She hadn’t wanted to tell him about her ability, but it honestly terrified her to open up like that to someone she hardly knew. But after a month of living on his property, Garrett Cooper was actually the only person Reese felt shecouldtrust completely. It was the oddest thing, but after everything he’d done for, she suddenly knew deep in her gut that it was the right thing to do. It was time to come out of her carefully crafted shell she’d been hiding in ever since being rescued by the gorgeous man sitting next to her. “Okay.”
“How did you end up with Vivian? I mean, we know she was hunting people with paranormal abilities, so what do you think she wanted from you?”
Reese admired his tact. Instead of getting right to the point and accusing her of being gifted with a paranormal ability, he’d placed the blame on Vivian, and Reese appreciated that more than she could say. “Vivian thought I could do something special. Probably something like what Hallie or Skyla can do.” It was the only reason Vivian would’ve bothered with either of the women.
Garrett had said Vivian took Hallie, meaning she was likely the one with the paranormal gift, though Reese couldn’t be sure. Maybe it was Skyla, and Hallie was just collateral damage. “I never told Vivian anything, so she just kept me in that room in front of the camera, hoping to get me to confess or show her some crazy thing I could do.”
Garrett brushed his fingers along the side of Reese’s hand. It made her skin tingle, but she didn’t move her hand away. She liked the feel of Garrett’s touch. It wasn’t threatening or demanding. Without words, he seemed to be asking permission to touch her, and so without words, she let him know he could. “Would you be willing to tell me?” He asked, keeping his gaze forward as if he was just as captivated by the fireflies as she was. “I hope you know you can trust me with your secret. And I think maybe if I know, I can help…somehow.”
The warm sincerity in his tone seemed to melt away every single wall Reese had ever put up around her heart, and she knew she wouldn’t be able to keep it from him any longer. He’d done so much for her, never asking for anything in return. And if Hallie or Skyla trusted him with their secret, it seemed logical that she could, too. Now she just had to build up the courage to say the words.
***
The night air felt good on Garrett’s warm skin, but not as good as the warmth of Reese’s fingertips brushing against his knuckles. A part of him wanted to sit here with her all night, just talking about whatever came to mind. But he needed to know what Vivian knew, or thought she knew, if he had any hope of helping Reese or protecting her in case Russell found her.
“You’ve heard the saying that the eyes are the windows to the soul?” Reese asked.
“Sure, I know the phrase. Can you see my soul when you look into my eyes?” He asked jokingly.
Reese smiled, and slightly shook her head. “Not exactly. Well, kind of. When I look into someone’s eyes, I see the moment their soul leaves their body.”
Garrett sat perfectly still, trying to understand what she was telling him. “Wait, what?” She couldn’t be serious.
“I see the moment of their death,” Reese explained. Her words came out with such calmness and assertiveness, like it was just a matter of fact.
His first thought would’ve been to question her, to doubt her, but after knowing Orly, Hallie and Skyla, he would never submit her to such scrutiny. Instead, Garrett closed his eyes in horror and held his breath for a beat as he let what she’d said really sink in. No wonder she avoided eye contact with him. How many deaths had she already seen like that? He couldn’t even begin to imagine.
It wasn’t until several silent moments passed that he realized she was still quietly sitting beside him, looking to him for a reaction. Only he didn’t have one. He was speechless.
Orly’s gift of hearing people’s cries for help floored him. Hallie’s ability to see glimpses of the future shocked him. Skyla’s incredible healing powers astonished him. But this…this was horrifying. “I had no idea. I’m so sorry.”
“It’s okay,” she said, more cheerfully than he’d thought she would be after letting him in on her secret. “I’ve lived with it my whole life. I’m pretty used to it.”
“How do you function? I mean when you’re not holed up in my guest house, which just so you know, you’re more than welcome to stay as long as you want, but before when you were out living your life, how did you do it?”
Reese shrugged. “I used to just deal with it. When it became too much, I started avoiding eye contact whenever I could. I guess I still do, mostly out of fear.”
“Fear?” He asked.
She nodded. “There are people whose deaths I don’t want to see. Like yours.”
Garrett swallowed hard. Even though he’d been shot at before, he’d never really given much thought to how or when he would die. He was too focused on living, enjoying his life, his friends, and his work. He couldn’t imagine only ever seeing how someone died every time he looked them in the eye.
“Can I ask you something now?” She asked.
Garrett looked at her and smiled, not avoiding gazing into the dark circles where her eyes were since it was nearly pitch dark outside and there was no chance of her seeing into his eyes. “Ask me anything.”
“Was there really a power outage, or did you do something with the breaker?”
Garrett laughed. She was smart and funny, and so damn sexy with those toned long legs, a slim waist, and perfect breasts that pushed up against the t-shirt she had on. “Will you be mad if I say the latter?”
Her shoulders shook with laughter. “No. I’m kind of glad you did it. Otherwise, I’d worry about the power coming back on. I know the lake would still be dark enough, but…” Her voice faded and he gave her hand a little squeeze.
“I’m happy to kill the power on my property any time you want. In fact, if you’d like, I could invite my friends over this weekend, and we can all sit in the dark, with just some fairy lights, the moonlight, and stars for lighting. That way, you’ll get to meet them without worrying about looking into their eyes.”
“You would do that for me?” She asked with such surprise in her tone that it made him wince a little. Had this woman never been treated right by anyone?
“Of course. I kind of like the idea actually. I mean, I love the guys, and their women are great, but we need to change things up once in a while. Killing the lights might be just the ticket.”