~ EXCERPT BELOW ~
She sees the future.
He reads the past.
The present could kill them both.
If you like strong heroines and haunting mystery, you'll love this spellbinding tale of romance in the Big Easy.
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“Don’t shoot. We’re out of bounds,” Blake said.
Sydney lifted her paintball mask onto the top of her head. “What are you doing out here in the woods?”
“Getting you alone.”
She smiled and strutted toward him. “And what do you need me alone for?”
His eyebrow arched, and a deep chuckle rumbled in his chest, making heat pool below her navel. His laugh had always had that effect on her. She stopped by a tree and dropped her mask on the ground before wiping the sweat from her brow.
Blake closed the distance between them, leaning his rifle against the thick trunk behind her. A bead of sweat dripped from his hairline to his eyebrow, and he flicked it away with his index finger. “I needed you alone because I want to ask you to dinner without the rest of the crew wanting to tag along.”
“You want to ask me to dinner?” She feigned surprise. If he hadn’t stepped up to the plate, she’d have taken the lead. She was tired of skirting around the edges of their desire.
“I do.”
“Like a dinner date?” She tried to fight her smile, but the curve of her lips was too strong.
“Would that be all right with you, cher?” He inched a little closer, and the masculine scents of sweat and aftershave mixed with the earth and arbor, making her head spin.
It was more than all right, but if she was going to change her path, he needed to be on the same one with her. “There’s something I need to tell you before I answer that.”
He pulled away slightly, wariness drawing out his words. “I’m listening.”
“I had another vision.”
He held up his hands. “Whatever I’m going to do, I’m sure there’s a logical explanation. I have no intentions of hurting you.”
“You’re not going to do anything.” She leaned her back against the tree. “I’m seeing a funeral.” She explained the visions of the closed-caskets and the psychedelic scenes they’d ended with. “Sean’s always there, and now he’s with Eric, Jason, and Trish. And the ends of the premonitions are just crazy. They’ve never been so abstract.”
His mouth screwed up on one side as he processed her words. “I can think of a thousand different scenarios that could lead to a funeral. I don’t think our feelings for each other are going to kill anyone…do you?”
“I honestly don’t know. I’ve run those thousand scenarios through my mind hundreds of times, and I can’t figure it out.” She chewed her bottom lip, her frustration gnawing in the back of her mind. Now he knew, but would that change anything?
He set his jaw and nodded once. “Have you told anyone about this?”
She shook her head. “I just don’t know what to do. I haven’t told anyone because I don’t know how to stop it from happening.” Other than pray that telling Blake about the vision would be enough to change the outcome.
“Hey.” He glided his fingers across her forehead, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. “Thank you for trusting me.”
She closed her eyes for a long blink, his tender touch sending warm shivers down her spine. “Given our history, if we’re going to start dating again, I thought you should know. If I slam on the brakes or start acting weird, you’ll know why.”
He smiled, his gaze dancing between her eyes and her lips. “Are we going to start dating again?”
“You did say you wanted to ask me to dinner.”
“I did, and you still owe me an answer. So…”
She licked her lips, soaking in the deep blue of his eyes. “I would love to have dinner with you. This is my night off.”
He leaned toward her, his right hand reaching behind her, and she couldn’t help herself. She closed her eyes and pressed her lips to his.
He froze on a quick intake of breath. Then she froze, the realization that he was not kissing her back causing her ears to burn. She pulled away, covering her mouth as he straightened, gripping the paintball gun in his hand.
Oh, dear lord, what had she done? The heat from her ears crept across her cheeks toward the bridge of her nose, and she squeezed her eyes shut, hoping when she opened them she’d realize this had been another vision, and she hadn’t actually committed the worst faux pas she could think of.
Alas, when she lifted her lids, Blake stood in front of her, chewing his bottom lip.
Way to go, Syd. “You weren’t leaning in to kiss me, were you?”
Sydney lifted her paintball mask onto the top of her head. “What are you doing out here in the woods?”
“Getting you alone.”
She smiled and strutted toward him. “And what do you need me alone for?”
His eyebrow arched, and a deep chuckle rumbled in his chest, making heat pool below her navel. His laugh had always had that effect on her. She stopped by a tree and dropped her mask on the ground before wiping the sweat from her brow.
Blake closed the distance between them, leaning his rifle against the thick trunk behind her. A bead of sweat dripped from his hairline to his eyebrow, and he flicked it away with his index finger. “I needed you alone because I want to ask you to dinner without the rest of the crew wanting to tag along.”
“You want to ask me to dinner?” She feigned surprise. If he hadn’t stepped up to the plate, she’d have taken the lead. She was tired of skirting around the edges of their desire.
“I do.”
“Like a dinner date?” She tried to fight her smile, but the curve of her lips was too strong.
“Would that be all right with you, cher?” He inched a little closer, and the masculine scents of sweat and aftershave mixed with the earth and arbor, making her head spin.
It was more than all right, but if she was going to change her path, he needed to be on the same one with her. “There’s something I need to tell you before I answer that.”
He pulled away slightly, wariness drawing out his words. “I’m listening.”
“I had another vision.”
He held up his hands. “Whatever I’m going to do, I’m sure there’s a logical explanation. I have no intentions of hurting you.”
“You’re not going to do anything.” She leaned her back against the tree. “I’m seeing a funeral.” She explained the visions of the closed-caskets and the psychedelic scenes they’d ended with. “Sean’s always there, and now he’s with Eric, Jason, and Trish. And the ends of the premonitions are just crazy. They’ve never been so abstract.”
His mouth screwed up on one side as he processed her words. “I can think of a thousand different scenarios that could lead to a funeral. I don’t think our feelings for each other are going to kill anyone…do you?”
“I honestly don’t know. I’ve run those thousand scenarios through my mind hundreds of times, and I can’t figure it out.” She chewed her bottom lip, her frustration gnawing in the back of her mind. Now he knew, but would that change anything?
He set his jaw and nodded once. “Have you told anyone about this?”
She shook her head. “I just don’t know what to do. I haven’t told anyone because I don’t know how to stop it from happening.” Other than pray that telling Blake about the vision would be enough to change the outcome.
“Hey.” He glided his fingers across her forehead, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. “Thank you for trusting me.”
She closed her eyes for a long blink, his tender touch sending warm shivers down her spine. “Given our history, if we’re going to start dating again, I thought you should know. If I slam on the brakes or start acting weird, you’ll know why.”
He smiled, his gaze dancing between her eyes and her lips. “Are we going to start dating again?”
“You did say you wanted to ask me to dinner.”
“I did, and you still owe me an answer. So…”
She licked her lips, soaking in the deep blue of his eyes. “I would love to have dinner with you. This is my night off.”
He leaned toward her, his right hand reaching behind her, and she couldn’t help herself. She closed her eyes and pressed her lips to his.
He froze on a quick intake of breath. Then she froze, the realization that he was not kissing her back causing her ears to burn. She pulled away, covering her mouth as he straightened, gripping the paintball gun in his hand.
Oh, dear lord, what had she done? The heat from her ears crept across her cheeks toward the bridge of her nose, and she squeezed her eyes shut, hoping when she opened them she’d realize this had been another vision, and she hadn’t actually committed the worst faux pas she could think of.
Alas, when she lifted her lids, Blake stood in front of her, chewing his bottom lip.
Way to go, Syd. “You weren’t leaning in to kiss me, were you?”