Once Upon A Midnight

by Stephanie Rowe

  She slipped her arm out of his grasp. “I don’t do that anymore.” Terrifying memories flashed through her brain but she banished them in an instant.

  One of the other nail techs caught her eye. “Everything okay, Emily?”

  “Fine.” She leveled a warning stare at Ryan. “I can’t have this conversation here. No one knows that I’m…what I used to do.” She’d left New Orleans to get away from her mother and the fortunetelling business she ran. But she’d been drawn back into the only life she’d known and gravitated to the psychic community in Raleigh. Until a killer frightened her into denying her own powers.

  He shrugged. “Then let’s get out of here.”

  “I have more appointments.” The lie left a sour taste in her mouth. In truth, the notion of spending more time with him excited her more than she cared to admit—even if he did dislike her—but being this close to him, touching him, made her yearn for the opportunity to convince him to give her a chance.

  He rocked his chair back on its hind legs and narrowed his eyes at her. “That’s funny because I specifically asked for your last appointment. And when I got here there were no names written in the slots after mine.”

  Damn it.

  She worried her bottom lip between her teeth, eying him. “The last thing I’m going to do is get involved with another murder case. I’m through with that.”

  He leaned toward her. “I know we got off on the wrong foot but Becky always said you were good people, the sort of woman who’d go to bat for your friends no matter what. She needs your help now and so do I. Was she wrong about you? Are you really okay with letting her killer walk free?”

  Her stomach knotted. “Ryan, I don’t think—”

  “There’s something else. I keep having…daydreams about you. Someone…hurts you in them.”

  That gave her pause. Why would she have appeared in his visions? “Maybe you just feel guilty for being so mean to me at Becky’s birthday party two years ago.“

  He frowned. “Yeah, I do. Sorry about that. I might have had a few too many beers that night. You didn’t deserve what I said.”

  The long-awaited apology eased some of her apprehension, but it didn’t change the fact he’d believed she was faking her gifts like some sort of con artist.

  “I think the visions might be…” He scooted closer. “I don’t know, prophetic?”

  “Not necessarily. You shouldn’t worry about it. I’m not. It’s probably nothing.” But she wondered. Could she be in some sort of danger again?

  He shook his head. “Emily, you’re a part of this whether you like it or not.” He tore at a hangnail.

  Automatically, she grabbed his finger and used her nipper to vanquish the dead skin.

  He pulled his hand back. “Becky’s ghost said something. She told me to heed my visions.”

  Her heart lodged in her throat. “Those were her exact words?”

  He nodded grimly.

  Becky was obviously reaching out to her from the other side. She’d been a dear friend but did she want to put her life on the line again?

  When the Raleigh police had asked her to help them with a missing persons case last year, she hadn’t hesitated. But when the killer learned her identity after a newspaper reporter leaked the story of her involvement, her life had taken a decidedly terrifying turn. The notion that something like that could happen again was too frightening to even consider. Much as she’d loved Becky, she wanted no part of whatever Ryan was asking of her.

  “I can’t help you, Ryan, I’m sorry.”

  “You have to.” His voice was too loud in the small salon.

  She refused to be outed as a psychic at her place of business. She liked it too much here, the anonymity and the normalcy. “There’s a coffee shop down the street where we can talk.”

  Relief shone in his eyes and a guarded smile lifted one corner of his sexy mouth. “Let’s go.”

  She nodded stoically then said her goodbyes to the rest of the staff.

  They walked in silence toward the coffee shop for several minutes, each step heightening the turmoil brewing inside her. The last time she’d channeled a murder victim’s spirit, she’d put her life in jeopardy. The police detective had assured her he’d keep her identity secret but he’d failed, big time. That had been the beginning of the month-long terror campaign the murderer had waged against her. She forced the memories from her mind.

  Finally Ryan spoke. “Why are you so reluctant to help me? I thought you cared about my sister.”

