Katelyn was surprised the poor things didn’t crawl off her face like indignant black spiders that refused to do her bidding.
“It’s Ms. Harding. The last Mr. Harding passed on last year.” Ethel’s drawn-on eyebrows disappeared into her overdyed hairline. She waved a fleshy hand liberally dripping with gaudy rings and bracelets that clacked together like discordant wind chimes.
Katelyn narrowed her gaze and wished she could shoot lasers from her eyes and fry Ethel where she stood. She dropped her voice to arctic-chill levels. “All right…Ms. Harding. Again, this is a private conversation, and the store is now closed. It’s time for you to leave.”
Ignoring Katelyn, Grayson raised Ethel’s beefy hand to his lips. Katelyn harrumphed and crossed her arms in front of her.
He brushed a gentle kiss across the back of the wrinkled skin, and Katelyn resisted the urge to turn her glare on him.
A heavy sigh escaped Ethel, and Katelyn knew the woman was lost.
“Perhaps I can be of some assistance, Ethel.” Grayson had the gall to toss Katelyn a saucy wink.
“Aren’t you the charmer?” Ethel blushed like a virgin and licked her thin lips as her whole manner became…predatory. Ethel’s hungry gaze raked over Grayson, and his brow furrowed for the first time.
Sensed the danger a tad too late, huh? Katelyn resisted the urge to smile at his predicament.
“Actually, Ethel, a woman of the world, such as yourself, deserves a man with more means and the ability to take care of you properly.”
Katelyn clenched her fists and tried not to make retching noises in the background of Grayson’s “performance.”
Oblivious to Katelyn’s sarcastic thoughts, Grayson continued. “But let’s consult the gods, shall we?”
He placed Ethel’s hands between his own and closed his eyes as if waiting for enlightenment. Out of curiosity, Katelyn let her senses expand to sample the energy surrounding him again.
As a Seer, she was used to reading people’s auras, and she’d always been fascinated by people who were true psychics as opposed to Seers, who received visions only as needed. She’d been a Seer since birth and had spent many years trying patiently to educate the populace about the difference.
Grayson’s aura was definitely different from anything she’d ever sensed—he buzzed with power, whereas most people possessed only a faint hum.
Katelyn stiffened in surprise. This power intrigued her more than his handsome face and his killer body. He was either an old soul or an actual practitioner who knew how to harness and use energy. In either case, this made Grayson a rare and interesting man.
However, when his energy didn’t change, she immediately saw him for the fraud he was. She allowed her shoulders to slump as disappointment and a thin tendril of anger flowed through her. In order to receive impressions or messages, psychics needed to change their energy levels. As a Seer she didn’t get a choice—the vision came whether she wanted it or not, and her energy not only changed but usually sucked her under.
Grayson’s deep voice broke the expectant silence and caused goose bumps to march over her skin. Something about that voice slipped past all her shields and reached deep inside her, exciting her and scaring her at the same time.
“Apparently, the next Mr. Harding is right at this moment sitting down to lunch at the Phoenix Resort. I see a gray, pinstriped suit and a large garnet ring on his right pinkie finger.”
Ethel’s wide eyes and sudden intake of breath told Katelyn she’d been totally reeled in. “No one has ever been able to give me such detail in a reading before. You’re truly extraordinary!” She cast a condescending glare in Katelyn’s direction before turning her adoring attention back to Grayson. “What else can you tell me?”
He closed his eyes once more, as if seeking enlightenment from the universe. “I see lots of money in your future and…” His voice trailed off, and he pursed his sensual lips.
“What? What?” She slapped her other hand over his and shook it as if the jerky movement would spill the answers from his lips.
He opened his eyes. “I’m loath to speak of something so private in front of such cultured women as yourselves, but because the gods are giving me this message for you, I suppose I should share it.”
Ethel shook his hands some more and seemed in danger of exploding on the spot if she didn’t hear his next words. “Share! Share! We can’t disappoint the gods.”
He sighed as if deciding whether to override his better judgment. “Well, it seems the future Mr. Harding is rather…well endowed, and enjoys using his…equipment.”
Ethel’s mouth dropped open, and Katelyn thought the woman might drool on the floor like a bulldog. “I mustn’t keep him waiting. Thank you! Thank you!” Quicker than Katelyn would’ve given her credit for, Ethel grabbed Grayson and mashed her fleshy lips against his. Then she reached into her purse and thrust a wad of bills into his hand.
In seconds, the whirlwind who was Ethel Harding left the shop, the chimes on the door tinkling to show Katelyn she hadn’t imagined the whole thing. Then her gaze again found him.
“So, are you a professional con man?”
He shook his head, still recovering from Ethel’s kiss—though he did stop short of wiping any remnants of the deed from his lips. “She obviously didn’t know the difference between a Seer and a psychic and didn’t care, as long as she received the answers she sought. So I gave them to her.”
Katelyn resisted the urge to be impressed that he knew the difference. “And what happens when Ms. Harding gets to the Phoenix Resort and realizes you lied to her? You’ll be long gone, and she’ll be back in my shop screaming bloody murder.”
Anger and frustration roiled in Katelyn’s belly. She stalked to the front door to flip her OPEN sign to CLOSED. Then she strode behind her display case, putting distance between her and Grayson.
Why are men so high-maintenance? I only wanted a hot night, and now I may have a pissed-off retired debutante on my hands.
Grayson followed Katelyn but stayed on the customer side of the counter. He laid down the wad of money, obviously an offering for her, and then placed both long-fingered hands on the case and leaned forward, invading her personal space.
Her gaze was pulled downward like a magnet. Katelyn tried not to dwell on how those large calloused hands would feel gliding over her body.
Heat flowed through her, causing her nipples to harden against her bra and moisture to gather between her thighs. Her calf-length peasant skirt swirled around her suddenly sensitive skin, making her wish she had worn jeans.
She huffed out a breath. If he wasn’t a good candidate for her one hot night, she should just move on. But her body had different ideas. She couldn’t explain why, but she was drawn to this man like a drug. In fact, she’d never reacted to a man this way before.
Grayson leaned forward, the well-defined muscles of his forearms flexing with the movement and threatening to turn her into a needy puddle of hormones. His amethyst eyes danced with mischief as he spoke. “When she reaches the Phoenix Resort, she’ll find the owner, Mr. Fowler,
