Into a Dangerous Mind (21 page)

Kathy lightly punched Zach in the shoulder.
 
“True, but I don’t remember hearing about any really amazing sex.
 
You’ve been holding out on me.”

Zach cleared his throat self-consciously as Cassidy and Kathy giggled over his discomfort.
 
“Why don’t you get our invalid some aspirin?”
 
Zach pierced Kathy with a mock glare.

Kathy’s low sultry laugh flowed back to them as she walked out of the room.

“Zach, what happened?
 
Have you found her yet?”

Zach gently probed Cassidy’s mind and jumped when she winced.
 
“Sorry, I know you’re still sore, I just wanted to make sure you’re okay.
 
You tried to do too much too soon and it overloaded your system.”

“What exactly did I do?”

Zach leaned down to kiss her lightly before answering.
 
“One of your gifts is empathy, coupled with your kick-ass aptitude.
 
You took all the pain and fear he caused both you and the woman, and funneled it back at him so he got it full blast.
 
When it became too much for him, he broke the connection with her and tried futilely to shield from you when you blacked out.
 
With such a large blast, you may have caused him some permanent damage.”

?
 
She puffed out a breath that fluttered her bangs.

Zach joined loosely with her mind.
 
His fear and concern flowed around her.
 
“Don’t worry about it.
 
Your powers are growing, and they’ll continue to grow.
 
Someday you’ll even be able to summon them at will.
 
Just give it time.”

He brushed her hair away from her face.
 
“As far as the girl, we’re still looking for her.
 
I couldn’t get any information out of the room—which is the way he planned it.
 
We know she’s blonde, and has a small broken heart tattoo on her hip, but there’s no tattoo database, so it’s no help.”

Cassidy heard the anger lacing Zach’s voice and kissed the back of his hand.
 
“He may be psychically injured, but he’s smart.
 
Which, unfortunately, means it will be tougher for you to catch him—right?”

Zach nodded and reached down to kiss her gently.
 
“I’m sorry I couldn’t protect you, Cassidy.
 
He doesn’t have a strong enough psychic signal to home in on, but he’s learned well from his parent’s tools.
 
He can only find you because your psychic signal is so strong.
 
Hell, it’s like the difference between searching for a spotlight and a firefly on a moonless night.”

Cassidy remembered her failed attempt to stop Brian from hurting the woman—hot tears welled and hovered in her eyes before streaming down her face.
 
“I tried to physically affect him like you did at the mall—I couldn’t.”
 
She let down her guard and curled into Zach’s comforting arms as her tears flowed.
 
Helplessness and images of the wounded woman haunted her.

“That’s not your brand of talent, Cass.
 
You were able to hurt him.
 
We don’t know how badly yet, but you definitely hurt him.”

She burrowed tighter against his chest and took a few deep breaths.
 
“But what did I accomplish?
 
He’s probably so out of control and angry he killed her anyway.”
 
At Zach’s silence, the tears returned in force.

Zach rocked her gently against his chest and kissed her hair.
 
“We don’t know anything yet, but we’re still looking.”

Pain and grief for a nameless woman flowed through her as well as the bitter metallic taste of fear.
 
She let Zach’s strength seep into her and slowly the tears stopped, leaving her empty and hollow.

She sniffed, and a familiar presence intruded on her grief.
 
“It’s okay, Kathy, you can stop hiding out there, but I don’t really think I need the sleeping pill.”

Kathy’s shock traveled across the room in psychic waves.
 
“Well, now that you can read minds you’re really going to be a pain in the ass, aren’t you?”
 
Kathy entered the room and smiled down at them.
 
She handed Cassidy the pills and a glass of water.
 
“Take them anyway.
 
From what I understand, Brian, or the Reaper, or whatever I’m supposed to call him, can’t contact you when you’ve put your subconscious to sleep with these.
 
Besides Zach can’t continue to shield you until he gets some sleep too.”

Kathy took a breath and turned her steely gaze on Zach.
 
“Why don’t you both take some and get some sleep?
 
Dix and I will keep tabs on the outside world for you.”
 
Kathy handed Zach a set of pills and gave them both an arch look as if defying them to argue.

