by AE Jones
I paused. “Not right now.” My stomach was arguing with the contents now. I didn’t want to risk adding anything else to the mix.
“Have you danced yet?”
“No. I’m not much of a dancer.”
He held out his hand. “Let’s give it a try.”
I looked up into his turquoise eyes, and he winked at me, and I let him lead me onto the dance floor. Within seconds, a slow song replaced the fast-paced music. I glanced over at the DJ. Misha was standing a few steps away from him looking everywhere but at me, so I couldn’t give him the stinkeye. Why did I think there was matchmaking going on here?
Dalton grasped my right hand, and his other hand rested on my lower back. My bare lower back. I shivered at his touch. He pulled me a little closer, and we swayed to the music. The other dancers faded away, and I had one of those surreal, girly Cinderella moments. The song ended way too quickly, and I had to congratulate myself for not stepping on his toes once. He leaned down and spoke in my ear, his breath caressing my neck. Dial it back, girlfriend.
“I know I just got here,” he murmured, “but would you be okay if we left the party? I need to talk to you.”
“Sure,” I said. But I was feeling far from it.
A few minutes later, we climbed into his SUV, and the smell of roses tickled my nose. Marie apparently had been quite busy tonight. “I’m glad you and your grandmother have been able to hook back up again.”
“How did you—”
I tapped my nose. “Roses. That’s what gave her away last year, too.”
“Right, you told me, I remember now.” He started the car. “Grandma and I have been talking quite a bit lately.”
“Marie’s a talker, all right.”
“She was giving me some advice on the way here.”
I laughed. “Whether you want it or not, right?”
“Yes.”
I wanted to ask him what her advice was about, but I didn’t feel right asking, and he didn’t volunteer. We lapsed into silence until we pulled into his driveway a few minutes later.
“I didn’t realize the hall Boris had rented was so close to your house.”
Dalton’s mouth quirked up at one corner. “Pretty convenient.”
When we entered his house, I had trouble sucking air into my lungs. I hadn’t been here since last year. The living room had boxes piled to the one side. Which was a blatant reminder he was moving away soon. Time to start getting used to it.
He set his keys on the coffee table and pulled off his suit coat before he turned to me. “I wanted you to be the first to know I’ve finished my training. I’m a full-fledged Fed now.”
“That’s great!” my mouth said, but my heart deflated. I gestured to his boxes. “So where are you moving? Chicago?”
He shook his head. “No. Those boxes are from my apartment in Chicago. I’m moving back here. I’m going to be based in the Cleveland office.”
I locked my knees so I didn’t drop to the floor. I blinked a couple of times. My stupid tear ducts were on the verge of overflowing, so I turned away and walked to the fireplace to stare at the picture of Marie he kept there, hoping to pull myself together. “I thought you wanted to live in Chicago.”
“I changed my mind. Come on. I’m hungry. Let’s go into the kitchen.”
“Wait—”
But I found myself standing alone, slack-jawed in the living room. He couldn’t just drop a bomb like that and not answer my questions. No sirree Bob, Jim, Mike, and anyone else who cared to listen.
I stomped into the kitchen and was about to launch a volley of questions, but something else caught my attention. A quart of Mocha Swirl sat on the kitchen counter.
I stared at the ice cream like it was a rattlesnake. Dalton was a vanilla guy all the way. What was going on? All the questions I was going to ask him evaporated, and instead I stammered, “B-but this is my favorite. How did you know?”
He smiled and came closer to me, holding a spoon in each hand. “I asked Doc. She also told me in order to enjoy it in ‘true Kyle fashion’ we had to eat straight from the carton.”
The hard shell I’d erected around my heart since I lost Dalton cracked open. And Talia’s words rushed back to me. “You’re a fighter. And when someone tells you no, if you want it bad enough, you fight them.” I wasn’t letting him go this time. I couldn’t.
His hands were full, so I took advantage. I grabbed his face and pulled him down into my version of a sneak-attack kiss.
He froze for a moment until I bit his bottom lip lightly. Spoons clattered to the floor, and he wrapped his arms around my waist and hauled me up against him.
I had forgotten how soft his lips were, and I gasped with delight. Dalton took advantage and slid his tongue inside, and I was gone. Certifiably lost to the sensations of lips and tongue and desire.
I don’t know how long we stood there kissing, but Dalton finally loosened his grip on me and stepped back.
His eyes had darkened, and he ran his fingertips along my lips. “I knew it was going to be good, but that was beyond good.”
I opened my mouth, but he placed his fingers over my lips. “Shh. It’s my turn to talk now. In the past two months, I’ve felt like a whole person again. And as much as I would like to say it has to do with my new job, the truth is, it’s because of you. Every sarcastic text you send me makes me grin. Every conversation makes me want to talk to you again.
“In the past week, I’ve received texts or calls from Misha, Jean Luc, Talia, Jason, Irina, Boris, Sabrina, and Nicholas, all wanting to confirm that I would be coming to the party tonight. Even Doyle, the used car salesman, called to tell me how great you are.”
