Touch and Go

He didn’t like torture. And he didn’t like the idea of getting fired from PARA for having a few secrets he’d prefer not to be revealed before he was good and ready to reveal them himself.

He hadn’t thought of Carrie as an investigative journalist. He’d met his share of those in his day. While psychics were familiar in society, they certainly weren’t accepted by everyone. A lot of people were interested in psychics and agencies like PARA, but others didn’t want to know about the ghosts and spirits that could be lurking around the corner. Some would prefer not to know that empaths could gauge your emotions just by shaking your hand. Or that telekinetics could pick up a car with the power of their mind and throw it over a cliff if they wanted to.

Or…forget cars. Some could simply break a light. Or a coffee mug.

Speak of the devil, Patrick thought.

He dug his fingers into the arms of his chair as Carrie came fully into view on the pool deck. She’d let her hair down from the ponytail she’d had it in earlier so it hung long and sleek over her shoulders. She had on a brightly colored wrap skirt—a sarong, he thought they were called—that fit snugly over her slim hips. Other than that, she wore only a black bikini top that, given how little it covered of her breasts, was definitely not appropriate for a business trip.

Not that he was complaining, of course.

After nearly two years of no sex, he thought he had himself totally under control. He’d dealt with several women who’d come onto him, both at the office and during off hours. They’d taken the hint pretty damn fast and he hadn’t suffered.

Well, not too much, anyway.

But a mere glimpse of Carrie’s breasts—covered, even—was enough to instantly make him hard as a rock.

He shifted uncomfortably in his chair.

Now he was suffering.

Carrie was too much for him. He was too attracted to her. He’d gotten a very deep empathic read on her the day they first met, one that made him feel as if he’d known her for years. He’d seen into her heart. And he’d liked what he saw.

Plus, she was gorgeous as hell and he’d give a lot to be able to touch her and explore this desire he felt for her—one that had only become stronger with every additional day she’d been in his life. The real thing was much better than a small black-and-white photograph at the end of a magazine article.

Carrie was a true danger, no doubt about it.

This was a mistake, he thought. His own issues made it impossible for him to get close to anyone. She’d be better working with somebody else.

It made sense. And it would be best to let her know now, rather than have it come as a surprise when they returned to Mystic Ridge—especially after he’d been the one who promised to help her in the first place. He owed her that much.

“Sit down, please,” he said. “I need to talk to you.”

Her eyebrows rose and she took a seat across from him. “Sounds serious.”

“Don’t worry, it’s not a big deal.”

“What is it?”

“When we get back, I’m going to ask for you to be reassigned as someone else’s partner.”

She wore dark sunglasses so he couldn’t see her reaction to this announcement. “You don’t want to be my partner?”

“I don’t think we’re a good fit.”

“But it’s only been a week. And we haven’t even worked together much. How do you know we’re not a good fit?”

“I just know.”

“But—but I thought you were going to help to teach me control over my abilities. You promised you would.”

He tried not to feel guilty about this. “Please, don’t take this personally, Carrie. It has nothing to do with you.”

Her distractingly full lips thinned slightly. “No, you’re right. It has to do with you, doesn’t it?”

“I’ve been with PARA long enough to know whether or not a partnership like this is going to work out or not. I don’t need months to make that determination.”

“Right.”

“I’ll make sure you’re placed with someone who can help you just as well as I could have.”

“Fine.”

Patrick found that when a woman looked perfectly calm but started using one-word answers, it meant she was mad as hell.

“What about the Erzulie amulet?” she asked.

Good. A change of subject was very welcome. He willed himself to relax and crossed his legs, trying to ignore his erection. Even though the view was lovely, he really wished Carrie had chosen more appropriate business wear. She made it nearly impossible for him to concentrate.

“We’ll assess it, like Will wants us to. But I honestly think he’s wrong about an angry Caribbean love goddess being responsible for his troubles. There are dozens of other possible reasons why this resort isn’t popular right now and why his newly married guests might be prone to argue with each other.”

“If you say so.”

“We’ll get the boat and retrieve the amulet tomorrow morning. If you want to do your own thing until then, I won’t stop you.”

She bit her bottom lip. “Does this mean you’re not going to help me practice right now?”

He wished he could make her understand. Apart from telling her everything, he couldn’t think of a way to do that. “We can still practice, of course. We have time.”

“Then let’s do it.”

The heat between them had noticeably dropped a few degrees. She wasn’t happy. He didn’t blame her. If he wasn’t convinced he was doing the right thing, he might give in to the guilty feeling stalking him. He wasn’t abandoning her—this was for the best. For both of them.

He realized he’d been a fool to think this could work out. Everyone knew he preferred to keep to himself. So now all of a sudden he was going to take on a newbie partner who needed one-on-one training? A newbie partner who was able to stir desire in him with a mere look in his direction? A woman he’d wanted to make love to for two years?

He’d been seriously kidding himself.

“You’ve done the reading I gave you,” he said after a moment.

“All three thousand pages of it.”

“That’s a bit of an exaggeration.” He had a glass of ice water sitting on the table in front of him. “The most important thing to keep in mind is not to be afraid of your powers.”

“I’m not afraid.”

She was lying. He didn’t have to be empathic to see that. Carrie was someone who felt the need to appear in control at all times. “That’s good to hear. Why don’t you focus on this glass and try to push it a couple of inches toward my hand. If you work this particular exercise every day, then you’ll get stronger and stronger and soon it’ll become second nature to you. It might not seem as if you’re progressing, but small steps add up over time.”

She eyed the glass. “That sounds great, but I can’t do it.”