Watching Over The Watcher

Chapter 1-2

“Don't you want to know?” he asked her.

Selene looked down at her napkin. So, he knows I'm a freak. “I'm trying to respect your privacy,” she told him.

“I'm choosing to share.”

“Are you sure… I wouldn't, I mean, I…”

“Unless you don't want me to…”

Not want to share thoughts with Brandon? Thoughts freely offered? “No. No, I'm glad. It's nice to feel normal emotions from someone for a change.”

She laced her fingers through his and let his feelings wash over her. Sorrow, grief, loneliness and a little fear.

He really doesn't want to be alone. She closed her eyes and then opened them to look deeply into his. The warm brown depths drew her like a magnet. She unconsciously leaned in, closer to him than she could ever remember being before.

God, he's handsome, and his lips are so close. I'd only have to move a couple of inches… She tried to remind herself that he just didn't want to be alone, that the circumstances, not her presence, made him vulnerable. But I don't want to be alone either. She moved forward, intentionally this time, but stopped, too shy to continue. Her attention focused on the sensations moving into her through their joined hands.

Disappointment.

Selene met Brandon’s eyes in surprise.

He moved his chin down again, a slight nod. Subtle. Almost unnoticeable.

She noticed.

His free hand touched her chin and the double dose of sensation overwhelmed her. He lifted her face until her eyes met his again. She could feel the query pulse into her from both sides. Don’t stop.

He wants it too, but he can't hear my thoughts, she realized. Goodness, how can people who aren't psychic communicate? Brandon won't know what I want unless I do or say something obvious. The realization ignited her courage. Imitating his soft nod, she lowered her face into his hand and gently kissed the palm.

Oh, wow. His nerves fluttered into her, but he nonetheless moved toward her and pressed his lips lightly to hers. It was a soft touch, like the brush of a butterfly's wings. So gentle. She closed her eyes and lifted her face. He responded. Another brush, then another. She released his hand so both of hers could slide around his neck. His tongue swept her lips. She opened, letting him taste her.

Suddenly, Selene felt as though the lights had been turned off. Somewhere in the middle of that drugging kiss, he had released her face. The moment his hand left her skin so he could draw her to stand pressed against his body, she lost her sense of his feelings. Without that intoxicating but false intimacy, reality hit like icy rain.

What on earth am I doing kissing my best friend's father? Dear Lord, I'm nearly in his lap. She stepped back, breathing heavily.

“What?” Brandon asked. “What happened?”

“What are we doing?” she wheezed.

He blinked. The transition from passion to nervous questions had been too swift. “Commiserating,” he finally said.

“That's all?” Oh, God. It didn't mean anything. She closed her eyes in disappointment and turned away.

His hand on her chin forced her eyes back to his. With the touch came a flash of something intense she didn't have time to interpret. Then his fingers withdrew. “If that's all you want it to be, but…”

“But?” She sucked in her breath.

He held out his hand. “I don't know the words.”

She swallowed hard, realizing what she hadn't seen earlier. He's using my gift to communicate with me. No one has ever done that before. Nervous, about what, she wasn't sure, Selene touched his palm with her fingertips. A contact so light made his feelings more like an echo, but an audible one.

I've been interested for quite a while, attracted even. I like you. I didn't know how to begin, but sadness over Maggie moving out—along with your otherworldly empathy—overcame my restraint. I want your comfort, but I also want your company, and not because I'm lonely and you're convenient. I want you, Selene.

Selene exhaled a breath she hadn't known she was holding. Brandon is interested in me? Oh, wow. She let the realization wash over her, breathing in his scent even as her fingers captured his thoughts. It felt wonderful, like a hug, only better. Then reality intruded. Wait, no, I can't just wallow in his feelings like a freak. We need to do this like normal people. “Can we sit somewhere more comfortable and talk about this?” she suggested. “I mean, really talk with words.”

“Of course.” His fingers slid down her arm, but she dodged, not wanting to get sucked back into the irresistible vortex of Brandon's thoughts and emotions. He laid his hand on her back instead, and they walked into the living room and sat side by side on the western style sofa.

“I think you should back up and tell me what's going on here,” Selene said, using the carefully neutral tone she often employed when interrogating suspects.

“There isn't much to tell,” Brandon replied, his voice soft but intense. “Putting it into words would be like trying to explain the wind. I don't have the skill. Besides, you felt everything, right?”

“Yes, but that's not the point,” she insisted. “This isn't how these things are supposed to work.”

Brandon shrugged. “Who cares about supposed to? You're unique. Why shouldn't we begin in a unique way?”

Unique. Not weird, freakish, or odd. How nice it sounds. “Are we beginning something?” Her heart began hammering as she asked the question.

“We can if you want to,” he said, and, after taking a deep breath, added, “I know I want to.”

He wants to? Oh, how utterly and unexpectedly perfect. Have I ever had something I want simply handed to me? Could it be this easy? Again, the temptation to simply nestle into his thoughts—and his waiting arms—crept over her… until reality intruded. “What about Maggie?”

A hint of a frown creased the little space between Brandon's eyebrows. “What about her? She's been after me for years to start dating again.”

“I don't think I'm quite the person she had in mind,” Selene pointed out.

One corner of his mouth turned up, acknowledging the awkwardness with a wry, humorless grin. “She'll adjust. Maggie is an adult now. She's moving on with her life. Why shouldn't I do the same?”

“But…”

“Listen,” Brandon told her earnestly, laying a hand on her shoulder, “If you aren't interested, please just say so. I'd rather know than wonder.”