  She bristled at the condescension in his tone. “I’ve tried to stay away from anything to do with the psychic arts. I had a bad experience on that case you mentioned.” Her headache flared.

  He set a hand on her back. “I’m sorry.”

  She didn’t want the contact to feel so good. The only thing worse than being attracted to a man who thought she was a fake was knowing he didn’t feel the same way.

  Stepping away from his touch, she gave him a half nod. “You said I was in your vision. Tell me about that.”

  His lips flattened to a thin line. “A man or…something dragged you off. I heard you scream and I knew he’d…”

  “Killed me?” Her voice broke on the last word.

  He dropped his head and a lock of his sandy hair fell onto his forehead, strand over glossy strand. “Yeah. Then I saw Becky’s…ghost or whatever. She spoke to me. That’s what made me take the visions a lot more seriously.”

  “What were Becky’s exact words?”

  “Heed your vision.”

  Her legs turned to jelly. Ryan hooked her arm and she let him support her. Luckily, they’d arrived at the coffee shop.

  He opened the door and she brushed past him, picking up on his scent again. She wished she didn’t find everything about the man so damn attractive. She wrapped her arms around her body as she approached the counter.

  Ryan held up two fingers for the barista then led Emily to a cafe table and pulled out her chair. When she sat, he squeezed her shoulders and bent to whisper in her ear. “Thanks for coming.”

  His breath gusted warm over her neck and shoulders. A quiver of arousal rolled across her skin. But she had to get over it. Ryan was the last person she should be thinking about that way since he was pressuring her to return to the shadowy world that had frightened her away.

  He went to the counter to pick up their drinks.

  I like my coffee black. She mentally sent him the message to test his psychic intuitiveness.

  He set the coffee on the table and took a seat. “Black?”

  She nodded, unsure if he’d gotten the message or if he’d merely assumed. She’d give him a more specific test next time.

  He scooted his chair closer and smiled at her with that sensual mouth.

  Her lips tingled.

  Kiss me.

  She yearned for a taste of him but being drawn into anything supernatural was the last thing she wanted.

  He leaned his head closer and his gaze fell to her lips as if he were about to… But instead of kissing her, he scrubbed a hand over his face. “Becky thought so much of you.”

  Her throat thickened with emotion at the mention of her friend. “It was mutual. She was a good person. The police haven’t come up with anything concrete yet?”

  He shook his head heavily. “They’ve just about given up. Her boyfriend was at the top of their list of suspects, but he swears he was home at the time of the murder. They said there wasn’t any evidence to tie him to the scene but Tommy’s uncle happens to be a sergeant for the Kenton Police Department. Pretty convenient, huh? But anyone who knew Becky and Tommy had witnessed the two of them arguing. Shit, I don’t know why they stayed together for so long.”

  His eyes misted but he immediately straightened and cleared his throat. “Nothing will bring her back but if her killer is caught at least I’ll have some closure, and so will she. I’m hoping you can help with that.”

  She shifted uncomfortably in her chair. “I’m not very experience
d with this sort of thing. I was asked to assist the police in finding a missing person. That’s not the case with Becky.”

  “That’s true, but if you’re psychic—”

  “I am, Ryan. There’s more than one kind of psychic power. Most people with what you might call ESP have a mix of two or more gifts.”

  The door opened and a young couple came through. Thankfully, she didn’t know them.

  “What about you? What’s your gift?”

  She wrapped her hands around the cardboard cup. “I can see into the past.” She didn’t want to mention that she’d been able to communicate with spirits that had crossed to the other side or Ryan would surely expect her to try with Becky. That was the part of her power that now frightened her the most. It was what she’d had to do for the last case and it had landed her in danger.

  “What else?”

  “I’m an empath as well. Mostly I sense emotions.” She attempted to tune in to Ryan’s feelings but he seemed to have an impenetrable wall around him, or maybe she was rusty. She’d been consciously trying to avoid using her gifts for ten or eleven months now.

