Touched (Sense Thieves)

by Corrine Jackson

  There was another long silence before Ben spoke. “Remy says you want to take her out this weekend. I’d like it if you’d have dinner with our family tomorrow night so we can get to know you a little better. Remy can make her own choice, but I’d feel better if you agreed.”

  It sounded like they were getting to their feet, and I did the same.

  “That sounds fair, Mr. O’Malley.”

  “Let me check to see if Remy is ready to go.”

  Ben’s footsteps grew louder, and he came into sight as he neared the staircase. He paused and turned when Asher called, “Sir? She loves you, and you know how loyal she is to the people she loves. The two of you will figure it out.”

  Scrambling to get out of sight on the landing, I almost missed the shattered expression on Ben’s face.

  When Asher joined me in his car, I leaned over to brush a kiss on his smooth shaved cheek. The frozen expression on his face when I pulled away said I’d stunned him into silence. He remained quiet so long I worried I’d made a mistake and began to think of ways to laugh off the awkward moment, while my cheeks burned with humiliation.

  My mind spun through the dreary possibilities until Asher stopped it cold with the simple act of running his fingers along my cheek in a tender gesture. His eyes warmed with affection when he smiled down at me. “You’re welcome.”

  Of course, he knew my kiss had been one of thanks for the way he’d talked with my father. With a small smile of apology, I raised my defenses to reclaim some privacy.

  “You didn’t sleep well,” he said, touching the black smudge under my eye.

  “No. Rough night. I lost my temper with Ben and nearly wore out my welcome.”

  He shook his head. “Not possible. How can you not know that your dad loves you?”

  This time the distance I put between us was physical as well as mental. “You weren’t there last night.” My tone made it clear I didn’t intend to replay the scene for him, either.

  Instead of backing off, Asher tucked my hand in his while he pulled the car out of the driveway. “You’re too hard on yourself. Maybe your dad needed to hear the things you said, as much as you needed to say them.”

  I doubted Ben would think the same thing.

  Dinner with Asher and my family was not nearly as painful as I thought it would be. I spent two days stressing over it and within ten minutes of his arrival, Asher somehow managed to bridge the uncomfortable gap that had sprung up between Ben, Laura, and me. Lucy seemed oblivious to the whole thing since she’d been out the night of the fight. She was becoming pro-Asher since he’d eaten lunch at our table the last two days. He’d put a lot of effort into charming her, and it had worked.

  Through dinner, he did the same charm-boy act, until I realized it wasn’t an act at all. Asher shone when a situation demanded the most proper kind of behavior, whether opening a door for me or carrying my bag whenever we walked together. When he held my chair at the table, he earned an approving glance from Laura. During dinner, he impressed Ben with his knowledge about current events—he’d lived in more countries during his lifetime than I could count on both hands. When I mentioned that I’d heard Asher speak fluently in multiple languages (leaving out that he’d been cursing at the time), he sent me a small smile that promised retribution.

  After dinner, I helped Lucy clear the dishes, while Ben and Laura took Asher into the living room. Even without prior dating experience, I could tell this was the moment when Ben would give his blessing—or not—for Asher to take me out. Lucy, being the best sister in the whole world, ducked out on dish duty to eavesdrop on them. According to her, she simply looked out for my best interests. After eavesdropping the morning before, I felt too embarrassed to do it again and remained in the kitchen scraping dishes.

  A few minutes later, Lucy returned, shaking her head and wearing a wide grin.

  “What? What’s going on?”

  She took a stack of plates from me. “He told Dad where he’s planning to take you tomorrow. I hate to admit when I’m wrong, but I think this guy has a serious thing for you. Go forth and date a Blackwell with my blessing, Sis.”

  “Seriously? Just like that?”

  She flicked dirty dishwater at me. “What can I say? The guy knows you.”

  Curiosity set in, and I asked, “Where is—”

  Laura bumped the kitchen door open with her hip. “Remy, Asher’s waiting to say good night. He’s outside with Ben. You better go save him before your father bores him to death with the facts about his car.”

