Vision of Seduction

1

Is a little mind-blowing, no-strings-attached sex too much to ask?"

Katelyn Hunt gripped the display case so tightly she thought the glass

might shatter and rain down upon the carefully displayed crystals and

pendants as she stared at him.

Rita, Katelyn's business partner and best friend, shook her head, sending

her bob of dark hair swinging. "No. I imagine every woman is entitled to a

little toe-curling sex, but have you ever considered scratching that itch by

actually finding a man you like and care about, rather than a one-night

stand in between each case of batteries?"

Katelyn rolled her eyes at Rita's familiar argument. "Relationships are for

women who can't function on their own." She glared at her friend before

letting her gaze slide back to the hunk who had haunted their shop for the

last few days. "I don't need a man for anything."

"Uh-huh—what about that mind-blowing sex?" Rita closed the display case

with a snap. "But you're not even going to have that if you don't eventually

talk to the man." She walked away and left Katelyn racking her brain for a

good retort.

Damn! I hate it when she does that.

True, Katelyn had never actually met him, never even spoken to him, but

he'd spent the last few days inside the store— totally oblivious to her,

much to her irritation.

He bought chai tea in the coffee shop, sat in the overstuffed chairs, and

spent hours reading an eclectic collection of books. In fact, the only part of

the entire two floors of her new-age shop he hadn't frequented was

anywhere she happened to be working.

Or maybe it just seemed that way.

His muscled arm reached for his chai tea, which was sitting on the small

oak table next to him, and Katelyn's mouth literally watered as his long

fingers closed around the cup and lifted it to his lips.

A surprised gasp slipped from her lips as a hot spurt of arousal arrowed

through her, tightening her nipples and making every inch of her skin

heavy with need.

What the hell is happening to me? For some reason this man made her react

like a bitch in heat.

"At least he's a paying customer."

Katelyn jumped as Rita's voice sounded next to her.

"Don't sneak up on me like that!" Katelyn placed her hand over her heart,

willing it to slow before it galloped out of her chest.

Rita laughed and shook her head. "I didn't sneak anywhere. You're just too

involved in fantasizing over him to notice anything around you." Rita

hummed as she padlocked the display cases and then bumped Katelyn

aside with her hip to wipe off the day's smudges with glass cleaner and

paper towels.

"What the hell are you so happy about?"

Rita's face blossomed, and her eyes sparkled with excitement. "I think

Aedan is going to ask me to marry him tonight."

"That loser?" Katelyn grabbed her friend by the shoulders and glared at

her, half tempted to shake some sense into her. "I thought you broke up?"

Rita rolled her eyes and ducked out of Katelyn's grip. "No, you were

hoping we would. Just because you're terrified of a relationship doesn't

mean the rest of the world is, too."

"I'm not terrified!" Katelyn's response sounded too defensive, and she

wished she would've taken a deep breath before answering. Rita always

knew how to press her hot buttons. "I just don't want you to get hurt. Every

time you talk about him, it gives me the creeps."

Rita's eyes narrowed, and she pinned Katelyn with a glare. "Are you trying

to tell me you've had a vision about him?"

"No," Katelyn reluctantly admitted.

"Then we're done discussing this." Rita, back to her overly cheerful self,

gave Katelyn a quick hug and then stepped back but seemed just short of

performing a pirouette. "Lock up for me, okay? I know it's my turn, but

because you still need to go talk to Romeo over there, I figure you can

handle it."

Katelyn shuddered as she watched her best friend and business partner

bounce out the front door. The door chimes jingled merrily behind her, but

for some reason they reminded Katelyn of a death knell.

She had asked Rita thousands of times to bring Aedan into the shop. If she

could just shake hands with him, it might trigger a vision and give her

more insight as to what bothered her about him.

No matter what Rita said, Katelyn's gut clenched whenever Aedan's name

was brought up—and that definitely couldn't be a good thing.

The movement of her dark stranger picking up his chai caught her

attention, and she swiveled her head to watch, even as she bit back a long

sigh of appreciation.