“Are you telling me you think they threw this elaborate party to set us up?”
“You know your friends and family better than I do, what do you think?”
“Those sneaky supes.”
“I’ve also had several long talks with my grandmother. She explained everything you went through this past year and told me I was being a horse’s ass if I let you go.”
“That’s what she thinks. What do you think?”
“I think you are an amazing woman, Kyle McKinley. You have so many people who love you. So let me ask you a question. Do you think you have room for one more? Because the more time I spend with you, the more I fall in love with you.”
I grabbed his face and stared hard into his eyes. “You’ve forgiven me for erasing your memory?”
“You made the monsters go away, Kyle. And you’re still doing that for me. Could you find a way to love me again?”
I rested my forehead to his. “You’ve always chased my monsters away.”
“Then I think that answers my question.”
He kissed me lightly on the lips, and I pulled back, turning so my back was to his chest.
“What are you doing?” he asked.
“Making sure we aren’t disturbed for a while…Marie, I know you’re around here somewhere, so show yourself.”
Marie appeared in front of us, smiling.
“Go back to the party and tell everyone their plan worked.”
She chuckled. “About daggone time.”
“I should have never introduced you to Jean Luc and Misha. Now leave us alone for a while, Marie, and tell everyone else I love them, but I will hurt them if they contact either of us tonight. Got it?”
Marie faded from the room. “Yes, ma’am.”
“You are a smart woman.” Dalton turned me in his arms, stroking his hand down my bare back. “This dress drives me crazy. And your hair is beautiful.”
“You scowled at me the night I wore it to the bar.”
“I scowled at you because I was having an argument with myself. I had to bite my tongue to keep from saying you couldn’t go to the bar dressed like that. You are the sexiest woman I have ever met. I kept you at arm’s length because you scared the crap out of me. I knew within two seconds of meeting you that if I let you anywhere near, you would own me.”
&n
bsp; I laughed out loud. “Own you? Is that right?”
He moaned. “I shouldn’t have told you.”
“That’s okay. I won’t use it against you.”
“You’re a bad liar, Kyle.” And then he turned serious. “I have to ask. Am I very different from the first time you met me?”
I looked into his eyes. They were full of love, but hidden in their depths was vulnerability.
“You are a little different. A bit more serious and cautious.”
He frowned slightly, so I rushed on.
“But that’s a good thing. We can balance each other out a bit.” I leaned in and kissed his nose. “And I’ve fallen in love with you all over again.”
He hugged me to him and sat on a kitchen chair, setting me in his lap.
“Is there anything else we need to get out in the open while we’re coming clean?”
I ran my fingers along his chin. “There’s one thing we haven’t talked about yet.”
“What’s that?”
“Our sex life.”
Dalton’s eyebrows rose. “What about it?”
“Well, it was pretty good. As a matter of fact I think you told me it was the best you ever had.”
“Seriously? The best, huh?”
I grinned. “Yes.”
He cocked his head. “I’m not sure I believe you.”
I batted my eyelashes at him like a heroine from a silent movie. “What do I have to do to prove it to you?”
His turquoise eyes danced. “Give me a second. I’m sure I’ll think of something.”
Thanks!
I hope you enjoyed the newest Kyle novel. If you have not had a chance to read the other books in the series, please see the series list below.
I will also soon be introducing a fun new series about paranormal wedding planners! And I will be writing stories about other characters in the Mind Sweeper world, so stay tuned.
If you would like to know when my books will be released, please join my new releases email list at www.aejonesauthor.com or follow me on Twitter @aejonesauthor or Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/aejones.author1
And if you are so inclined, please review this book as well.
Mind Sweeper Series
Mind Sweeper – Book 1
The Fledgling – Book 2 (A Mind Sweeper Novella)
Shifter Wars – Book 3
The Pursuit – Book 4 (A Mind Sweeper Novella)
Sentinel Lost – Book 5
2013 RWA Golden Heart® Winner
2015 RWA RITA® Finalist
Mind Sweeper
Mind Sweeper Series Book One
An angel, a demon and a vampire walk into a bar. Sounds like the beginning of a bad joke, but it’s just another day in the life of Kyle McKinley.
Kyle was born with the ability to erase memories, and the inability to keep her opinions to herself. She and her teammates—a vampire who looks like a sexy pirate with fangs, and a Shamat demon with a penchant for Italian pastries—provide supernatural damage control when humans see too much. Today’s problem? A sword-wielding angel and a demon had a supernatural smackdown during happy hour in a Cleveland bar, leaving behind a headless vampire and a dozen human witnesses.
This latest supernatural slip-up is attracting all kinds of attention. So much attention that the police step in, and Kyle has to deal with Joe Dalton, a know-it-all human with the sexiest turquoise eyes she has ever seen. Kyle has no room in her life for yet another human who will treat her like a freak. However, Dalton definitely makes her naughty parts sit up and take notice, and it’s more than mutual. But before they can act on their attraction, they must join forces to solve a dangerous puzzle. And when they uncover the truth, the apocalyptic ripple effect forces Kyle to make a choice. Learn to trust again, or risk losing everyone she cares about, including Dalton.
