Certain

  *****

  When his granddad still didn’t say what he was calling for, Blaine took a seat at his desk, leaned his elbow on the table, and waited.

  “You talk to that girl of yours?”

  Blaine jerked back as if his granddad had smacked him on the back of his head. “What?”

  “Don’t play stupid with me boy. Your girl, the one that’s a natural? You talk to her yet or you still scared?”

  At that, Blaine’s eyes narrowed even though his granddad couldn’t see them. “I’m not scared!” he replied indignantly.

  “Well then, what are you on the telephone with me for? Call her.” Then his granddad hung up.

  Blaine stared at the phone in disbelief for a moment before he chuckled and shook his head. His granddad always seemed to know when he needed a little push. And it usually worked. Taking a deep breath, Blaine keyed in the number he knew by heart and listened to the phone ring in his ear. His heart was racing, palms were sweating, and he actually considered hanging up but then the other end stopped ringing and he heard, “Wellington and Wellington, Katherine Wellington’s office. How can I help you?”

  “Uh…” he said then cleared his throat and sat up straighter. “Hi, may I speak with Katherine Wellington please?”

  “Can I ask who’s calling and in what regards?”

  “Yes, my name’s Blaine and it’s a personal matter, if that’s okay?” He didn’t want to be offensive, he knew by his observations that this was her secretary and she was protective of Katherine. The last thing he wanted to do was throw up any red flags.

  She hesitated, long enough for Blaine to break out in a cold sweat before she finally said, “hold please.”

  He blew out a relieved breath and waited for Katherine to pick up.

  The phone clicked in a way that told him the call was being transferred, then, “Hey Helen, I’m on my way up,” he heard her say quickly and was momentarily paralyzed by the sound of her voice.

  Afraid she’d hang up though if he didn’t get his act together, he said the first thing that came to mind. “Did you get my card?”

  “Huh?” he heard her say.

  “Did you get my card?” he asked again, still unsure of what else to say.

  “How did you get that into my pocket?” she demanded and this made him smile.

  “Magic,” he answered, feeling a little more at ease.

  “Okay, I’ll bite. What sort of magic?” she asked but he could tell she was only humoring him.

  “The only sort of magic there is, the real kind,” he answered softly.

  “But magic isn’t real and I think we’re both a little too old to still believe in it, don’t you?”

  “Oh, you’re never too old to believe in magic, Becky.”

  She paused for a moment. He hadn’t meant to use her name but it just slipped out. “Who is this?” she demanded, “And how do you know me?”

  “I told you. Magic,” he tried to say calmly, but his heart was beating so loudly he was sure she could hear it over the phone.

  “No, that isn’t an answer. I want to know right now how you know my name, how you slipped that card into my pocket, and how you seem to have all of my contact information. That is not magic, that is stalking.”

  Hearing the tremor in her voice, he sat up quickly. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you. I promise I’m not stalking you. At least not in the way you’re inferring.”

  “Well what other way is there to stalk someone?” she asked, exasperated.

  “It’s something I would prefer to talk about in person. Would you consider meeting me?” He held his breathe, knowing it was a long shot but he really couldn’t discuss this over the phone with her.

  “Huh-unh, I don’t think so. You just admitted that you’ve been stalking me and now you want me to meet you in person? I don’t think so.”

  He chuckled. He couldn’t help it. She sounded so damn cute and he liked how smart she was being. “I understand you’re reluctance, but we can meet somewhere public and I promise I won’t hurt you. I think you already know that, don’t you Becky?” he asked, his voice dripping in what he hoped was reassurance.

  “What are you talking about?” she asked, but he could hear in her voice she already knew the answer to that.

  “You’ve seen me around and we’ve even semi-met.”

  “When?”

  “When your boyfriend was yelling at you.” Just the thought of that day and seeing that guys hands on her the way they were made his blood boil in anger.

  “That was you?” her voice turned soft and he could practically hear her trying to fit the puzzle pieces together. “Was that you across from the diner too and then later by my apartment…”

  “And on the subway? Yes.” He didn’t want to scare her but he also didn’t want her to think he was lying or trying to mislead her in any way. Getting her to believe him was already going to be an uphill battle.

  “But how?” her voice whispered across the phone in disbelief. “I took a cab. There’s no way you could have beat me there.”

  “I told you Becky, it’s all by magic.”

  “No way,” she breathed out.

  “It is,” Blaine whispered back.

  “How did you…” she trailed off. “Never mind.”

  He chuckled. She wanted so badly to know more.