Zach laughed at her declaration.
 
“And you think Cass is a pain in the ass?”
 
Kathy crossed her arms over her chest and glared until Zach dutifully swallowed the pills, then waited until Cassidy did the same.

Cassidy pulled him down beside her on the bed and curled against him.

“Good.”
 
Kathy arranged the quilt over both of them and then left, closing the door behind her.

.”

“Go to sleep.”
 
Zach’s voice sounded weary.
 
“We’ll argue about it later.”

Zach woke groggy and hungry.
 
Cassidy spooned against his back with her arm flung over his waist—their hands still clasped together.
 
The light from the window played patterns across the bedspread, and he basked in her comforting warmth.
 
He almost burrowed back into the covers for more sleep, but being this groggy gnawed at him.

He hated waking after taking any kind of sleep aid.
 
True, he always got the sleep he needed, but it took a few minutes to throw off the effects so his gift would function fully.
 
Those few minutes were always disorienting—almost like waking up blind.

He reached out mentally to connect with Cassidy and realized she was awake and just as groggy and hungry, but at least she seemed rested and safe.

“Good morning.”
 
Her voice, thick with sleep, sent desire spiraling through him.

Cassidy smiled and traced a line down to his waistband with her index finger.
 
“I could, too, but I would hope we wouldn’t always go to bed fully clothed.”

Blood rushed away from Zach’s brain to pool in his groin.
 
“Agreed, we’ll always sleep naked.”
 
He rolled over and pulled her on top of him.
 
“But for today, we’ll have to wing it.”

Her hair rumpled, her eyes large and slumberous, she looked sexier and more
 
alluring than any fantasy girl he’d ever envisioned.
 
He watched in mounting agony as she slowly unbuttoned her shirt with a sultry grin on her face.
 
The ceiling fan teased the drapes causing shifting bands of light to play across her beautiful pale skin.

His breath caught in the back of his throat at the sight of her.
 
Zach reached up to catch her hands.
 
“No.
 
Let me.”
 
He gently pulled her down next to him and sat up so he could continue to unbutton her shirt.
 
He took his time and kissed each newly bared spot before opening the next button.

“You know, Kathy and Dix are out in the living room—right?”
 
Her voice sounded husky, and her eyes were glazed with desire.

He’d sensed Dix and Kathy as soon as he woke, but right now his thoughts had nothing to do with either of them.
 
He smiled against Cassidy’s stomach and ran his tongue along the waistband of her jeans.
 
She gasped and writhed under his hands.
 
He loved distracting her.

“We may not have time for long and leisurely today, Zach.”
 
He smiled at her unsteady words.

Her rush of emotions battered against his own.
 
This was love, pure love like he’d always envied between his parents.
 
It shamed him to admit it, but he’d never felt it before.
 
What he’d experienced with Diane paled in comparison to the emotions that overwhelmed him now.

Liberating and terrifying all at once, the knowledge Cassidy loved him too, stunned him to the core.
 
Her emotions ran rich and hot, buzzing along his skin, making him giddy with desire.
 
Leaning on his elbow, he looked down into her eyes, gone dark with desire.
 
“I love you, Cassidy.”
 
They were past words now, but he had to give them to her, had to give her his entire self.

“You’re trembling.”
 
Cassidy’s puzzled expression met his as she pulled him down next to her.

Their lips met slowly, tenderly, silencing her.
 
Their lovemaking borne of caring and sparked with smoldering passion.
 
She sighed against him.
 
He caressed her cheek and traced her jaw line.
 
By mutual consent they slowed their pace to enjoy each other to the fullest and time played out suspended around them.

Zach let the taste of her infuse his senses.
 
He buried himself in the dark, exotic flavors that were distinctly hers.
 
His mind fully linked with hers, surprise flowed through him to find her enjoying the tastes and textures she associated purely with him.

Her mouth hot and drugging, her skin soft and supple, he traced every inch with hand, finger, mouth or tongue trying to memorize her fully.
 
The sensitive underside of her breasts were smooth and silky, and the small spot at the back of her neck begged to be explored and exploited.