"Since the moment I stepped foot in Key West, I've dreamed about you every night, most of them here in this very bed. It's why I recognized you when I ran into you at the coffee shop." James kissed her softly. "For a moment, when you looked up at me that day, I could have sworn you recognized me, too."
"No." Her voice was sharp with displeasure, and he knew it was the wrong time to break through that barrier.
"Okay." He’d drop it—for now.
His nose moved to her neck, nuzzling the soft skin. "You have the best smell. Have I ever told you that?"
Anna huffed out a laugh. "No."
He smiled, trailing his lips up her chin and to her mouth where he gave her a licking kiss. "Well, you do. It's like the sweetest honeysuckle." He stuck his nose in her hair and drew in a deep breath, then sighed it out. "It's intoxicating. I can't get enough. I want to bottle it up so I can take it with me everywhere."
Her frame relaxed, her eyes going languid, and he reveled in the grin he coaxed from her. He held his breath as she cupped his cheek and pulled his mouth to hers. Her legs twined around his middle and his body hardened, answering her demands immediately.
He seated himself in one thrust and smiled at her sharp gasp. "James," she sighed.
He could get used to this.
Anna watched as James expertly whisked the pancake batter and dipped eight silver dollar-sized dollops onto the hot skillet. He grabbed a handful of chocolate chips and dropped several into each pancake.
The man had no idea how incredibly sexy he was, standing there in his boxer shorts, a white tank top, his hair mussed, and a relaxed air about him as he cooked her breakfast. The cooking alone would make him the world’s sexiest man in her book, but you simply couldn't discount his looks, because the man was breathtaking.
"Tell me about your mom." The words flew out of her mouth before she thought about it.
They startled him nearly as much as they did her. He stared at her for a pregnant moment, then returned his attention to the sizzling pancakes. "She was an amazing woman, raised meby herself. My father died in a car accident when I was ten. She always called him her true love and refused to ever consider remarrying." He smiled faintly. "But she always made sure I had everything I needed to succeed."
"She sounds wonderful."
He nodded. "She was. I was in London on business when she passed. I don't know if I'll ever forgive myself for not being there."
"Was she sick for a long time?"
James snorted a laugh. "Not a day in her life. She was healthy as a horse. She just went to sleep one night and didn't wake up. Her housekeeper found her." His voice was dull, a sharp contrast to his brashness only five minutes earlier.
"You can't blame yourself, James. Your mother wouldn't want you to feel that way," Anna urged. "You have to forgive yourself."
"How do you know?" His tone was soft, questioning.
Anna pulled in a deep breath. "When I was eighteen, my parents were on a whirlwind book tour through Europe. My father was a well-known author in the metaphysics field and he'd just released his fifth book. They were on their way to Italy and halfway through their trip, their airplane disappeared from radar over the Alps. It was two months before they found what was left of the plane."
"Anna…"
She met his somber gaze, her stomach twisting as the rest of the story spilled from her. "I spent more than a decade blaming myself for that accident. At that time, my psychic powers were still building but I was quite powerful for my age. I believed for the longest time that I should have foreseen what would happen. I should have known so I could have warned them of the danger. Prevented it somehow.”
She stared at her hands resting on the kitchen island, willing the lump in her throat to go away. "But there were no warnings, not even for Aunt Louise. I blamed myself for their accident for so long and blocked myself from real peace." She snorted. "I still struggle with it."
"Kitten." Muscular legs appeared in her peripheral vision. A hand stroked over her head and she arched into it, leaning into his chest. "You weren't responsible for that. Tell me you don't still believe it."
"I don't," she sighed out. "But that's a recent change for me. Aunt Louise has helped me and…" she dwindled off.
"And?" James pressed, swiveling her around on the stool to face him. He tilted her chin until she met his gentle gaze.
"You've helped, too."
His face softened with a smile and he kissed her lightly. "How did I do that?"
Anna's shoulders slowly tracked up to her ears, and she looked at the floor.
"Anna." His voice held a warning tone that gave her a strange thrill.
