Ethan didn’t look any more pleased. “Drink that, eat, and then we are going to teach you how to keep that bastard out yourself.”
Panic prickled down my spine. I didn’t want anyone anywhere near my head—my memories. Not even Ethan, and I trusted him as much as I trusted Karson.
“I can keep him out.” I could hear the pinch of panic in my tone.
Ethan pulled out a chair and sat down in front of me. He took the cup out of my hands and placed it on the table, then took my hands in his. A sparkling warmth rushed into my fingers and up my arms, through my body. I tried to ignore it—I loved Karson deeply and I’d never even look at anyone else like that. It meant nothing; it was just the effect vampires had.
“I promise if I get in, I won’t look any further than you want me to see.” His thumb stroked my wrist, up and down.
The tingling moved like waves, shifting to places I didn’t want it to tingle. I gritted my teeth and pulled my wrists away gently. “I don’t need you to teach me.”
A half-smile curved his lips. “I’d say by the way you don’t want to tingle in places you’re not meant to tingle, you do.”
I jerked back. “You prick.”
Ethan chuckled and rose. He went to the fridge and took out eggs, mushrooms, onion, and capsicum.
Heat rushed to my cheeks. “That’s cheating. You did that deliberately.”
“Yes, I did.” He turned back, his face serious again. “To show you that’s how easy it was for me to get in, and Rodneydoesn’t have to touch you, doesn’t even need your emotions to be heightened to read every thought in your pretty little head. Turn you against yourself if he chose to, or obliterate your mind without even raising a sweat. Do you want to block him out or not, Amy?”
I wanted to be strong enough to block anyone out. I needed to be able to for my own safety, especially in battle. I trusted Ethan, but what if he saw something he didn’t like? What if it made him hate me?
I rested my elbows on the table and my hands clutched my head. “When you put it like that,” I muttered. “I guess I do.”
Chapter 51
Block Me Out
If people could read our every thought, no one would like us. Even when you loved someone deeply, there were things about them, maybe something they said or did to you, that annoyed you. Imagine hearing someone think that you were selfish, or annoying, or knowing your partner was sexually attracted to someone else. It would kind of kill the mood. Now imagine they could not only read your thoughts, but they could see your every memory. Peel back your pretty human layers like an onion and see what was inside your core.
How many of us would still be beautiful then?
I scanned the wall of books in the study—as Ethan predicted, many of them were romance novels.
“You are going to focus on one thing,” Ethan said, bringing my attention back. “Get the image in your mind and I’m going to touch your head to see if I can view what you are thinking about. It is your job to keep me out.”
“I’m not wearing my ring, and I’m not feeling emotional right now, so you can’t read my mind.”
He cocked an eyebrow. “I think we just proved how easily I can. When your guard is down, when you are angry, drunk oremotional, I can see more than you want any vampire to be able to see.”
I shrugged weakly. “Well, I’m none of those things right now and it’s a bit early to get drunk.”
“Which is why if I touch your head, my ability to read you increases.”
My mouth dried. “That’s got to be awkward during sex if you aren’t performing well.”
He huffed a laugh. “It’s never an issue because I always perform well, and my hands aren’t usually on someone’s head.”
I scrunched up my face. “It’s too early in the morning to imagine your bed activities.”
A sly smile curved his lips. “It’s never too early, and they aren’t usually in a bed, and you brought it up.”
I tilted my head. “Why aren’t they in a bed?”
The smile dropped and he scowled. “I told you. I don’t bring women to my house.”
I raised my brows and teased, “You brought me home.”
