“Don’t you know?”
He pulled his hand away and she watched his frown deepen. “Just because I could pry into your thoughts doesn’t mean I would without permission.”
“Sorry. I was thinking I shouldn’t trust you.”
“Yet I’m all you’ve got.”
“True.” She wished she could dispute him, but at the moment she had no one she could trust. Joshua might not be the best choice, but he was all she had. She remembered the way he had protected her while he’d been probing her. He could have hurt her. The fact was, he could have killed her, but he’d taken special care to keep her safe and sane while gathering the information he’d been ordered to obtain.
The memory of his gentle mind slipping through hers should have terrified her, but she found it arousing. In fact it had turned her on at the time too. She wanted to deny it, pretend she’d hated having someone invade her consciousness, but it hadn’t been an invasion. It had been an experience and one she would never forget. He’d caressed her from the inside out and made her consider things she’d always avoided.
Most telepathically talented people opened their minds during sex. It allowed them to experience the pleasure from both their own and their partner’s point of view. Tessa had always shied away from that type of intimacy. It was too raw, too personal. Yet she yearned for exactly that type of familiarity with a man she’d only met a couple of hours ago.
If he sensed what she was thinking about, he was gentleman enough to keep it to himself. She blushed and focused her attention back to the scenery as they turned off the road into a long, treed driveway.
At the end of the driveway she saw an old, white farmhouse. She could just make out two people standing on the porch. As they drove closer she noted the couple was older and the man had a shotgun in his hand. “Where are we?”
“Somerset, New Jersey.”
“That’s not exactly the answer I was looking for.”
He smiled and pulled the car to a stop several feet away from the house. Joshua opened his door and stepped out. Tessa watched from inside the car as the older couple beamed at the sight of him. Then she got out of the car.
He was hugging the old woman. She never would have believed a man like Joshua Lakeland would have a soft spot for an old couple, but the way he looked at these two changed her mind.
Tessa approached the porch.
The woman said, “Who’s your friend, Joshua?”
He turned halfway toward Tessa while still keeping his attention focused on the couple. “Bill and Peggy Flack, this is Tessa Clark. We work for the same organization.”
Bill shook her hand, frowning. “And you’re both in trouble, if my instincts are right?”
Peggy was lean and muscular while Bill was stocky and several inches shorter than his wife. They both looked to be past seventy yet there was a kind of strength about the pair. Tessa liked them on sight.
“Sharp as ever, Bill. Are you sure you’re not a psi in your own right?”
“Just good instincts.” Bill was still holding the shotgun though he had it pointing toward the ground.
Peggy said, “You’d better come inside and tell us what this is all about. I’ll put some coffee on.”
The house was cozy. A large kitchen dominated the front and windows looked out toward the barn. Clean and functional, the kitchen hadn’t been redecorated since the seventies. A small cottage sat off to the right of the house. Horses grazed in large, fenced fields, and woods surrounded the property. It was an idyllic setting.
Tessa sipped the strong, delicious coffee and listened in surprise as Joshua told these two the entire story. He didn’t lie or hold any information back.
When Joshua had finished his tale Bill stood up and buried his heavily veined hands in his jeans pockets. “How can we help, Joshua? We’re just two old people living out our life on a farm we should have sold years ago. I want to help you, but what can we do?”
Joshua remained seated. “Bill, I hate to ask this of you. I’m hoping the people chasing us will overlook this place. The people who knew about my connection with you are either dead or in prison. I think it’s safe. We need to figure out our next move and Tessa needs to rest. I didn’t want to go to Kane and Lena. With the baby and one on the way…”
“Of course you’ll rest here, Joshua. You’re family to us. We’d do anything for you. You know that. It’s only we wish we could do more,” Peggy said. She went to the coffeepot and started refilling mugs as if the dark liquid would fix the problems of the day.
Tessa felt the effect her words had on Joshua. His body stiffened and then relaxed. Something about him frightened and intrigued her. They had only been linked in the probe for a few minutes, but she still felt somehow connected to this powerful man. She wasn’t trying to sense him but she did. She knew he cared for these people and yet he was uncomfortable with their obvious love for him.
His mind had been filled with terrors she wouldn’t soon forget and yet he had been so tender when it came to her. He had protected her and saved her at great risk to himself. Why? Who was Joshua Lakeland and what did it have to do with her?
Joshua got up from the farm table. “I’ll be back in a little while. Peggy, can you show Tessa where she can rest?”
Peggy smiled warmly. “Of course. You’ll be wanting a shower too. If you give me those clothes I’ll get them in the washing machine and have them clean when you wake up.”
“You’re very kind, Mrs. Flack.”
She waved a bony hand in dismissal. “You just call me Peggy. Everyone does.”
Tessa had said all the right things to Peggy. She had been polite and controlled her emotions. Inside she was just short of full-on panic. He was leaving her. Who could blame him? Tessa didn’t want to alarm the Flacks so she remained silent yet practically screamed in her mind, “Where the hell are you going? Are you leaving me here?”
