Free Extrasensory by Desiree Holt Page B

powers. I think most people are even a little afraid of them.” She gave him a shaky smile. “You surprise me. I didn’t think a man like you would take psychic abilities seriously.”
    He shifted in the chair, re-crossing his legs. “A man like me?”
    “You look very pragmatic,” she told him, hoping she wasn’t putting her foot in her mouth. “Black and white. The hard evidence type. Parapsychology often requires taking things simply on faith.”
    He studied her again as he had before. “I own a…security company called Phoenix.
    One of my partners is a telepath. So is his wife. Their ability to communicate is the only thing that saved his life when he was captured in the Peruvian jungle.” He paused.
    “Maybe I could tell you the story sometime.”
    Electricity crackled in the air between them and Mia wondered if Dan Romeo felt it as she did. He gave no indication, simply sat in his loose-jointed but alert way in the chair opposite her. At least the fever in her body seemed to have subsided to a controllable temperature. She could feel herself relaxing as relief stole over her. Not only had she been nearly shocked out of her senses by his appearance but she’d also been sure that he’d think what she had to say was nonsense. Instead, however, he was waiting to hear her explanation. She wet her lips. “It certainly sounds like something I’d like to hear.”
    Of course who knew if he’d be around longer than this meeting to tell her anything?
    I’m going to fuck you.
    Mia clenched her hands into fists and dug her nails into her palms. She stared at Dan, trying to read something, anything, into his expression. But there was nothing to give him away. If he was somehow sending her thoughts he didn’t show it. She had to get a grip here.
    “Also, I happen to know the military has been experimenting with various Psi groups for years,” he went on. “So while others might blow this off, I take you very seriously.”
    “Okay, that’s good. But let me just give you a little thumbnail here to flesh out whatever you might know.” She drew a breath and let it out. She didn’t like feeling off kilter. At least in this subject she was in control. Most of the time.
    “Precognitive experiences occur most often in dreams,” she began. “But they can also occur in what’s called spontaneous waking visions flashing through the mind.
    Some are also auditory but mine never have been.”
    He listened carefully, his expression attentive. “Go on.”
    “The difference between precognition and other Psi events like premonition is that precognition generally involves an explicit future event.” Like having sex with you. She gave him a wry smile. “Providing you can decipher the bits and pieces of the visions.
    Premonition deals with the sense or feeling that something is going to happen but the event is non-specific. Like feeling someone is in danger but not knowing how or where.”
    “I can relate to that.”
    Her eyes widened. “You can? Don’t tell me you have psychic abilities too. That would be too much of a coincidence.”
    He shook his head. “Not exactly. I was a Force Recon Marine. What you’re talking about, at least with premonition, is kind of like the gut feelings I’d get when we were on a mission and something bad was about to happen.”
    She nodded. “Yes. A different type of internal sensing. Okay, then. If precognition is a glimpse of the true or real future, then the visions are events witnessed before the causes. It makes it difficult to get people to believe you don’t really have advance knowledge or an ulterior motive.”
    “Which can lead to skeptics and questions from people like me,” he guessed. “I’m assuming this all started with a precognitive vision, so why don’t you tell me what it’s all about? Chase Carpenter is a good friend of mine. I was coming here today to help him with security for his big announcement and demonstration on Friday anyway.
    When he got your