The Fledgling – A Novella
Mind Sweeper Series Book Two
A Mind Sweeper novella that peeks into Jean Luc Delacroix’s past. He has lived for centuries as a vampire, but the 1980’s may be his biggest challenge yet. How does a nearly four-hundred-year-old vampire survive a decade of shoulder pads, big hair, and music videos? Simple. Concentrate on his job.
Jean Luc and his demon partner, Misha, work for the Bureau of Supernatural Relations. Their task: keep humans from finding out about the supernatural. Not a simple thing to do when dead bodies keep turning up with their throats ripped out. So the team’s first priority is to stop a supernatural serial killer from striking again. The only problem is the beautiful bounty hunter who keeps interfering with the investigation.
Talia Walker is a bounty hunter who also happens to be a newly turned vampire. She deliberately avoids other supernaturals and knows nothing of what being a vampire truly means. Her job: find a murderer and bring him to justice. The problem is she has never dealt with a supernatural bounty before…or an overbearing, ridiculously sexy vampire.
When Jean Luc and Talia butt heads over the investigation, only Misha can see that their animosity has more to do with attraction than anger. And unless Jean Luc and Talia can set aside their troubled pasts and learn to trust each other, they may never have an opportunity to explore their true feelings. Especially when they come face to face with the killer.
Shifter Wars
Mind Sweeper Series Book Three
Why did the demon cross the road? Apparently to escape from Kyle McKinley. Which is more than fine with her.
The last thing she wants is to be dragged into another supernatural crisis, but the Fates have something more interesting in store for her. Since the tricky wenches love to mess with people, Kyle isn’t really surprised. And once she learns Trina, the young shifter girl whose memory she erased, is being stalked again, Kyle will do whatever it takes to protect her.
Normally a secretive group, the shifters reluctantly agree to allow Kyle and her vampire and demon teammates to investigate. Are the poachers who kidnapped Trina back for revenge? But when other shifters are also targeted, Kyle becomes convinced there is more to the attacks than vengeance. And when the violence escalates and Griffin, the enigmatic leader of the shifters, ends up in the crosshairs, the team braces for a bloodbath.
Scrambling to identify the mysterious group bent on destroying the shifters, and why, Kyle is also haunted by dreams and painful flashes from the prophesied Key of Knowledge which has taken up residence in her brain. In typical Kyle fashion, she decides to ignore it, but the more she ignores it, the more it digs its claws into her consciousness. If she can’t learn to embrace the Key and ask for help from those closest to her, she could lose her sanity before she’s able to prevent a shifter civil war.
The Pursuit
Mind Sweeper Series Book Four
A Mind Sweeper novella that delves further into Jean Luc and Talia’s story.
Thirty years ago, Jean Luc Delacroix believed he had found his mate in Talia Walker—until she walked out on him. While he has honored her wish to be independent, he cannot forget her. And when they’re thrown together again, Jean Luc’s feelings reignite. This time he will do whatever is necessary to make her his.
Talia learned everything she knows about love—and about being a vampire—from Jean Luc. But the memories of her forced turning and loss of humanity compelled her to strike out on her own to prove she could take care of herself. When she comes face to face with Jean Luc again, she wonders if her continued independence is as important as being with the vampire she still loves.
Before either can acknowledge their feelings, they are embroiled in a deadly case. A killer vampire is draining humans. When suspects are uncovered, the very foundation of the vampire nation is threatened. And when they get closer to the truth, and Jean Luc’s life is in danger, Talia risks her own life to hunt down the killer.
Will Jean Luc and Talia finally find the courage to follow their hearts? Or will the killer destroy them first?
Acknowledgments
So many to thank once again! To Faith, my editor extraordin
aire. This book was a labor of love. Thanks for helping me through each step.
To Gabrielle, thanks for the wonderful series of covers you have created for me!
Sandra Owens, a wonderful friend and writer, thanks for agreeing to beta read this book for me at the last minute and turning it around in a day! Your support means the world to me.
To my CP Becky Lower who kept asking me “how many words did you get done today?” Thanks for being a taskmaster when I needed one.
Helen, Jayne, Lara, Karen, Ruth & Trish, thanks for sticking by me on this crazy rollercoaster ride. Hard to believe we’re five books in, right?
AE Jones
Growing up a TV junkie, AE Jones oftentimes rewrote endings of episodes in her head when she didn’t like the outcome. She immersed herself in sci-fi and soap operas. But when Buffy hit the little screen, she knew her true love was paranormal. Now she spends her nights weaving stories about all variation of supernatural—their angst and their humor. After all, life is about both…whether you sport fangs or not.
AE won RWA’s 2013 Golden Heart ® Award for her paranormal manuscript, Mind Sweeper. Mind Sweeper was also a 2015 RWA RITA® finalist for both First Book and Paranormal Romance.
AE lives in Ohio surrounded by her eclectic family and friends who in no way resemble any characters in her books. Honest. Now her two cats are another story altogether.