A Deep and Dark December by Beth Yarnall Page A

was a king with Deidre.
    He knocked on the door, plastered on a smile. Deidre answered. He’d always remember Deidre in this moment, the way she smiled up at him, happy, worshipful. Like he was a freaking hero. But then Deidre had to go and ruin it all by getting pregnant. He pulled the gun from his pocket—
    Blinding light shattered the vision. Pain split Erin’s head. She fell forward, vaguely aware of Graham saying something, holding her. And then, just as suddenly as it had come, the light and pain were gone.
    “Erin. Can you hear me?”
    She blinked up at Graham, the light fixture overhead haloing him. What’s happening?
    Opening her eyes fully, she realized she was in his lap on the floor. He smoothed her hair back from her face. His hands were warm and gentle, not cold. They smelled like soap.
    “What happened?” he asked.
    “I…” What? What could she tell him? Someone or something was interfering with her ability, getting into her head and bending her visions. There was almost a purposefulness to it, as though a tripwire had been installed in her brain, triggering a trap.
    “This young lady isn’t well enough to give her statement,” Elmer said, slipping his watch back in his pocket. He stood up. “I’m calling a halt to these interrogations until the young miss is well enough to sustain them.” He thumped his cane on the floor to punctuate his point and left for his bingo game.
    Graham’s eyes had a curious blue-black ring around the paler blue of his irises. His lashes looked like they’d been tipped with gold. He stared down at her with concern and something that felt strangely like interest. He lifted a strand of hair off her face. “Tell me what’s wrong.”
    It was interest. She blinked up at him, caught by an unexpected answering tug of longing. His gaze dropped to her mouth and for a moment she thought he might kiss her. She wanted him to kiss her. This had to stop. She had a boyfriend. What was she doing entertaining these thoughts, let alone encouraging them? She pushed at him, trying to scramble off his lap.
    In her haste she accidentally planted her palm on his groin.
    He doubled over, knocking his head against hers.
    They both jerked back. “Ow!” they said in unison, then, “Sorry.”
    Graham had one hand on his crotch and one on his head and suddenly it was all too much for her. This whole thing was ridiculous. The very idea of them was ridiculous. She burst into giggles. Graham’s concern morphed into surprise, and then laughter. His laugh was deep and rich, the sexy throatiness of it arrowed straight through her. She reached out to touch the bump on his forehead, lifting strands of hair away with the tips of her fingers. He caught her wrist and their laughter slowed, then died altogether. Frozen in the moment, she couldn’t look away. He held her gaze, then slowly turned his head and kissed the underside of her wrist. She lost her breath.
    Mirroring her, he reached out and touched his fingertips to her forehead, then trailed them around her face to her temple, her cheek, her jaw. His gaze followed the movement as though memorizing the curve of her face.
    “So soft,” he whispered.
    She clasped his wrist, stilling his hand.
    “Tell me what happened,” he said, pulling her ever so slightly toward him.
    She couldn’t look away, didn’t want to pull away, caught by whatever was going on between them. “I-I’m not sure.”
    “No?”
    “No.”
    “Erin, I know.”
    She shook her head. He couldn’t.
    “I know about you. I know all about you.”
    All about her? The hard thump of her heart echoed in her ears. He was close, so close. She felt herself arching toward him as though he were a magnet. Everything else in the room faded and it was just him and her and this overwhelming link they seemed to share.
    “You can’t.”
    “I do.” His breath whispered across her skin as he leaned closer. “I know about your ability. I know something’s wrong, something’s happening