by Meg Ripley
Holden rose and reached for her arm as she turned away. “Wait!”
Leah paused, but she only turned her head partway over her shoulder so she wouldn’t have to look at him fully.
“Can you at least just tell me what it was you saw?”
She shrugged, but she didn’t try to pull her arm from his grasp. “It’s crazy.”
“I want to hear it anyway.”
Leah turned her head completely away from him, only allowing him to see the back of her curly head and fine contours of her neck against the dark violet tone of her dress. “There were a lot of dragons, beautiful ones with shining scales, spikey heads, and expansive wings. But some of them were sick, and I think they were dying. They lay on the floor of a cave, their chins resting in the dirt without the strength to hold up their heads any longer. Their wings were draped lifelessly over their bodies like old leather blankets, and their eyes were beginning to glaze over. They weren’t dead yet, but they would be soon. Even those who appeared to be healthy thought they would probably be next. I’m so sorry. I’ve never seen anything quite like that. I’m sure I sound like a complete nutjob to you.”
“Not at all.” He still had a hold of her wrist, and he could feel her heart thumping away gently under his thumb. “I think it might even have been helpful.”
Looking up at him now, she narrowed her eyes and studied his face. “Either you’re far too eager for some answers, or you’re just being really nice.”
“Can’t I be both?”
“Not if I gave you a poor reading. You came to me because you wanted to understand something about your life. I’ve let you down.”
“Not really.” If only she could know just what spending this time together had meant. His wings throbbed underneath his shoulder blades, begging to come out and show off.
What he understood now more than anything was that he wasn’t ready to let her go yet. His senses had been on fire all evening. He had no right to think of her as belonging to him, and yet the thought of her taking one step out of his house drove him crazy. His teeth sharpened in his mouth as his body tried to betray him once again. Holden bit down hard to keep them under control and didn’t speak until he was completely normal again. “May I ask you to stay for dinner?”
She turned to glance at the door, and then looked back up at him. “I wouldn’t want to impose.”
“It’s already made. It’s been in the slow-cooker all day.”
“And I thought I was supposed to be the psychic.”
“Is that a yes?”
Leah bit her lip, and Holden wanted to bite it for her. “I suppose,” she said slowly, “I could do that.”
“Good. Have a seat, and I’ll just run in the kitchen to check on things.” Holden’s body surged underneath his skin, and he forced himself to walk casually into the other room and lift the lid on the slow-cooker. He’d never made this particular roast recipe before. It might be absolutely awful, but there wasn’t much choice. Holden finally had her here in his house, and she wanted to stay. He could tell that she wouldn’t have if she didn’t want to. Leah was a smart woman, and she would have found an excuse. If she’d run away from him in the grocery store, then she could have run away from him here. He pulled two plates out of the cabinet, careful not to crush them in his grip.
7
She didn’t know what the hell she was thinking accepting a dinner invitation from a client. Yes, she did: she thought she might figure out why the universe kept pushing the two of them together. It was her job, after all, to listen to what the universe had to say. There was a distinct possibility that Holden—whose name alone was incredibly hot—had figured out who she was and hired her specifically to get her into his home. But he couldn’t have planned out their other two meetings.
And she couldn’t deny that she wanted to get to know him. All of him. He was handsome and mysterious, not that any of that really mattered. It wasn’t like she was ready to start dating yet, but it was worth exploring. Autumn, at least, would have agreed with her.
Holden reappeared only a few minutes later. She couldn’t help but rake her eyes down his body, taking in the well-fitted sport coat over a button-down shirt and jeans. He was the kind of guy who could save her in a bar, but he was classy when he wanted to be. “Join me in the dining room. I’ve got everything ready.”
She followed him into the spacious room with a large oak table. It had been set with fine china, a chilled bottle of Chardonnay, and a steaming platter for the roast. Leah raised an eyebrow. “Are you sure you didn’t have this planned out?”