  “Will you meet me?” he asked hopefully. He knew she’d be taking a huge risk meeting him. He was a stranger talking about nonsense, but he felt like he knew her and if he was right, she wouldn’t be able to resist.

  “I don’t…” she started to say, but then paused. He could barely hear the sound of another voice, probably her secretary. “I have to go,” she told him when she returned her attention to their conversation.

  “Meet me tonight. Seven o’clock at the diner you ate lunch at the other day. I’ll get us a booth in the back so we can talk,” he said in a rush and then hung up before she could refuse.

  He sat there staring at the phone in his hand as his heart finally started to slow back down to the normal rate. She seemed unsure, but he had a really good feeling he’d finally be meeting Katherine Rebecca Wellington tonight.

  Read the rest of Katherine’s story in Illusions by N.L. Greene

  .

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  Author N.L. Greene is a writer of YA and NA Contemporary and Paranormal Romances. She currently lives in Florida with her husband and two beautiful daughters. When she isn’t writing or reading, she enjoys traveling around the world with her family, shopping and doing other girly things with her girls, or playing video games with her husband. She is a lover of dogs, chocolate, and anything pink!

  Visit her at https://www.nlgreene.blogspot.com and follow on twitter @AuthorNLGreene

  Encounters

  A new adult paranormal romance by Randi Cooley Wilson

  Asher

  I’m bored out of my mind. When I took on this assignment, I hadn’t given much thought to attending college, again. Yet here. I. Am. Sitting in architecture for the second time in my life, listening to the professor drone on and on.

  Eve looks just about as bored as I am. She’s zoned out. I can tell by the way she’s tapping her pen on her iPad. It’s not even turned on. I allow myself a brief side-glance to take in her face. A slight smile crosses her beautiful pink lips, and I find myself wondering what she’s thinking about. Damn, she’s so beautiful.

  Suddenly, she realizes that she should be paying attention and sits up straighter before turning on her iPad and beginning to take notes.

  Halfway through the lecture, I feel her eyes on me. I’m actually surprised it’s taken this long for her to discern my presence since we’ve been in class for about a month now, and bonded a little longer than that.

  Her gaze leaves a trail of heat along my skin. It’s just the bond. I tell myself and school my features. I’m not supposed to have contact with her, and she definitely is not supposed to know I exist, not yet anyway.

 
I’ve been careful up until now and I remind myself that I’m only her protector, a job that needs to be handled from a distance. So I keep my eyes focused forward, pretending I don’t know she’s taking me all in.

  As soon as her stunning hazel eyes land on The Spiritual Assembly of Protectors tattoo and leather bands, I cross my arms, attempting to show her that I’m not interested. Eve doesn’t get the message though because oddly enough, she’s actually leaning toward me.

  I turn my gaze toward her and narrow my eyes while watching her with fascination. What the fuck is this girl doing to me? I catch those beautiful eyes with mine and see desire in them. I need to stop whatever is happening here. So, like a jackass, I lean over the empty chair between us, into her space.

  “See something you like?” I ask in a malicious whisper, hoping she’ll get the point.

  I watch her face. Her reaction turns to surprise and she actually blushes. Shit. That’s my undoing. Like a stalker, I watch the pink hue form on her perfect cheekbones before she snaps her gaze back to Professor Davidson.

  Against my better judgment, I decide that I need to hear her voice, just once. When I notice the professor is mostly done for the day, I head to the exit and wait for her, casually leaning on the doorframe.

  Shock crosses her face that I’m already down here waiting for her. I smile to myself, knowing she’s confused about how I got down here so fast.

  Eve moves closer to the door but she still hasn’t said anything to me. Her face morphs into an, excuse me look, and damn if it doesn’t just make me want to push her against the wall and kiss her plump lips senseless.

  “After you,” I say and her cheeks turn pink again.

  I motion toward the door, trying to get her to say something, anything at this point, but she doesn’t. My charge just walks through it, rolling her eyes. I should walk away. Hell, I need to walk away, but I just can’t seem to. I’m so drawn to her.

  “No need to thank me. It’s truly my pleasure,” I reply in a condensing tone, hoping to bait her.

  It works. Eve spins around so fast that I have to stop walking before I run her down. I grab her upper arms to prevent her from stumbling backwards and try to ignore the sparks of energy that emanate off of where I’m touching her. Fucking bond.

  My eyes drop to her face as I watch her close her eyes and inhale. Wait, is she smelling me? I lean into her.

  “Falling for me already?” I ask, brushing my lips softly against her ear, needing to be closer to her. The minute I touch her, I know it’s a mistake, but I can’t seem to stop.