Part of her wanted him to hear and another part of her understood why he would want to get as far away from her as possible. Just because she could feel his emotions didn’t mean he would sense hers. He was undoubtedly very practiced at closing off his mind. If he was really a level ten psychic, he would have to just to stay sane.
He’d likely get killed if he stayed with her. At least he’d gotten her to a place where she could try to catch a few hours of sleep and then she’d be on the run. Probably for the rest of her life, however long that might be.
From the way his head spun around she might as well have spoken out loud. His eyes widened and then he stalked toward her. He was visceral and terrifying. His body language said he wanted her and he might take her right there in the kitchen.
Tessa held her ground in the center of the old linoleum floor. She didn’t know if she wanted to move closer or run away. Everything about Joshua made her at once curious, aroused and afraid.
Bill cleared his throat and walked out the door with his shotgun in his hand.
Peggy said, “Well, um…I’ll just wait for you in the next room, Tessa dear.”
Joshua didn’t stop until he was standing with only a sliver of light between them. She had to crane her neck to look up at him. His mouth came within a centimeter of hers, but he never touched her.
“I’m not leaving you.”
Her heart pounded in her chest and her stomach clenched painfully. “I can take care of myself.”
One side of his mouth lifted. His right hand came up and calloused fingers slid across her cheekbone. He was powerful. He could kill her. If his psi rating was true he could likely kill her without touching her, but he could just as easily snap her neck. She could defend herself, but what would be the point? This was Joshua Lakeland. Eventually he would win.
Those same fingers continued until they were threaded through her hair and he forced her to look him in the eye. “I know you can, Tessa. I’m not leaving because I don’t want to leave you. I can’t explain why, but we’re in this together. You’re going to have to learn to trust me.”
&n
bsp; She had to force air into her lungs. “I’ve already taken several leaps of faith. You just said you were leaving. If you want to go, then go.”
He shook his head but didn’t release her. “I’m going to get rid of the car. I don’t want to get picked up by the local police because we made a rookie mistake and kept a stolen car too long.”
“Oh.” She could feel her cheeks flushing.
His left hand came up and cupped her other cheek. He ran a thumb along her bottom lip. She wanted to be impervious to his attention, but her body trembled at his touch.
His mouth drew closer. His breath mingled with hers as her lips separated partially in shock at what was about to happen and partially in need of his kiss. Those deep-blue eyes locked with hers and she couldn’t blink or look away. He scanned her face to her lips, closed his eyes and stepped away.
Tessa’s instincts told her she should throw her arms around his neck and take the kiss he’d nearly given. Her cautious nature kept her feet planted in the spot on the linoleum.
Only the sound of heavy breathing filled the kitchen for several ticks of the clock.
“I’ll be back in a little while. You’d better get some rest.” Joshua walked out the kitchen door into the yard.
* * * * *
After the events of the past few days Tessa wouldn’t have been surprised if finally closing her eyes left her riddled with nightmares. She’d certainly had her fair share after the attack and the death of her team. However, her dreams in the back bedroom were of a decidedly more erotic nature. The central character in every vision was Joshua Lakeland.
She didn’t know how long she’d slept when she felt as much as heard Joshua come into the room. His body weighed down the bed and he curled behind her, though on top of the covers.
She should have been offended about him getting in the same bed with her. She’d only met him a few hours earlier. Yet it would have been a lie. She was charmed by the notion he’d kept the blankets between them and comforted by his strong arm wrapping around her waist.
“How do you know these people?”
The sun had gone down and though it was probably still early the room was cast in total darkness. His whispered tone created an intimate cocoon for them to share. “My brother Kane married a woman named Lena. These are close friends of Lena’s family. They helped Kane and Lena escape a mercenary attack last year and I protected them and Lena’s grandmother, Rose. They are very dear to me.”
“Aren’t we putting them in danger by coming here?”
“I don’t see how anyone could have tracked us here. No one in the agency knows about the Flacks or my relationship with them.”
“Where do we go from here?” His body fit behind hers as if they were two pieces of a puzzle coming together. She wanted to snuggle in closer but didn’t dare.
He pulled her tighter to his chest. “Sleep, Tessa. We’ll leave at first light. I know another place and we can get some agents to help us.”
“Agents? Psi Agents? How can we trust anyone with the agency?”
The pressure of his lips touching the crown of her head silenced her with a series of shivers that vibrated down her body. “Sleep.”
The command worked as if it were a drug and she felt her lids closing with exhaustion. She’d had very little rest over the last month and when she did those few hours were riddled with horrifying nightmares.
Joshua’s presence blanketed her in peace while sleep claimed her.
As soon as she was asleep her mind opened to him. Was it intentional? Did she know what she was doing?
“Tessa?”
“Joshua.”
Her voice floated through his mind and he closed his eyes and allowed her to draw him in.
He was again struck by the way light consumed darkness inside Tessa’s aura. A kind of lightness filled him. She led him through a maze of experiences to the spot he’d seen for just a moment during the probe. This was where her fantasies lived.
His body tightened. “Are you sure about this?”
There was no answer only the opening of a passage. An enormous field lay between them and she was gloriously naked. Her firm breasts and taut nipples made his fingers ache to touch her. As he walked closer he noted he too was naked and uncomfortably hard.