He twisted his mouth, a good look on his full lips, and tipped his head. “I promise, I didn’t. Nor did I mean to run into you the other day. You can blame my son for that one.” He pulled out a chair and gestured for her to sit.
Leah couldn’t remember the last time someone had been such a gentleman, but she supposed she shouldn’t expect anything less from a man who would throw himself in danger’s way for her. “He’s quite the cutie. I’m not usually the kind of person who stops and talks to children in the middle of a store. He was just so insistent when he kept pointing at me, and it sounded like he was trying to say my name. I couldn’t resist.” Holden poured her a glass of wine, and she eagerly took a sip. She was saying too much already.
“Finn knows who he likes.” Her host poured a glass for himself and replaced the wine in the bucket of ice. “He’d probably be sitting here chatting your ear off, but he’s spending the night with my…um, cousin.”
It seemed so prearranged. How could Holden have brought her to his house, scheduled a babysitter, and had dinner for two ready to go without the real prospect of a dinner guest? Sure, he probably didn’t want his son sitting on his lap while he got a psychic reading, and he had to make dinner for himself anyway. But chilled wine? And china? On a whim, Leah reached out and picked up the wine bottle on the pretense of reading the label.
“It’s from a local winery. Do you like it?” Holden had pulled the plate of roast toward himself and was carefully slicing it with a sharp, thin blade.
Leah let her defenses down, although there were very few of them left to her at this point. She kept her hand wrapped firmly around the neck of the bottle, right where Holden had touched it. The energies there were nervous, excited, but not malicious. If her abilities hadn’t left her completely and she was right, then Holden wasn’t trying to do anything but get to know her. She couldn’t hold that against him. “It’s very good.”
He laid a slice of meat on her plate and passed her a bowl of gravy. “If the food is half as good, then we’ll be lucky. It’s a new recipe I haven’t tried yet.”
Leah took a tentative bite, her eyes widening in surprise as the tender meat melted in her mouth. “You made this?”
“You look so shocked.” Holden grinned and took a bite himself. He chewed thoughtfully. “It’s not bad.”
“Not bad? It’s amazing.” Leah eagerly took another bite, trying to remind herself that it was just dinner, and there was no obligation with it. She didn’t need to feel grateful, nor intoxicated by the good company. And she had to admit that Holden was good company. She’d never met someone who was such a gentleman, and Victor’s few attempts at cooking had only resulted in smoke damage.
“You give me too much credit. I’ve been experimenting in the kitchen, but I’m not always pleased. This, at least, is palatable.”
It might have been the wine, but Leah was starting to get that same strange feeling she’d had when she was at the bar, the first time she’d met Holden. Her mind didn’t want to stay on track, and her body felt simultaneously relaxed and alive. It seemed impossible, like the kind of thing that only happened in a dream and couldn’t be put into words upon waking. But she liked it, and the more she glanced across the table at Holden, the more she felt it. They chatted idly, discussing how adorable Finn was or how nice the weather had been. It might have been inane conversation with anyone else, but somehow, it meant something as long as she was s
haring these words with him.
“Would you care for dessert?”
Leah half-expected him to whip out a homemade white chocolate raspberry cheesecake and act like it was simply a coincidence, but she didn’t have any room in her stomach to find out. “I’m too full, but thank you.” It was time for her to leave. She’d done her reading, she’d stayed to have dinner, and it was time to end this strange encounter and return to normal life. She stood up and pushed her chair in. “Look, I’d really like to apologize to you for that odd reading.”
“You already did,” Holden pointed out, “and you didn’t need to. It’s fine.”
“I want you to know that you can schedule another one anytime you want, and of course it will be free of charge. I’d like to make it up to you. Just give me a little time to get myself together. I’ve been going through some things, but I’ll get past it and then I should be fine again.” She was stumbling over her words, feeling awkward. Their meal had been amazing, and she’d managed to forget what an idiot she’d made of herself, but it was all coming back swiftly now that she was standing on her own two feet.