  Ben could tire even the most enthusiastic car aficionado when he got on a roll. I wiped my wet hands on a towel and hurried past Laura. It was worse than she’d predicted. Asher stood alone in the driveway, and his Audi had disappeared.

  He grinned when I joined him. I hadn’t paused to throw on my coat, and he wrapped his jacket around my shoulders. He tugged the lapels together under my chin and used them to pull me closer to his warmth, winding his arms around my waist.

  “What happened? Did Ben carjack you?”

  Asher laughed one of his rare open laughs that I felt all the way down to my toes. “He’s taking it for a spin around the block.”

  I pressed my nose to his chest and the wool of his sweater felt rough against my cheek. “Was it blackmail or bribery?”

  His chin rested on the top of my head, and his breath ruffled my hair. “Neither. He had that same look on his face you did when you saw my car for the first time. I had to convince him to take it, although, if I’m truthful, it didn’t take a lot of persuasion on my part.”

  I imagined the look Ben must have had on his face spying Asher’s sleek performance car—a kid in a candy shop—and laughed, tilting my head back to see Asher’s face. He smiled down at me and I blurted out, “I like you.”

  His smile widened and, in a lighthearted tone, he said, “I like you, too.”

  It seemed very important all of sudden that he not misunderstand me. Maybe it was my fight with Ben or thinking I’d seen Dean a couple of nights ago, but I wanted him to know I cared. I shook him, as much as I could considering his size and strength, but it got his attention. “No, Asher. I mean, I really like you. Apart from all the Protector-Healer mess and all the rest of what’s happened and what could happen, I like you.”

  He didn’t react in any of the ways I’d expected. A ferocious frown darkened his face as he looked down at me. My heart dropped to my stomach because clearly he didn’t feel even a tenth of what I felt. I stared at the design on his sweater until he squeezed me lightly. “Stop it, Remy. You know I feel the same way. When did you see Dean?”

  I gasped and tried to pull away, but his arms had become steel bands. “You were listening? My guard is up, damn it!”

  Asher shrugged. “I told you, I can’t control when it happens.”

  He didn’t seem upset about it, and I scowled. My bad mood didn’t make a dent in his arrogance. He’d launched into full Protector-mode.

  “Dean?” he demanded.

  He looked like he could stand there all night holding me hostage until I answered him. Disgruntled, I said. “I thought I saw him out at Fort Rowden a couple of nights ago.” I explained about stopping the car and finding no trace of Dean. “He’s in New York. There’s no reason for him to come here, especially with the restraining order Ben took out against him. My eyes had to be playing tricks on me. That’s why I didn’t mention it.”

  Asher’s expression had grown blacker as I spoke of the incident, but he looked thoughtful when I mentioned New York. Ben saved me from answering more questions when he whipped Asher’s Audi S6 around the corner and into the driveway with a squeal of the brakes. He slid out of the driver’s seat with his face flushed with boyish delight. I’d known driving Asher’s car would be exhilarating, and Ben confirmed my prediction when I rushed forward to meet him.

  “Well?” My voice sounded breathless with anticipation.

  Ben could barely contain himself and threw an arm around me. His heart skipped, and
my body healed him the way it always did when he touched me. I noticed Asher toss a curious look at Ben. “Handles like a dream. A 5.2 liter V10 with 435 horsepower. Be still, my heart! I hear it goes from zero to sixty in five seconds. I’d love to get it out on a track.” His eyes took on a speculative gleam.

  Asher grinned. “Name the day and time.”

  Ben shook his head, looking tempted. “Laura would kill me. I may have to get one when I retire, though. Thanks for letting me drive it.” He tossed the keys to Asher and realized his arm rested around me. He dropped it and shook Asher’s hand. “You have my blessing to take Remy out tomorrow. Just don’t let this one drive. She has a tendency to put the pedal to the metal.”

  The last was said with a knowing look in my direction. I stuck my tongue out at him, and he floated toward the house on ten feet of air. I turned back to Asher. “See you in the morning?”