“What are we doing, Tessa?”
“Didn’t you want to see my fantasies? I had the impression you did. I don’t usually share this. If you’re not interested you should tell me now.”
“I’m more than interested and not just here in your mind, beautiful. I want much more, but it doesn’t have to be now. You need to rest and I can wait.”
Laughter chimed through his mind. “I’m asleep, Joshua. I’m resting.”
It was fantasy. That was true, but he couldn’t resist pulling her close. Her soft skin rubbed deliciously along the hard planes of his chest and abs. “If you are here guiding me then you are not truly resting. You must know that. Sleep now. We have time for this.”
“You think we have time. I think we need to grab what we can as fast as we can. Time is a luxury we will likely run out of.” Her voice rang with sadness.
He wanted to reassure her. Wanted to tell her everything would be all right…
Time passed at a different rate in dreams than in reality. It was nearly dawn and Joshua felt the odd sensation again. Reluctantly he pushed away from Tessa’s generous offer and woke.
It was the same strange sense he’d felt at the safe house. Something was coming and it somehow blocked his abilities. He had been woken by the lack of psi energy reaching out to him.
“Tessa. We have company.”
She woke instantly and was on her feet. Crouching, alert and completely naked. He guessed she’d given her clothes to Peggy to wash. He’d done the same but had put on a pair of swim trunks and a T-shirt left by the couple’s son long ago. He didn’t think he could have slept naked with Tessa and if he’d know she was completely bare and stunningly beautiful under the covers he still would not have slept.
Even with the eminent danger looming he couldn’t control his body’s reaction to her.
Opening the door a crack, he hoped to find her clothes washed and waiting.
Bill was there already. Joshua was sure the man had some psi abilities or he was the most intuitive non-psi Joshua had ever met.
“Trouble.” He had a folded stack of clothes in his hand.
Joshua took them. “You’d better take Peggy and get in the bomb shelter. I’m sorry about this. I never thought they’d connect me to you. I thought it’d be safe.”
Bill smiled. “Don’t worry about us. We’re glad you came to us for help. Peggy stocked it up last night just in case. After last year we figured it was a good bet we’d end up down in the cellar again. There’s an ATV with the keys in it down near the barn. Take it through the woods and grab one of old Max’s cars. You got a way out in case of emergency?”
A year ago, when Kane and Lena had needed to run, Joshua, Bill, Peggy and Lena’s grandmother Rose had gone down in the old bomb shelter and hidden until the mercenaries looking for them had gone. Joshua hated the idea the Flacks would be alone with no one to protect them should the enemy think to look for the older couple.
“I have a way out.”
“Better take it. I think this is going to go badly and you’ll need to protect that woman of yours.”
Joshua didn’t bother to explain that Tessa was not his woman. But he liked the idea, wrong as it might be, Bill thought she was. He simply nodded and closed the door.
The sound of shoes heading down the steps and out the back door reassured him they had made it to the bomb shelter.
Joshua tossed Tessa her clothes and pulled his own on. There was no time for modesty and neither one of them bothered to shield their nudity before getting dressed.
“I don’t feel anyone,” Tessa said, pulling her shirt over her head.
“No. I feel nothing and that in itself is strange and exactly what I felt at the shore before tho
se agents showed up. They definitely have a blocker.”
“How far to the ATV?”
“A few thousand feet and there’s no place to hide.”
“I guess we’d better run for it, then.”
He sensed her excitement. God, everything about this woman turned him on.
Quickly making their way to the ground floor, they slipped out the kitchen door and broke into a run toward the barn. The cottage where Rose had lived until she’d moved in with Kane and Lena stood to the right. He rushed behind it for cover. The long, white barn was still more than a thousand feet away and there would be no further cover for them. He could hear the high-pitched whistles the enemy was using to communicate. At least it was good to know their blocker affected them as well.
That made him curious. “Tessa, can you hear me?”
“I hear you,” her inner voice called back to him.
Interesting, the blocker doesn’t affect our connection. Was it because the blocker was too far away or did they share some kind of bond? Those questions would have to wait for a more opportune time to consider them. He looked down at the exterior power outlet just below his hand. Flipping the cover up, he silently drew energy out.
“The ATV should be on the other side of the barn. We’ll be exposed. I’ll draw fire. You run for it.”
She didn’t answer immediately. She was considering the order before she replied. “I’ll come back for you. Be ready.”
Her long legs took off at a sprint and Joshua stepped out into the yard in plain sight. Electricity buzzed through his body. He gathered it and shot at the first movement he saw. A human scream broke the silence and a body thudded to the ground.
The predawn erupted in gunfire. A familiar aura touched Joshua’s mind. Not possible. Then it was gone and he knew he must have imagined it. Though it would explain how they’d found him at the Flack farm. He pulled his gun and fired on a dark figure moving to his left. All the while he backed up toward where Tessa would be waiting.
He thought he might have one more small charge left in him. Before he could get another bolt off, he heard the ATV motor behind him. Wheels screeched to a stop. She had backed the side-by-side Arctic Cat Prowler all the way down the barnyard.
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