Carol Ericson - Intuition

COLUMBELLA HOUSE BECKONED. IT WAS A SUMMONS NO ONE COULD RESIST.

Two dark purposes prompted Kylie Grant’s return to Coral Cove and its nefarious Victorian mansion: solve the mysterious disappearance of a young girl and find closure for her own complicated past. What her psychic abilities hadn’t prepared her for was an encounter with sexy bad boy Matt Conner.

It was his first assignment as a P.I., and Matt needed this job to show he was nothing like his hometown reputation suggested. Mysterious and alluring, Kylie was a complication he didn’t count on—nor were the death threats against her. Working together, all day and all night, was testing every professional skill Matt was determined to prove. And challenging every private desire he was finding impossible to ignore.

Maybe having Mr. Irresistible right next door wasn’t such a great idea...but it sure made her feel safe.

Physically safe, that is. All bets were off when it came to her emotional safety.

“I’ll be fine. We do not need to leave the door open.”

“I’ll settle for unlocked.”

“Fine. I’ll leave the door unlocked, but I promise you won’t need to come rushing to my rescue in the middle of the night.”

In two long strides Matt stood in front of her, taking her breath away with his nearness, his masculine scent, the dark bristles sprinkled across his chin...and the look in his dark eyes. “I won’t mind if I have to.”

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Carol Ericson lives with her husband and two sons in Southern California, home of state-of-the-art cosmetic surgery, wild freeway chases, palm trees bending in the Santa Ana winds and a million amazing stories. These stories, along with hordes of virile men and feisty women, clamor for release from Carol’s head. It makes for some interesting headaches until she sets them free to fulfill their destinies and her readers’ fantasies. To find out more about Carol, her books and her strange headaches, please visit her website, www.carolericson.com, “where romance flirts with danger.”

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CAST OF CHARACTERS

Matt Conner—A former cop turned private investigator, Matt’s not too thrilled when he finds out he has to share his first case as a P.I. with a psychic—even if that psychic turns out to be Kylie Grant, the sexiest soothsayer in town.

Kylie Grant—She returns to her hometown to bring hope or closure to a grieving family whose daughter disappeared three years ago. Instead, she finds her high school crush all grown up and meddling with her ability to do her job.

Bree Harris—The disappearance of this young woman three years ago brings both Kylie and Matt back to Coral Cove. Kylie is determined to bring closure to Bree’s parents, or die trying.

Harlan Sloan—This wheeling, dealing concert promoter enjoys the perks of his job: plenty of willing young women to ease his lonely nights. But did the fun and games end in tragedy when one young woman tried to get too close?

Eric Evans—The police chief’s son leads a charmed life. He was friendly with Bree, but his father’s investigation of her disappearance never managed to investigate that friendship too closely.

Police Chief Evans—He was the chief of police when Bree went missing. Now he doesn’t appreciate Matt and Kylie questioning his judgment...or his son.

Toby Reynolds—A local man, he enjoys working as a roadie for Coral Cove’s music festival. He knew and liked Bree and is more than willing to assist Kylie with her investigation, but is he too willing?

Mindy Lawrence—She was friendly with Bree and was one of the last people to see her before she disappeared, but her cryptic notes about Bree to Matt and Kylie make her a person of interest.

Mayor Tyler Davis—The mayor of Coral Cove, he’s not at all happy that Kylie and Matt are dredging up a distasteful event in Coral Cove’s past. But he may have other reasons for keeping a lid on Bree’s disappearance from the music festival.

Contents

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fifteen

Excerpt

Chapter One

Her mother’s body dangled before her like a life-size puppet waiting for some puppet master to pull the strings and give her life. But that wasn’t going to happen.

Kylie Grant’s mouth yawned open in a silent scream as her mother’s body swooped toward her. The head of the puppet jerked upright, and the eyes clicked open.

You should have known. You should have known.

Kylie struggled to wrench her gaze away from the accusing figure before her. If she looked away, it would disappear. If she looked away, she would awaken from her nightmare. If she looked away, she would never get the answers she needed.

Kylie managed a strangled cry as she bolted upright in the hotel bed. A cold sweat claimed her flesh, and she shivered.

Now. She had to make a move now.

Tumbling out of the bed, she squinted at the lighted green digits of the alarm clock. Not exactly witching hour, but late enough for her to slip into Columbella House unnoticed while the tourists wined and dined.

She splashed some cold water on her face, stuffed her feet into her sandals and grabbed her purse from the back of the chair. She didn’t need anything else. All the tools she required resided in her head.

She slipped out of her hotel room and punched the call button for the elevator. After a brief journey for three floors, the doors opened onto the lobby.

Kylie flew out of the elevator, bumping shoulders with a tall, broad man entering the car.

She glanced up, way up. “Excuse me.”

The man ducked his head, but Kylie spun on her heel and raced toward the lobby before he could respond.

A flash of recognition pierced her brain. Matt, the town bad boy and all-around troublemaker from her high school class. She should’ve figured she’d run into some former classmates when she returned to Coral Cove. Too bad the first one had to be someone she particularly despised. Rock ’n’ roll playing, motorcycle riding, black jeans wearing Matt…Matt Conner.

Kylie breezed through the lobby and shoved open the front doors. The cool night air hit her face and she put all thoughts of former classmates, even gorgeous ones like Matt Conner, out of her head. She was on a mission and the timing couldn’t be better.

The restaurants of Coral Cove’s Main Street teemed with activity, tourists home from the beach and all cleaned up, rubbed elbows with the locals home from work. Kylie’s stomach rumbled. She’d eaten a late lunch and then zonked out in her hotel room. She could use a snack, but Columbella House called and she was ready to answer its demand.

After a short drive on the Coast Highway, Kylie turned onto Coral Cove Drive and rolled to a stop at the curb that fronted the abandoned Victorian. She grabbed the flashlight from the seat next to her and slipped out of the car.