“I didn't say I wasn't interested,” Selene assured him. “I just didn't see this coming.”

“Didn't you?” He traced a finger up her neck and over her cheek, sending her a quick flash of amusement. “Did I imagine all those shy smiles, the flirty looks? Was I dreaming your interest because it was what I wanted to see? That isn't what that kiss felt like.”

Selene swallowed hard. “You weren't imagining it, but I never thought my childish crush would amount to anything. You were an attractive fantasy, something to keep me warm…” she choked and turned red, “when I'm lonely.”

A look of masculine pride spread over Brandon's handsome face. “Why shouldn't your feelings amount to anything?” he asked, still trailing his fingers over her cheek.

She closed her eyes at the soothing touch. “They never have before,” she said without emotion, not wanting to whine, but merely stating a fact, albeit one of the most discouraging facts of her life.

As though unable to restrain himself another moment, Brandon wrapped warm arms around Selene's slender frame. “The entire world must be populated with idiots. Will you take a chance on me, Selene? We'll go as slow as you want until you get comfortable with the idea. Will you give it a try?”

Selene thought for a moment. While every instinct she possessed—not to mention every nerve in her body—screamed at her to say yes, the analytical part of her mind that never really shut off reminded her of how much pressure her job placed on her, and how it devoured all her time. “I work a lot,” she told him letting her regret show on her face. “Long hours, tons of overtime, and I'm on call nearly every evening and weekend. Being with me would still mean you'd be spending a lot of time alone.”

He slowly shook his head, not accepting her words as the end of the conversation. “I've been alone for years. At least I could be with you sometimes.”

He would accept even that? “I have very little to offer.”

Incredulity and heat flared into her from his fingertips. “Let me be the judge of that,” he said, his eyes boring into hers with passionate intensity.

She looked away. “Don't forget, Brandon, I'm a freak. I can read your mind. You'll never be able to keep a secret from me.”

Can't have that. His words flared in her mind as he turned her to face him. “You're not a freak. You have a gift. If it can sometimes be uncomfortable, well, it has its uses too. It doesn't bother me. Say yes.”

The heat in those eyes. The desire. No one has ever looked at me like this before. She could think of no other excuses, and really, she didn't want to try. The temptation overwhelmed her, and she couldn't withstand it. “All right then, Brandon. We'll try this and see where it leads.” I hope I sounded as nonchalant as I intended.

He dazzled her with a white-toothed smile.

Selene badly wanted to pinch herself and see if she were dreaming. No, I don't. If this is only a dream, I don't want to wake up yet. Kissing Brandon…I would never have imagined it outside of my wildest fantasies. Even then, she rarely let herself indulge; it was so far beyond likelihood. Oh, don't lie to yourself. Alone, unable to sleep, she had sometimes succumbed to the temptation and imagined his arms around her, his firm full lips pressed to hers. The longing released by those fantasies had been excruciating. And now you know your imagination fell utterly short of reality.

Wishing she could communicate her own feelings without words, she gave Brandon a pleading look. He chuckled softly and pulled her against him in a tight hug. His mouth came down on hers. Instead of feather-light persuasions, this kiss smashed into the wall of her loneliness with the impact of a train. His hands did not touch her skin but rested gently on the back of her shirt. The only thoughts she heard were her own, a repetitive voice chanting, Yes! Yes! Yes! Her arms slipped around his neck, and she kissed him back with reckless abandon.

Time ceased to have any meaning as they explored each other's lips and mouths, and it could have been an hour later when they finally parted, panting.

Selene blinked a few times, startled by the intensity of desire and passion flooding through her. “Wow,” she said softly. “That was…I don't even know how to describe it.”

“Don't try,” he urged. “The words don't exist.”

He's got that right. This… whatever this is… is bigger than any word in any language. So big. So deep… it's a little scary.

“This is how hearts get broken,” the voice of her insecurity whispered. “What are you planning to do, girl? Spend the night in his arms? And then, tomorrow, go back to work like nothing happened?”

She turned to the window, taking in a deep breath in an attempt to still her pounding heart. Darkness had fallen completely. Wow. It's almost summer. Days are long. How long have we been sitting here? “I should go home,” she told him, hearing a hint of the regret she felt in her voice. “I don't want to ruin this by rushing it, and I have a lot to do tomorrow to be ready for my work week on Monday.” But I also really, really don't want this to end, just in case I wake up and find it was all a dream.

“One more kiss, and then I'll take you home,” he offered. His devilish grin flashing, making her heart increase its tempo yet again. Her belly fluttered with excitement.

She smiled, cheeks burning as she waited for him to reach for her, but he stayed where he was. He wants me to initiate this kiss, she realized. Do I dare? She licked her lips nervously and ran her fingers up his arm to his shoulder, around his neck, and finally pulled him towards her. Raising her face, she touched her lips softly to his. His fingers laced into her hair, stroking her sensitive scalp as she kissed him. Softly, shyly, she told him without words that she enthusiastically reciprocated his interest.

Several minutes passed while their mouths played and mated, arousing untapped desires, desires too long left dormant, too long denied. Finally, Selene ended the embrace. “Brandon,” she said seriously, “it would be far too easy to rush this, to move too fast, and later have regrets. We could easily carry on all night, and then where would we be?”

Brandon gave her a wicked look. “Guess.”

She blushed again, looking away.

“I'm kidding,” he said, taking her hand so she could feel his sincerity. “It really is too soon for that, and the last thing I want to do is scare you off. I'll take you home now.” He squeezed once and stood, still holding her hand to help her to her feet. She could feel his intense satisfaction washing over her in waves of soul-soothing joy.