Whether he agreed to come along for the ride or not, it was going to happen. I

needed to know if Ellery’s taunt was for the man standing in front of me or had

been left behind with Kelsey. The answer was crucial in proving or disproving my burgeoning suspicions. Trying to meet him halfway, I offered, “Look, we can

pull the tapes afterward, and use them to confirm whatever I find.”

“Pulling the tapes won’t set you on your ass,” he growled.

He could not possibly be worried about me. “And he may not even be on them, so we could just waste a shitload of time trying to convince Terrance to let

us watch them,” I snapped back, stepping into his personal space. “You have two

choices, watch, or join in. Either way, stop arguing with me and say, ‘Yes, Cyn’.”

Something undefined flared in his face. “Fine, dammit.”

“Good.” I let my lips curve with a mocking edge. “So nice to have your permission.”

Whatever emotion he battled changed and left behind the more easily

identifiable expression of male frustration. He grabbed my upper arms and

dragged me close. “You’re going to drive me crazy.” Then, before I could react,

he pressed a punishing kiss against my lips, then pulled away.

Unsure how to handle his quick kiss, I managed a feeble, “I think that’s my

line.”

He studied me, his frustration bleeding away. “You really don’t get it do

you?”

“Get what?”

“Do you know what it does to watch you go under?” He didn’t wait for an

answer. “I watched bruises pop out on your neck as you struggled to breathe, and

all I could do was sit there and pray. There’s not one damn thing I can do if something goes wrong when you’re under. You’re asking me to sit and watch you get hurt.”

A little piece of me melted under his surprising revelation, tempering my normal reaction to such a comment. “I’m asking you to trust me to know my limits.”

He cradled my chin, his thumb brushing back and forth. “Trusting you isn’t

hard. Letting you do it alone is.”

He let me go and I missed his touch. Maybe what started all those months ago wasn’t as far out of reach as I thought. The notion had no sooner cleared the

gate than I shoved it back.

Wrong time, wrong place.

“So don’t,” I said. “Let’s do what we did before. It puts you right there. If I

go too deep, I can use you as my way back.”

He grimaced. “Did I happen to mention slapping you when you’re out of it

just feels wrong?”

“If it’ll make you feel better, I promise to slap you back.”

My attempt to lessen his worry worked, and he chuckled. “Promise?”

I grinned. “Promise.”

CHAPTER 12

A fter a short discussion, we headed into the second bedroom. Since Ellery

had passed through it to get to the gun safe, it was our best starting point.

Once again, I found myself sitting on the edge of a bed with Kayden crouched in

front of me.

“Deja-vu,” I muttered under my breath.

Kayden flashed a grin before taking my hands in his. A tremor ran through

me and my stomach clenched so tight it hurt. As confident as I was about suggesting this to him, overcoming years’ worth of suppression wasn’t easy. Not

even with knowing how critical the reasons were.

Kayden watched me. “Ready?”

Blowing out a breath, I nodded, and then closed my eyes. This time, my

ability met me halfway, as if it was eager to be used. No trip to the brick wall necessary. Stunned at the strength of it, I worried that Kayden might actually have something to worry about.

“Steady.”

The sound of his voice settled me. The same bright connection we shared

earlier snapped into place with a suddenness that left me off balance. It made me