  “What was your bad experience with that murder investigation last year?”

  She drank her coffee and recalled the terror she’d felt in the weeks she’d worked with the Raleigh PD. “As soon as my name and photo appeared in the paper, the threatening calls started. The killer began leaving notes on my car and someone broke into my apartment when I wasn’t home. I’m sure it was him but they couldn’t prove it. He didn’t leave any prints.” She took another sip to quench the dryness in her throat before continuing. “They posted a guard outside my door at night but he managed to get around him.” She clasped her hands to keep them from shaking.

  Ryan rubbed the calloused pad of his thumb over her knuckles. “It’s okay. I’m here.”

  “He would have killed me if the officer hadn’t knocked to check on me. When I didn’t answer he broke down the door. The murderer was holding me at knifepoint and the cop had to shoot him.” She shut her eyes but the tears came anyway.

  “I’m so sorry, Emily. I didn’t know. I swear, I’ll never let anything happen to you.”

  His declaration caught her off guard. Why should she trust him? Becky had thought the world of him. She’d called him the tough guy with the big heart. Said he was a black belt in two martial arts and an expert marksman, yet he volunteered at the local animal shelter and rocked drug-addicted babies at one of the hospitals in the area.

  She slid her hand away and forced her concentration to the case rather than Ryan’s touch.

  “I never believed in any of this stuff but I saw a freaking ghost with my own eyes. I don’t know what the hell is real and what isn’t anymore.” He pinched the bridge of his nose. “Look, would you just come with me to her house? See if you can contact her or pick up on something. Maybe she’ll tell you who killed her.”

  She shook her head. “When spirits pass, their memory is wiped clean of all the negative energy they dealt with in their earthly life. She might know she met an untimely end, but I doubt she can tell us exactly what happened or who was responsible.”

  “Would you try? Maybe she’ll give us a clue.” The pain in his expression broke her heart. “Please. You’re my only hope.”

  How could she turn him down? Becky had been like a guardian angel when Emily first arrived in Raleigh. She’d fed her and even loaned her the money to pay the security deposit on her first place. How could she not help Becky’s brother if there was even a chance he might be able to get justice for her once and for all?

  She sucked in a breath for courage. “Okay. I’ll do it.”

  Ryan lifted his hand to her cheek and she couldn’t help leaning into his tempting touch—a touch that made her feel safe, despite the precarious situation she was walking into. “Thank you.”

  She couldn’t manage to return his smile, not with panic gripping her insides. She prayed this would go better than the last time she’d gotten involved with a murder.

  Chapter Two

  Ryan drove north on US-1 toward the bedroom community of Kenton. As the sun set, the city scenery gave way to lush rolling hills. Tension tugged at Emily’s shoulders and neck.

  Maybe it was good that Ryan wanted to do this right away, before she had a chance to change her mind. They’d set out after leaving the coffee shop half an hour ago. Maybe it was the caffeine making her heart pound. Or perhaps it was the fear that Ryan’s visions of someone killing her were about to become her reality.

  She drifted back in time a year, to the day she’d channeled Nancy Baxter’s spirit. The ghost spoke to her, told her the last place she recalled being. It hadn’t taken the police long to find the body after that. If only Nancy’s ghost had been able to reveal the identity of her killer, Emily might have avoided the most frightening month of her life. But she supposed it was usually a good thing that spirits were spared such painful memories.

  “You okay, darlin’?” Ryan’s voice jarred her back to the present.

  Her cheeks heated at his term of endearment even though she was sure he meant nothing by it. At least he wasn’t calling her a shyster anymore. “Yeah, I’m fine.”

  He rested his right hand on his jeans-clad thigh. His impossibly broad chest rose and fell with a breath and she bit her lip to keep from sighing at his appeal.

  Think about something else.

