it is that you know so much more about me than I do about you. Since I can’t read your mind, I need to find other ways to catch up. What better place to learn about a woman than in her bedroom.” His slow smile spread to match the mischief in his eyes. “So what would you like to do while we’re here?” He looked quite please with himself.

  “Um, well what would you like to do?” Her face flushed red and she couldn’t figure out what to do with her hands.

  Nick had to remind himself to proceed with caution. “Looks like you need to get me out of the house so I’ll behave,” he said laughing to ease the tension. “Did you have anything else you wanted to do today?”

  “If you feel like stretching your legs some more I could show you my favorite place to go hiking.”

  She looked like she would bolt out of the room if he moved an inch closer. He backed out toward the door.

  She let out a sigh as he backed away. “I’ll be in the car as soon as I get my stuff packed.” She threw some supplies in a backpack for the hike and hurried outside.

  “Stupid,” W
hitney kept saying to herself. “Just stupid. How is he supposed to think I’m not interested when I blush like that? Of course I’m interested. Wait, no I’m not.”

  The realization hit her. She could pretend not to be interested, but she couldn’t really fool herself. Her logical brain wasn’t getting through to other parts of her body. She had wanted him to kiss her. She had been dreaming about it in the car for the whole ride.

  The hike up the steep rocks helped Nick to burn up some energy. He enjoyed leaping from rock to rock, following her up the path. He liked the view from behind too. This must be how she kept herself in such great shape.

  When they reached a large boulder near the top, Whitney climbed to the middle of it and sat. Nick sat next to her and they quietly took in the beautiful view as they caught their breath.

  Finally Nick spoke. “Whitney?”

  “Yes Nick.”

  Whitney’s insides were trembling. He wanted to kiss her and she wanted it to happen. If she let him, she’d be responsible for his hurt feelings later. She looked up to see him waiting. He was waiting for her to answer his question. She tried to speak but couldn’t find the right words.

  Nick’s eyes softened and he bent his head toward hers. At first he softly stroked her cheek, and then slowly he slid his hand around the back of her neck. Pulling her closer, he kept his eyes locked on hers. Leaning in he gently brushed her lips with his own. Whitney let out the breath she had been holding. Nick felt her warm breath brush over his lips and his kiss deepened. He pulled her body against his.

  Whitney could feel his strong arms surrounding her. Her breasts were pressed up against his warm strong chest and she gave in to the compulsion to her hands through his thick black hair.

  Nick’s other arm reached around and cupped her breast with his thumb slowly moving over her nipple.

  Whitney felt a jolt go through her as she moaned in pleasure.

  “Whitney, you’re so beautiful.” Nick’s kisses started trailing down her neck. “You’re so hard to resist.”