  He tapped a finger on my nose. “See you in the morning. Wear something warm.”

  Something about the look in his eyes told me we weren’t finished talking about Dean, but thinking about a full day spent in Asher’s company, I suddenly didn’t care.

  CHAPTER NINETEEN

  He picked me up early the next morning and drove straight to the harbor. We quizzed each other on everything from my plans for college to my favorite songs. He didn’t tease me when I admitted I had a perfect GPA and had applied to a few pre-med programs. I wanted to be a doctor—my abilities made it a natural career choice. In turn, I asked him why he and Lottie attended high school, while Gabe acted as guardian.

  “It helps us to fit in better. Gabe refuses to go to high school again. He says four times was enough. Acting as our guardian stops people from questioning us about our parents.”

  “How did Blackwell Falls end up being named after you?”

  “After the war, none of us wanted to go back to England. We came here instead, looking for a new beginning. When we arrived, there was nothing but trees and beaches for miles. We loved how peaceful and secluded it was. Then, Gabe opened a mill to keep busy, and people came from all over to work for us. Before we knew it, we were a town, and Gabe was mayor. You should see his portrait in town hall.”

  “You make it sound easy.”

  He smiled. “No. But money moves mountains, and we have it to burn.”

  My own smile was wry. I’d guessed as much. “Didn’t people notice when you didn’t age?”

  Asher sighed. “We leave before that becomes a problem.”

  Lucy had said that this group of Blackwells was the latest heirs. “How many times have you returned here?”

  “A few. We have to wait a couple of decades between visits. That way, we can return as the long-lost cousins, brothers, sons, etc. of the last Blackwells. We will the house to ourselves each time we leave.”

  I struggled to understand the reality the Blackwells lived with. “Why return here? What’s so special about this place?”

  “At first, it was a place to escape to. To forget the past and deal with who we’d become. Then, it became home. One of them, anyway.” He shot me a sweet smile. “And now, there’s you.”

  Before I could respond, he pulled the Audi into a line of cars waiting to drive onto the Cooper Island ferry. I didn’t know a lot about the island, except that it had salt marshes and another of Maine’s famous lighthouses. As we waited, he switched the discussion back to me and asked about my favorite books.

  “That easy. Gray’s Anatomy.” I laughed at the doubt in his expression. I couldn’t blame him considering how dry the book was. “No, really. I have to picture people’s injuries to heal them. I would’ve been lost without it.”

  Fascinated, Asher turned in his seat to face me. “You have to picture injuries to heal them?”

  “Yes. How do the other Healers do it?” I asked.

  “I’m not sure. I was never curious enough to ask before you.” His answer made me squirm a little in my seat. It warmed me to know he felt as curious about me as I did about him.

  “Is something wrong with your dad?” he asked.

  “What do you mean?” I asked.

  “Last night, I thought I sensed you healing him.”

  That’s why he’d shot Ben that odd look. I nodded. “He has some kind of heart condition. It doesn’t seem to give him any problems, but it keeps coming back. It kind of bothers me, actually. That’s never happened before.”

  Asher’s thoughtful silence ended when we were at last given the go-ahead to drive onto the ferry. As soon as we parked, we climbed out of the car and headed up to the passenger deck. The engines rumbled and the ferry motored along, leaving the Falls behind. I followed Asher to the front of the boat and onto a deserted U-shaped deck with green hand rails that resembled a forked tongue. A freezing wind nearly knocked me over as Asher informed me that the deck was fondly referred to as a “pickle fork” and not a “forked tongue.”

  He grinned, mischievously, when I glanced up. “You know, Asher, you seem to be in my head a lot these days.”

  His laugh sounded freer than usual. “That sounds like the beginning of a really bad pickup line. Are you going to tell me that I must be tired because I’ve been running in your dreams all night?”

  He leaned against the railing with casual grace, while the wind tossed his long hair into a gorgeous tangle of chocolate waves. It wasn’t fair that he could look so delicious standing in the elements, while I bore a strong likeness to a Q-tip—tall and skinny with a mass of curls frizzing out in the wind.