  Ryan ventured a quick glance at her. “Is it my driving? I might be going over the speed limit, but I’ve been traveling these roads my whole life. My truck’s suspension system isn’t great. Sorry it’s a bumpy ride.”

  She caught another whiff of his manly scent, which didn’t help her tamp down her desire one bit. “What do you mean?”

  He turned off the main road onto a narrow one that cut through the woods. “If you grip the armrest any tighter you’ll probably rip it right off the door.”

  She looked down at her hand. Her knuckles had turned white. She immediately let go and laced her fingers together in her lap. “I told you, this stuff makes me nervous.” But in truth, her desire for Ryan was nearly as unsettling as the prospect of channeling Becky’s spirit.

  She’d crushed on him pretty hard years ago but she was a different person now, an adult, and she couldn’t deny that he seemed more confident, sexier than he’d been back then.

  They turned left off the paved street onto a narrow dirt road. The truck bumped over the rough terrain up a steep hill. The house came into view when they cleared the woods. It looked just as she remembered, like a white Victorian dollhouse in a pastoral setting.

  Ryan shut off the motor and faced her. “Ready?”

  She shook her head. “I need a minute.” Her heart raced. She didn’t want to let fear control her but she wasn’t sure how to master it.

  He slid across the seat and draped his arm over her shoulder. “I told you before, I won’t let anything happen to you. Do you believe that?”

  The cops had assured her they’d protect her last time. Why should she think Ryan could do any better? “I guess.”

  “Look, we don’t have to do this. If you want to turn around right now, I’ll take you back to Raleigh, but what if Becky was right and you’re already in danger? If we do nothing, it could mean you’ll get hurt.”

  She shuddered. “Then I guess we have to proceed.”

  He toyed with a lock of her hair and a morsel of erotic need broke through her apprehension. “You’re a brave woman.”

  She shook her head. “I don’t have much of a choice.”

  “Sure you do, but you’re way too pretty to bury that gorgeous face in the sand.” His grin took sexy to a whole new level.

  She shifted to a darker spot, out of the moonlight, afraid he’d pick up on the desire that was surely evident in her eyes. “Thanks. We should get this over with.”

  His expression turned serious. “I was an idiot for saying what I did to you two years ago. I’m surprised you’re even speaking to me.”

  She pat
ted his hand. “I’ve already forgiven you.” The heat of his stare turned her into a puddle of a woman.

  “Thanks for coming up here with me. I know it’s asking a lot.”

  She licked her suddenly dry lips. “It’s okay. I like…being with you.” A pleasant ache settled low in her belly.

  “Yeah? Me too.” He smoothed a hand over her hair and focused on her mouth. Could he be as attracted to her as she’d always been to him?

  Her entire body tingled with awareness. She fought the torrid sensations, a battle she feared she was losing. It was so tempting to give in to the fantasy she’d kept buried for so long.

  He moved closer, brushed his lips over hers, gentle as an autumn breeze. Backing away, he pinned her with those ice-blue eyes. She forced her gaze away.

  Ryan lifted her chin so she had no choice but to look into those eyes. Then he covered her mouth with his and slid his tongue inside. She stopped her halfhearted resistance and hooked her hands around the back of his neck, twining her fingers into his hair. He tasted like strong coffee with a hint of cinnamon.

  He moaned into her mouth and tightened his fingers possessively against her head.

  How many times had she fantasized about kissing him over the years? Encircled in his arms, she really did feel safe, at least for the moment.

  After a minute or two, he backed away and met her stare. “That was nice.”

  Too nice. “I…we should focus on Becky now.”

  His brow lifted in surprise. “Right, yeah.”

  He cupped her head and kissed her forehead. “Can we continue this later?”

  She wanted to tell him no, but she couldn’t bring herself to say it. Taking things any further with him would only keep her in the spiritual realm longer than she wanted to be there. She’d have to figure out how to control the powerful attraction sizzling between them, which was way more intense than she’d experienced with anyone else.