Michelle Rowen - Inevitable

“I’m fine. And I— I’m sorry, Patrick. I don’t know what happened.”

“Xavier Franklin hit on her and it messed her up,” Charlotte offered bluntly. “She shouldn’t have been sent to that dirty old man’s home all by herself. She’s lucky she got out of there at all.”

Patrick’s brows drew together. “Is that true?”

Emma tensed. “Yes, but I don’t want to make a big deal over it.”

“Franklin is a known womanizer, but I hoped his age might prohibit him from bothering my agents. Seems like I was wrong. I’m sorry you had to deal with that. And Charlotte’s right. You need a partner to prevent situations like this happening in the future. You’ll be able to do more field assignments than you have the last few months. I’m sure you’re sick of being stuck at your desk so much lately.”

“But—”

He raised an eyebrow. “Yes?”

Her shoulders sank. “That’s fine. Thanks.”

He watched her for a moment. “You’re sure everything’s fine, Emma? I sense that you’re troubled.”

Empaths. They were dangerous to be around. Especially really gifted ones like Patrick.

“I’m fine,” she said firmly.

“If you say so.”

“I do.”

She was. She was fine. And she held on to that thought for the rest of the day until it was time to go home. She had a date tonight and the least she could do would be to show up for it even though all she really wanted to do was go home and crawl into her bed.

But forgetting that potion bottle was unforgivable and unprofessional. It bothered her.

Emma exited the PARA head office and headed toward her car in the parking lot—a blue Toyota Camry that had been in the shop yesterday, which was why she’d had to take the bus to New York. She pushed her key into the lock, but then stopped. A shiver went through her and gathered low in her body. Her nipples tightened and strained against her white shirt.

She bit her bottom lip. Uh, oh.

Her cell phone vibrated. She grabbed for it and held it to her ear. “Yes?”

“Miss me?”

Her jaw clenched. “Ryan.”

“You recognize my voice.”

“Where are you? I know you’re here.”

“How do you know that?”

“I can feel you.”

“I’m flattered.”

“Where are you right now?”

“Behind you.”

She looked over her shoulder to see him leaning against a nearby car and her grip tightened on the phone. He removed his phone from his ear and tucked it into the pocket of his leather jacket.

“I just wanted to talk to you,” he said.

She pressed the Disconnect button on her phone and tossed it into her purse. Lust potions were very powerful, in case she had any question about that. She was the living proof that being within twenty feet of Ryan made her desperate for him.

She eyed him wearily. “Just leave me alone, Ryan. I have a date tonight and it’s definitely not with you.”

His gaze remained fixed on her. “I dreamed about you last night.”

“Good dream or bad?”

“Very good.” There was a dozen feet between them and yet it felt as if he was right next to her. He rubbed his temples and looked pained for a moment. “This is more difficult than I thought it would be. Being this close to you feels…dangerous.”

“I might not like you, but I know you won’t hurt me.”

“Who said you were the one in danger?” He grinned a little.

She glanced around. “You really need to go, Ryan. If anyone sees you…”

“They’ll firmly escort me off the premises?”

“If you’re lucky.”

“I just wanted to see you again. I…needed to see you again.”

The desperate tone in his voice gave her an unexpected inner thrill. “Why?”

“Because I wanted to give you something.”

He drew closer. She found that she wasn’t scurrying back into the office like she probably should. Instead she pressed back against her car door as he came within a couple of feet from her. Her heart rate increased and her skin warmed.

She watched him carefully. From the heated look in his gaze to the sight of his chest moving with rapid breathing, it was obvious she affected him as much as he affected her.

Dangerous indeed.

He reached for her hand, taking it in his. The contact left her breathless. The potion’s effects hadn’t faded a bit from yesterday. If anything, this strong lust she felt for her former partner had gotten stronger. He moved closer still. She was certain he was going to kiss her, to press his mouth against hers. And she was going to let him do more than that.

“What do you want to give me?” she whispered, when his lips were only an inch away from hers. She braced her right hand against his firm chest so she could feel the pounding of his heart.

“You forgot something last night.”

She felt a press of something cold and hard in the palm of her left hand and she looked down to see the green potion bottle.

He’d come all the way back to Mystic Ridge to return the bottle of Desidero potion to her.

“Ryan…” she whispered, not sure if she was going to thank him or ask why he’d bothered.

“Later, Em.” He turned and walked away. The moment he was out of view, she leaned against her car door, the only thing currently keeping her vertical. Every cell in her body had urged her to throw her arms around him, kiss him, undress him. It didn’t matter that they were right in the middle of the PARA employee parking lot. Her body burned for him to be inside of her.

It was very inconvenient.

And she had a funny feeling that she hadn’t seen the last of him.

IT WOULD HAVE BEEN MUCH simpler for Ryan to leave the bottle on Emma’s doorstep so she could find it, take it back to PARA and say her assignment was completed successfully. It hadn’t been necessary for him to deliver it in person, he thought.

What had started off as a bit of a joke, a small amusement for him after so many months of being alone, had gotten serious damn fast. As much as he wanted Emma, she simply wasn’t in his grand plan. Every minute he spent here in Mystic Ridge was one less minute he’d spend investigating who was really behind the crimes of which he’d been accused. He had a list of stolen items he’d been tracking. Six in total. He’d found only two of them so far—an enchanted amulet and an urn—in the collections of rich men with too much time and money on their side.

He was certain Xavier Franklin, a known collector of glassware, was in possession of a missing vase, but hadn’t been able to officially confirm that at the party. He’d have to go back and question the billionaire as soon as he could.

Ryan’s confidence in his plan had faded with each month that passed. It seemed as if everyone had moved on except him.

He wondered sometimes why he refused to give up. Why not just head down to Florida early? Down there he could start over. He’d make new friends, find a beautiful woman who could look at him without doubt or disappointment in her eyes, and make a new life for himself once and for all.

Yes, that’s exactly what he was going to do.

But not just yet.

First he had clear his name. It was the principle of the thing.

He didn’t even really fault Emma’s immediate assumption that he was guilty. It wasn’t common knowledge, but Ryan did have a bit of a shady history. Fifteen years ago, he’d fallen in with his brother’s friends, a tough group of kids who jacked cars and sold the parts. Ryan was one of the unlucky ones who’d been busted for it.

The cop who’d nabbed him took pity on a seventeenyear-old kid who was missing the right direction in his life and helped to keep him out of jail, helped him see that the path he was on was one that would only lead to more trouble. Ryan hadn’t stolen anything since. He’d learned his lesson. But those he’d trusted and told about his past would know that his being light-fingered was a definite possibility.