Holden took her gently by the elbow and she followed him out of the dining room back into the study where her bag still sat next to a chair. His brow was furrowed over his eyes as though he was in deep thought, and it wasn’t until he’d stood there for a moment on the large rug in the middle of the room that he turned to look at her again. “If you really want to make it up to me, then let me do a reading on you.”
Blinking up at him, Leah tried to wrap her mind around what he was saying. “Are you telling me you’re a psychic?” Her mind raced. Was this some sort of dirty trick? Did he think she was a fraud and he was trying to expose her? She’d heard of those sorts of things before.
“Not at all,” he assured her. Holden took her hand in his, looking down at their fingers, and then took her other hand as well. They stood face to face, and when he raised his head to stare into her eyes the room around them melted away. “I just think I know some things that might help you.”
She had come this far, and there was no point in giving up now. Leah swallowed nervously. “Okay.” Her palms tingled with energy, and she felt that if she looked down, she would see blue fire crackling between them. This man was something else, but she didn’t know what yet.
“You feel like the universe is trying to tell you something, but you aren’t sure if you’re hearing it correctly. You know there’s got to be some sort of connection between us if we keep running into each other like this, but it’s just so strange that you don’t quite know how to handle it.” His voice was gentle and smooth, the whisper of a breeze through the trees in a forest. His hands were strong enough that he could have crushed her fingers inside his own, and yet he held them like delicate flowers.
“How did you know all of that?” she breathed, feeling their bodies grow slowly together. It might only have been a millimeter, but it felt like a light year.
“Because I’ve been feeling the exact same way. When I saw you at The Parlor, it was like something clicked inside me. I was drawn to you, but it didn’t make sense because I had no idea who you were. I wanted to absolutely pulverize that guy who tried to hurt you, and I probably would have if I’d let my instincts take over.”
Leah could understand. She would have thrown herself at him and let him do whatever he wanted, but she had gotten into her own head and convinced herself that none of it mattered.
“Then I ran into you at the grocery store,” Holden continued, “and I thought it was sheer chance. But you’re here now, and I don’t want to see you leave.” He leaned forward and pressed his forehead against hers, closing his eyes. “I need you, Leah, in a way I can’t explain.”
Her heart throbbed, pumping blood throughout her body but not putting out the fire that Holden had lit inside it. Leah’s lips worked of their own avail, tipping up so that they touched his. It was slow at first, tentative and sensual as they explored each other. He smelled of cologne, seasonings, and fire, and she hardly wanted to exhale again because she only wanted to breathe him in.
Holden’s lips convinced her to open up to him, to let their tongues get to know each other, to solidify the fact that this wasn’t just a mistake. His fingers moved from her hands to her hips, twining around her waist and pulling her close so that their bodies were pressed together.
Leah could feel the hard muscles underneath his shirt, and she knew the urgency from his mouth was a reflection of her own. With her hands freed, she let them slowly travel up his arms to his firm shoulders before they curled in the ringlets of his hair. Her thumb measured the hard angle of his jaw and the stubble that clung there, and the unrelenting urge to be close to him had completely taken over her. Leah needed him, wanted him, had to have him.
He had claimed to have no psychic powers, but he might as well have. He tipped his head back and broke their kiss. Holden looked into her eyes, his hands still wrapped around her waist. “Say you’ll stay with me tonight,” he whispered, his lips only a fraction of an inch away from hers. “Let’s see what fate is really trying to tell us.”
She could have run. Though he had his hands on her, Leah knew Holden wouldn’t keep her there against her will. She might not have been able to get a good reading on him, but that much was clear. She could easily have broken away, grabbed her bag, and left.
But she couldn’t. Not because Holden wouldn’t allow her to, but because she didn’t want to. There was a firestorm in her soul, and she couldn’t put it out without his help. Leah pressed her lips to his once again, confirming her answer.