His Adam's apple bobbed as he swallowed, and she watched, transfixed,

until he broke the spell by glancing her way and catching her staring again.

Damn!

His eyes reminded her of liquid amethyst, and each time their gazes

locked, she felt as if she might drown in those deep purple depths. The

corners of his lips curved, and then his attention returned to his book as he

set the chai back on the table.

Once again, his gaze had held nothing but polite acknowledgement.

The loss of even that noncommittal attention made her feel suddenly chilly,

and she rubbed her arms to chase away the gooseflesh.

She wasn't under any delusion that she was "model" hot, but she was a

reasonably attractive woman, and there had definitely been men in her

past—even though she hadn't allowed any of them to stay for long.

Hell, he could at least take one appreciative look before returning to his books,

right?

Katelyn puffed out a breath that fluttered her bangs. "Men."

She'd found herself openly staring at him hundreds of times throughout

the day, and although he'd caught her a few times, she was sure she'd

made it look nonchalant. She hoped.

But how could she help it? This man was a walking wet dream. His dark

mahogany hair gleamed with almost auburn accents under the fluorescent

lights. The hair looked soft as silk, and her fingers literally itched to reach

out and touch.

He'd gathered it back into a simple ponytail that hung halfway down his

back. She'd always thought men with long hair appeared too feminine for

her taste, but no one would ever think to accuse him of anything of the sort.

The harsh, unforgiving lines of his face made him appear aloof, and his jaw

seemed carved from solid granite. But... those sensual lips. They softened

him, which made him rakishly handsome, even approachable.

His broad shoulders tapered to a trim waist and down to muscular thighs

Katelyn could envision tracing with her tongue. His wasn't the overly

ripped physique of a bodybuilder which made men resemble plastic Ken

dolls on steroids. Rather, he had the muscles that spoke of a male in his

prime.

In fact, he oozed liquid masculine sex—something that, if bottled, would

give spontaneous orgasms to every woman within a fifty-mile radius. A

product Katelyn would definitely invest in for personal use.

She blinked and realized his intense amethyst gaze studied her briefly

before returning to his book.

Damn! He caught me again. He's going to think I'm a stalker.

She squared her shoulders, yanked on the bottom of her low-cut veenecked top to ensure "the girls" were shown to best advantage, and walked

from behind the display case toward him.

Sexual awareness tingled through every pore as she neared him. It was as

if the air around him was drenched in pheromones designed to draw her

closer. Her steps faltered as she briefly considered that he could be using a

spell of some sort to draw her. Enough magick practitioners frequented her

shop that she knew such things were possible; however, she had never

used them herself.

Her senses expanded, sampling the energy around him. When she found

nothing amiss, she resumed her confident trek forward to stand in front of

him. Katelyn cleared her throat before speaking. "Excuse me."

He looked up, and her breath caught as the full intensity of his gaze settled

over her, causing her blood to heat and her libido to sit up and beg. He

seemed to see deep inside her to places with dark secrets best forgotten. A

sudden mental image of one of those long fingers tracing a line between

her breasts and straight to her clit flashed through her, and she resisted the

urge to shiver.

His lips curved. "How may I be of service?"

The deep bass rumble of his voice surprised her, and not just because it

seemed to feather against her nipples, clit, and every intimate place she

owned, but because of the formal way he spoke.

Where is this guy from?

Wherever he called home, the sensations his voice created made her realize

just how long it had been since she'd had a man willing and naked. Every

erogenous zone on her body tingled and ached—adding their input to the

equation.

The deluge of arousal brought to mind a laundry list of ways he could "be

of service." Katelyn breathed deep against the surge of lust before

speaking. "I'm Katelyn Hunt, the owner. I've noticed you around the store

for the past few days."

And Rita thinks I'm freaking insane for obsessing over you.

He continued to study her as though memorizing her every nuance. She

resisted the urge to fidget as a surge of moisture dampened the insides of

her thighs and her skin began to feel achy and heavy with need. She

swallowed hard and vowed to crank up the air-conditioning as a trickle of