  Asher reached into his coat pocket, whipped out a baseball cap, and waved it at me. With a smirk, he held it out. I elbowed him in the ribs when I took it from him and pulled it on, twisting my hair up under it. “Keep it up, buddy. I’m going to start thinking about how I’d like to throw you over the side.”

  With a tug on the bill of the cap, he merely laughed. “I can’t help it, beautiful. You don’t seem to be offering up any roadblocks today.”

  He was right, I realized, with surprise. My walls had been down all morning.

  He grimaced. “I shouldn’t have said anything. You’re going to block me out now, aren’t you?”

  I considered him for a long time before shaking my head. It was time to take a chance, and if the shy, pleased light in his eyes brought on the butterflies, I could deal. Besides, his ability to read my mind could be a defense against danger.

  “Will you be okay?” I asked. “It doesn’t seem to bother you as much when we touch.”

  He looked surprised, as if he’d realized his own walls were down. “You know, you’re right. I haven’t been in pain at all this morning. Maybe I’m getting used to you.”

  I could only hope that was true. I wanted him to feel more than pain when we touched.

  A half hour later, the ferry docked at the small harbor on Cooper Island. Few people lived on the three-mile-wide landmass, but some summer homes clung to the rocky cliffs. Asher drove off the boat and within minutes we’d parked in front of a tiny café, the lone business in sight. He swung my hand between us, his touch a test—one that obviously didn’t pain him. He glanced at me out of the corner of his eye with barely suppressed excitement and nodded to the café.

  “This is my surprise?” The dilapidated diner had seen better days. The faded white building needed a serious paint job. Better yet, someone needed to demolish it. It leaned to one side as if a storm had depleted its ability to stand upright.

  Asher grinned at my obvious disbelief and shook his head. “I know it doesn’t look like much. Your first surprise is waiting inside.”

  “First surprise? There’s more than one?” Surprises had been few and far between in my life, and most of those had been bad. “You do realize it’s not my birthday?”

  “Something tells me you’ve missed out on a lot of presents. I hope you’re hungry. Come on.” An aging man stood behind the counter when we entered the café, and I was surprised to find the four tables in the space-challenged room all occupied. An incredible aroma of spices
and . . . cheese? . . . filled the air. Asher waited for me to grasp what the surprise was, but I was at a loss until I spotted a sign above the counter on which the chef boasted they had the WORLD’S BEST MAC AND CHEESE. Asher’s face blossomed into a pleased grin at my laugh.

  “Seriously? World’s best?” My teasing tone had a hint of skepticism.

  “We won’t know until you try it.” Asher paid for a large to-go carton of the infamous pasta, and we headed back to the car. When I made a swipe for it, he proceeded to hold the carton out of reach. “Patience, woman! There’s another surprise to be had.”

  He drove away from the harbor to the opposite side of the island that faced the open ocean. We arrived at a small cottage—a real one this time, unlike Ben’s—and Asher shut off the engine. Reaching behind my seat, he retrieved a closed box.

  “What’s this?”

  “Your second surprise. No peeking.”

  I trailed after him into the cottage. It was maybe four hundred square feet. The kitchen and living area were one room. I could see a bathroom and a bedroom to one side. Cramped and tiny, the space had room for a few pieces of furniture and little else. “What is this place, Asher?”

  “My home,” he answered, with simple satisfaction.

  “This is yours?”

  “I built it a long time ago, so I’d have a place to go to be alone.”

  He didn’t say it, but I knew I was the first person he’d brought here. He set the box on the counter and built a fire in an old-fashioned wood-burning stove. I felt him studying me as I wandered around the room. Asher didn’t have a TV, but shelves of books lined one wall. I trailed a hand along the back of the overstuffed couch, until I came to the end table with its black-and-white photo of Lottie wearing her usual bobbed hair, red lipstick, and a flapper dress. Another reality to face. The Blackwells had lived during the Roarin’ Twenties.