“Oh, I’m fine.” He waved that question aside.
I nodded at his response, and watched as he made himself at home on my couch. He wore jeans as usual, and a kelly-green t-shirt that made his eyes a brighter shade of emerald. I’d inherited a bewitched emerald,and Henry has emerald-green eyes. I gulped over the thought.
“Darlin’ we really need to talk about yesterday,” he said.
I took a breath and tried to project serenity. “I already gave my statement to the police regarding the kid I saw setting the fire.”
Henry leaned forward. “Are you psychic?” he asked bluntly.
I blinked at him. “Excuse me?”
“I overheard you and your sister yesterday.”
“You were spying on us?”
“No.” He shook his head. “I came inside and accidentally overheard you talking while you were on the stairs. But what I heard, explained a few things. After you took off running across the street, I decided to follow you.”
I sat back in the chair and fought to keep my breathing slow and calm, while my mind raced. If he thinks I’m merely a psychic, I could use that. Even as I thought it, my stomach churned.
“Your sister never questioned it when you said you smelled smoke and gasoline,” he said. “Kayleigh told you to ‘hone in’ on it, and took it as gospel that you were right. She went straight to the phone and dialed 911.”
“I’m thankful she did.” I folded my hands in my lap. “They got there quickly enough to keep the fire from spreading across the yard to the Miller’s house.”
Henry wasn’t smiling, but he appeared to be calm as he spoke. “That day Edmund asked you to consult on the robberies in the neighborhood? You told him you thought arson would likely be next. And it was. You knew that boy had a gun when those kids tried shoplifting at your folk’s store—admitted to me later that you smelled it on him. Plus you tried to warn me yesterday that there would be an explosion.”
“Too bad you didn’t listen,” I said dryly.
“So if I have this straight, Edmund uses you as a consultant because you’re a psychic?”
I blew out a breath. “That’s one way of looking at it.”
“He flat out said to you that, ‘he’d never known you to be wrong before when you put your nose to work on a case’.”
“You really do have a penchant for eavesdropping,” I said, keeping up my guard.
Henry smiled, and crossed his booted feet on the coffee table. “I did some research on the internet last night. Most of it was bullshit, but I came across a few interesting things.”
“Oh?”
“There’s this thing, where some psychics get their information by their sense of smell. Clairolfaction, they called it.”
“Fascinating.”
“Don’t get all snooty with me Hannah, it turns me on.”
My mouth dropped open. “What did you say to me?”
He sat, grinning at me. “There, that got your undivided attention.”
I stood, and he rose to his feet as well. “Mr. Walker, I’m not sure what you hope to accomplish by questioning me this way—” Before I could finish my sentence, he had stepped around the trunk, wrapped a hand around my arm and tugged me to him. I landed with my hands trapped against his chest.
He smiled down in my face as I sputtered at him. “Warned you,” he said in that gravelly voice. Unexpectedly, I got hit with a clairolfactory impression of patchouli and musk: Desire. The combination set off alarm bells in my head.
His hands slid up my back, and trapped in his eyes, I stood still while he gently, oh so gently, ran his fingers through my hair. He cupped the back of my head, and I had barely enough time to suck in a quick breath before he dipped me back and proceeded to kiss the brains right out of my head.
Now that’s more like it! What was left of my mind shouted.
When he finally allowed me up for air he stayed close, studying my face. “Yesterday morning, during the storm, you should have told me it had been a while for you.” Henry’s quiet words had the blood rushing to my cheeks.
“I, ah...” I stammered.
“I would have been more careful if I would have known.” He dropped his forehead to mine. “We rushed things a bit. I rushed things,” he admitted. “I ought to have taken more care with you. I will next time.”
I hadn’t blushed so much since I was a teenager, and the fact that he could simultaneously embarrass me and make me want him totally pissed me off. “Next time?” I pulled away slightly. “What makes you think there will be a next time?”
He slid his hands down to my hips, pulled our bodies together, and simply held me. Caught off guard by the move, I started to shake.
Hannah,” he whispered in my ear. “The fact that you’re trembling, tells me there’s going to be a next time.”
“That’s anger you’re feeling,” I said as he began to nibble on my ear. “I don’t even like you. I happen to prefer nice men.”
“Liar,” he said, and moved his mouth to a spot between my neck and my shoulder that had my heart racing.
“I hardly know you.” Despite myself, I ran my hands up his back, pulled him closer.
“We can fix that,” Henry murmured, kissing his way down my neck.
I’m not sure what would have happened next, but the loud clatter of little feet on the steps had me flinching away from him. Henry stepped back as well, and the door slammed open as Eli made his typical dramatic entrance.
“Hi Mama! I’m home!” He flung himself at me as though it had been days instead of a few hours since he’d last seen me.
“Hi baby.” I stooped over and hugged him.
“Hey, you’re the pirate guy,” Eli said, staring at Henry.
“This is Mr. Walker,” I corrected. “You remember him.”
“Call me Henry,” he said to Eli.
“Hi.” Eli smiled up at him and then switched to more important matters. “Mom I’m starving! What’s for supper?” His backpack hit the