Holden took it, his insanely strong arms scooping her off the floor. He carried her out of the study toward the front of the house, and then turned up a wide set of stairs that led to the second story. Leah focused on the squareness of his jaw, the fine dusting of coppery hair that hinted at what was underneath his shirt, and the way she felt as if she were floating while she was in his arms. She felt like a goddess being sped to the top of a mountain by her hero, and she reveled in it.
When they reached a room at the end of the upstairs hall, Holden set her gently on her feet. He kissed her again, passionately, brutally, expressing his need as he slowly lifted the hem of her dress up and over her head. The skin on his hands was rough, but their touch was tender as he skimmed them back down her nearly-naked body.
She could feel the hardness in his jeans, and she wanted it. Leah felt her bra snap off as she undid his belt buckle and reached for the buttons of his shirt, splaying her fingers out over the wide chest that she exposed. Yet another rush of adrenaline hit her as she took in the wide chest and his finely sculpted abs, all covered with that haze of fine hairs that were so tantalizing.
As their naked bodies pressed together, she thought she might peak right then and there. His trim waist, firm buttocks, and muscular legs were like a marble statue. His manhood was hard and demanding, eager for her, and she wrapped her hands around his shaft.
Holden moaned, bending his head to pull her nipple into his mouth. “I don’t think you know what you do to me.”
“I think I do.” Because he did it to her as well. This stranger, this man who shouldn’t have been anything more than a passing acquaintance for all the time they had known each other, was her entire existence. Her core surged in anticipation, but Leah wanted this to last as long as possible. She dropped to her knees before him, looking briefly up and catching the arch of surprise in his eyebrows before she ran the tip of her tongue down the length of his erection, teasing him as she licked its head.
He held himself against the bedpost with one hand, and the other curled into a fist and slammed into the mattress as she swallowed him.
Leah wanted only to please him, and she stroked her tongue up and down as she sucked. Holden’s hips surged forward, encouraging her, and she opened her jaws and pressed down with her lips to increase the pressure. Her hunger for him increased, knowing she was turning him on. She never wanted to stop as long as sh
e knew she was bringing him pleasure.
But Holden wouldn’t have it. He brought her to her feet and gently pushed her back onto the mattress, running his hands up her legs as he set her ankles on his shoulders. He looked into her eyes as he entered her, boring into her soul as their bodies melded. His cock was thick and hard inside her, filling her up and satisfying a need that she’d had for such a long time.
Leah sighed, letting her head fall back and surrendering her body to him. Holden brought his hand around her thigh and laid his thumb on her clit, rubbing in small circles that slowly built up speed. Her insides turned to molten metal as she formed around him, her muscles clenching and releasing as he pushed her towards her ecstasy. Leah panted her euphoria as he relentlessly gave her everything she needed and more, and she let out a cry as the seduction was complete.
Holden watched with fascination as she came, his eyes alight. He tipped his head just enough to plant a quick kiss on her calf, then moved his hands up to envelop her breasts. She welcomed the heat of his touch as he stroked inside her, the hardness of his body under her legs as he worked. Her core still surged with rapture, aftershocks of alternating tension and tranquility, brought on by days of thinking about this man. She threw her head back as another spasm racked her body, and it increased as Holden’s hands moved down and tightened their grip on her ribcage.
“Leah…” he breathed.
Her name on his lips was like a beacon, calling to her to join him. She felt the crushing tidal wave of pure pleasure washing over her, taking her breath. “Holden!”
His girth expanded, and he grunted as he pounded into her harder. A roar bellowed up from the depths as he filled her, his body surging against hers. He pumped away until he was empty, draining every last bit of himself into her.
Leah fought to catch her breath, having had it completely taken away by such an intense session of lovemaking. Holden whisked the covers back and moved her up so that her head was on the pillow. When he climbed in next to her, he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close. She expected him to fall asleep, but he brought his head down and wrapped his lips around her nipple. His tongue flicked the hard bud as he suckled.