  Suddenly, her hazel eyes look up at me through her long lashes and I come to my senses. I see she isn’t amused with my lack of charm and for a moment, I’m confused and torn. Do I continue to talk with her, or just walk away? Her lips part and she makes the decision for me.

  “What the hell is your problem?” she barks and narrows her eyes at me.

  “The siren speaks.” I feign awe at her voice. “I was beginning to question your familiarity with the English language.” I smirk, pleased with my goading and her reaction.

  “Charming,” she says, annoyed. “I happen to be well-versed with the English language.”

  “That’s astonishing, considering earlier I caught you openly gawking at me.” I scan her face and lean into her. Fuck she smells good. My voice drops to a sensual tone of its own accord. “Pink lips parted, beautiful hazel eyes locked onto my chest, drooling as if I were a piece of chocolate.” I pause to watch her reaction. ”Yet not a single word flowed through that pretty, pouty mouth of yours.” My eyes drop to her lips, as my brain begins to daydream about how it would feel to stroke them with my own.

  “Shows how much you know. I prefer salty versus sweet,” she says firmly.

  I watch her. Damn she’s feisty. Not at all what I expected. Not the sweet girl I read about in the dossier the council provided.

  “Yeah, I can see that sweet isn’t your thing, sweetheart.”

  “I have a name, and it’s not sweetheart,” she snaps.

  She’s so damn cute all riled up. “What would that name be?” I ask, already knowing.

  “Eve Collins,” she offers.

  “Eve,” I say, dropping my voice to a husky tone. I love the way her name rolls off my tongue. I’m watching her process my use of her name and realization kicks in with me. Damn, they named her Eve. That’s just fucking perfect. “Eve,” I repeat while understanding sinks in. “Without doubt, a suitable name for you.”

  “Meaning?” she asks tersely.

  “Wasn’t Eve the mother of mankind? Of course, she was also seen as weak, allowing evil to succeed in tempting her to the forbidden,” I challenge, wondering why she isn’t making the connection.

  “Are you implying that I’m weak?” she asks.

  I just study her, confused as to why she isn’t following the conversation. Then she comes at me again, catching me completely off guard.

  “I can assure you that’s not the case,” Eve says. “As a matter of fact, I could punch you right now and you’d be seeing stars for weeks followed by a plastic surgeon to reset your nose, pretty boy,” she threatens.

  This throws me off. She’s spirited and aggressive. I laugh, throwing my hands up in mock surrender. “There’s no need for threats of physical harm, Eve.” I just stare at her. I can’t stop, because holy shit, she’s beautiful. My heart is actually jumping in my chest.

  All of a sudden it dawns on me while I get lost in the hazel layers of her round, eyes—she has no clue. No idea about who she is, what we are, or what’s about to happen to her life. Damn. For a second, I almost feel sorry for her.

  “Your lack of knowledge with regard to your name means nothing,” I say casually, trying to calm her down. She isn’t yet ready to be enlightened. I shouldn’t have made contact.

  “I don’t think this is working,” she says, motioning between us.

  I just smirk, she’s right. It’s not. It can’t ever work. “Do we need couples therapy already?” I throw out to see if she’ll get flustered again. I just want to see that pink hue once more before I walk away from her and protect her from a distance.

  She exhales. “That’s not what I meant.”

  I lean into her personal space one last time to inhale her vanilla-coconut scent.

  “Would you please stop? I can’t think with you in my personal space,” she mumbles.

  “I make you nervous?” I ask. I’m seriously curious about her reaction to me. Is it the protector bond, or something more?

  “Ah, no. Far from it,” she says. I don’t believe her.

  “Your unconvincing tone says different,” I retort.

  Before I can say anything else, I see McKenna approaching us from behind Eve’s shoulder. Shit. I need to walk away before she gives Eve a hard time, and I never hear the end of how I broke the rules and made contact with the divine secret I was sworn to protect.

  “As delightful as this conversation has been with you, I have somewhere I need to be. Try not to walk into anyone or anything.” With difficulty, I walk away.

  “Whatever,” she mutters and then calls me an ass, stopping me in my tracks.

  Damn, I think I just fell in love with Eve Collins. Fuck it. Once more, I tell myself, just to get that blush going. I turn back to her and stalk at her.

  “Tsk. Name calling is very unbecoming of you, Eve. Perhaps, you should consider your choice of words within the English language with more care when conversing with others,” I chastise.

  She just glares at me, and there is that pink hue that I like so goddamn much.

  “I’ll be anticipating your retort, siren. I’m sure it will be enlightening.” With that, I walk away. I know she’s staring at my ass and fuck if I don’t like it.