“I do.” Her voice squeaked.
She gestured to his chest. Her fingers itched to explore the hard planes, and forsomething other than a vision quest.Remain focused.He doesn’t need my fingers dipping below the waistband.“May I?”
“I’ve worked a lot of bad cases and seen some gruesome things in my life. Are you sure you want to try again?”
She nodded. She had to know.
He took her hand and placed it firmly over his heart. His chest rose and fell beneath her palm. Nada. Zilch. She shook her head. What the hell had happened?
“Maybe you aren’t doing it right.” He rolled her until she was on top of his hard body. Any other woman would have giggled at the action, but not her. Even though she was perplexed by the absence of her visions, her body was very aware of his. The tingles were back, but she pushed them aside until she could figure out the mystery.
“Nothing.”
He slipped his fingers into her hair with one hand and touched her cheek with the other as her body melded with his. She leaned into his touch as if searching for more contact. She’d never realized how much she missed the simple pleasure. “Now?”
“I don’t understand. This doesn’t make sense.”
“Cara.” The lines around his eyes softened. “Why are you immune to me?”
She shook her head as the tingles of desire melted away. Panic took hold and shook her like a Magic 8 Ball. Had the ability that she’d hated all her life just vanished overnight? Did that mean she was broken? It had been a part of her for so long, she wasn’t sure she could survive without it. “I don’t know.”
Tears pooled in her eyes as she held his gaze. Fear seized her body, squeezing her heart. Without her ability, who was she?
“It’s okay, Cara. Don’t cry. Maybe it’s just a fluke. Maybe the visions came when you and I were both asleep.”
Adrenaline coursed through her veins, and she rolled off of him and jumped from the bed. Determination steeled her nerves as she grabbed a sundress from the bag and started to change, not bothering to even go into the bathroom. The need to find out what was going on won over her modesty. “You’re right.”
“Cara, where are you going?” Coop got out of the bed and pulled on shorts. He swiped a hand over his face. He’d thought she was crazy before, he was about to witness a full-out panic attack.
“I’m going to find someone else to touch,” Cara said as she slipped on shoes and hurried to the door.
Coop laid his palm on her arm. Another sensation she hadn’t felt in a longtime. She glanced at his hand and was greeted with nothing but warmth. The sensation wrapped around her, and she caught herself leaning toward him, wanting more. She could kiss him. She shouldn’t kiss him. Hell, even her mind was out of whack. “I don’t want you going alone. Wait for me to put my shoes on.”
She nodded, and within minutes, they were out the door. They didn’t have to go far to find someone to touch. An old couple stepped out of the cabana closest to theirs and was headed toward the resort. She’d never been so happy they walked so slowly. Cara hurried up behind them and lightly touched the woman’s arm. Fear and uncertainty plagued Cara as she prepared for a void where her visions once lay. “Excuse me? Can you point out the way to the restaurant?”
Cara had to concentrate on the sentence when her chest started to heave, and visions of the woman’s life flashed before her eyes. The couple was so much younger. The husband was on one knee as he held out a small diamond ring and asked her to marry him. It switched instantly to her wedding day, standing in front of a full-length mirror in a lace wedding dress with the veil covering her face.
Coop rested his hand on Cara’s arm, and the visions she’d just started to experience instantly began to fade.
Cara glanced at his hand and met his gaze. She was sure it showed in her eyes. He lifted his hand, and the visions started to return. Cara yanked her hand away as Coop pulled Cara back to his side. The warmth of his arm cocooned her. She’d never experienced anything like Coop’s touch before. It made her feel…safe, protected and even somewhat vulnerable. Why him? Why now?
“The restaurant is just past the pool,” the old woman announced. “You’re welcome to follow us. That’s where we’re headed.”
“Thanks, but I just realized I forgot my purse. We’re just going to go get it.”
“We’ll save you a place at our table. I’m John, and this is my wife, Martha.” The old guy smiled as he steered his wife away.
Coop waited until they were back inside the cabana before he asked. “Well? Anything?”
Cara nodded as she plopped down on the bed. “I saw up until her wedding, and then you touched me and they faded away. When you lifted your hand, they started back up. You somehow have the ability to make the visions stop.”
“How about we finish getting ready and we go meet the old people and getsome breakfast? We’ll think more clearly with food in our systems. It will give you a chance to try out your ability on some other people.”
She nodded, afraid to speak. What did it mean that Coop could dampen her psychic ability? Was it a good thing, or should she be running in the other direction?
John and Marthawaved Coop and Cara over the moment they stepped in the door. Coop pulled out Cara’s chair at the breakfast table and grabbed them both a menu as a waiter appeared to fill their water glasses. Cara and he were the youngest people in the restaurant. John wore a hearing aid in one of his ears. His white hair was the color of the beach sand, and Martha was a petite woman with hair curled so tight it looked like it hurt.
“We’re so glad you made it.” Martha smiled at Cara. “John didn’t think you two would want to hang out with us geezers since you’re on your honeymoon.”
