The Vanishing Stair (Truly Devious #2)(64)

“Your aura?”

“Yep. If it gets a little too hot, men who don’t understand what’s going on tend to freak out.”

“And the ones who do understand get nervous.”

“Not you.”

He slid his palm down her back to the curve of her hip.

“No,” he said. “Not me.”

“Well, there you have it, the history of my sex life. It’s why I’ve been learning to enjoy the pleasures of celibacy for the past six months.”

“Since you and that consultant Gossard ended things?”

“Yes.”

“Funny you should mention the joys of celibacy. I’ve been exploring that option myself. Ever since my uncles let me out of the attic.”

“Was there anyone special before your talent changed?” Catalina asked.

“I thought so. Her name was Roanna Powell. She works in one of the research labs at the Foundation.”

“Ah. So the two of you had a lot in common?”

“Yes. Seemed like a good match. Our families all approved. But after I spent that month in the attic she changed her mind.”

“Did she visit you while you were locked up?” Catalina asked.

“One time. There were a lot of rumors flying around the Foundation. People were saying that something terrible had happened on my last case and that I was going to end up in Halcyon Manor. Roanna had every reason to be worried, not just about me but about her own future with me. She demanded to see me. My uncles agreed to a short visit.”

“I take it the visit didn’t go well.”

“I managed to hold it together while she was there but she could tell something had changed, and the change scared her. When she found out I was being treated for uncontrolled hallucinations, she decided I was too much of a risk.”

“I’m sorry,” Catalina said. “Breakups are tough.”

“They happen.”

“True.”

“How serious was your relationship with Gossard?”

“I thought things were going well,” Catalina said. “Roger didn’t beg me to dress up in leather. He didn’t accuse me of being a control freak. The best part was that I think he has just enough natural talent himself to realize that I’m not a fraud. I didn’t have to hide my psychic side from him. He was okay with it. More than okay. I think he got a bit of a thrill out of it.”

“In bed?”

“We never got quite that far. My fault, not Roger’s. I’m a little risk-averse in that department. Present circumstances excepted.”

“The present circumstances are definitely exceptional. I’ve been damn risk-averse myself for the past six months.”

“I was getting ready to take the next step in the relationship,” Catalina said. “But your uncle showed up. After I was outed as a psychic, albeit a fake one, I became a professional liability, a threat to Roger’s precious brand. His consulting firm is all about doing state-of-the-art forensic consulting. He would have lost a lot of credibility if word spread that he relied on a woman who claimed to be psychic. So of course he had to end our relationship.”

“And of course you had every right to be pissed.”

“I was angry and hurt at first, but afterward I realized I was mostly annoyed with myself. I should have realized right from the start that he didn’t really care for me. He was just using me. He knew I didn’t like the work so he figured out real fast that he could persuade me to do more of it if I was involved in a relationship with him. I helped him solve a couple of high-profile cases.”

“In other words, you helped him establish his brand in the world of law enforcement.”

“Yes. I think I knew, deep down, that what Roger and I had probably wouldn’t last forever, but I wanted to believe we had as much going for us as other couples.”

“You leaped to that insightful conclusion because he didn’t want you to play the part of a dominatrix, didn’t call you a control freak and was able to accept your talent? That’s it? That’s all you had?”

“What can I tell you? It seemed like a reasonably good foundation for a relationship.”

Slater caught her head between his palms.

“Guess what?” he said. “We’ve got all that and more going for us.”

“More?”

“The really hot sex.”

“Oh,” she said. “Right. I forgot about that.”

“Allow me to remind you.”

He eased her onto her back. Bracing himself on his elbows, he lowered his mouth to hers. When she opened her senses he felt the energy rise in the atmosphere. His own senses surged in response.

“Catalina,” he said.

“Yes,” she said.

It was enough, he told himself. For tonight.

________

The pounding on the front door brought Slater out of the drowsy aftermath of the lovemaking. Next to him, Catalina sat up quickly. “The door,” she said.

“I’ll get it.”

Slater rolled to his feet and reached for his trousers and his gun.

The pounding sounded again. This time a muffled voice accompanied it.

“Catalina, it’s me, Harmony.”

“Maybe she found the twins,” Catalina said.