Energized by Mary Behre Page B

the mail, strangers’ reactions were unpredictable.
    Better to find out now if her potential boss would freak out or be cool with her psychic gift.
    â€œThanks.” She let her fingers close around the cool silver metal.
    Yep. Instant connection.
    Energy sizzled through her fingertips, up her arm, and straight into her brain. The gray office faded to smoke around her and she was in Ross’s body.
    â€œHey, Paulie, wanna hit the clubs tonight?” he said around a mouthful of crisp, tart apple. His heart fluttered and his pulse raced past his ears.
    Paulie turned from his spot at the stove and smiled. The brief curl of those beautiful lips made Ross’s heart rate kick up a notch.
    He’s finally going to say yes.
The urge to dance in place was almost too strong to resist.
    Then Paulie cut a quick glance to Ross’s left and the smile died.
    So did Ross’s hope. He didn’t have to look to know Paulie had caught sight of Ross’s brother.
    Ross’s heart sank.
    He opened his mouth to say something else to Paulie but the chef had already focused his attention on the mushrooms marinating on the stove.
    Dammit! Why did Paulie have to draw that particular line? Didn’t he understand that coming out of the closet to the ass-kickingest Marine of them all wasn’t something that could just be done? It needed finesse. And Ross needed togive his brother time to get to know him before he messed with the jarhead’s narrow way of thinking.
    Staring at Paulie’s back, the message was clear. Ross had to come out of the closet completely or nothing could happen between them.
    His eyes stung but he couldn’t show weakness around his brother.
    Ross inhaled a breath, then glanced to his left. His brother’s mouth was a grim line of disapproval. With a tick working in his cheek, his square jaw looked almost painfully angular. Niall rolled his eyes and scrubbed a hand through his short military-cut black hair.
    Hannah dropped the pen.
    It rolled off the desk and clattered to the floor. Breathing, always a challenge when withdrawing from a vision, was almost impossible. Her heart pounded so hard against her ribs, it could have been trying to punch its way out of her chest. But holy schmoley, even trapped as she was between Ross’s memory and reality, one thing was crystal.
    Her Marine was about to become her new boss.

CHAPTER 5

    I MAGES OF P AULIE and Niall swirled in Hannah’s mind. Her own thoughts blended with Ross’s memories, echoing to a crescendo. She fought against the vision. Even with the pen no longer in her hands, residual effects of Ross’s memory pulsed through her.
    The room swayed around her or maybe she swayed. She wasn’t sure. The only thing she knew was that she’d gone into one too many visions today because she was having trouble breaking free of this one.
    Propping one hand on the doorjamb, she shut her eyes and repeated the mantra that had always centered her in the past, “I’m Hannah Halloran. Hannah. Halloran.”
    Somewhere in the distance, Ross sucked in a hissing breath, then muttered, “Oh Christ. You’re a nutball, aren’t ya, dollface? Niall’s gonna kill me.” She didn’t need to open her eyes to sense he’d moved closer. His breath, tinted with garlic and peppermint, fell against her face. “Come on, sweetie. Open your eyes and look at me.”
    Slowly, Hannah blinked. Her head felt thick but the vision faded to a misty fog that evaporated beneath the fluorescent bulbs. She blinked again and the room came into focus. Her legs, oddly shaky, still supported her. Carefully she pushed away from the wall, letting her arms drop to her sides. Each breath centered her until the vision was a memory and reality was Ross staring at her with wariness in his too-pretty eyes.
    â€œThere you go, sweetie. Welcome back.” He glanced out the open door, then slid it closed with the toe of his sandal.