Free Connected (Twists of Fate #1) by Jolyn Palliata Page B

made her bristle in frustration, but she forced herself to relax as she realized she could use the contact to judge her progress. She felt out their now-familiar link and began to close it the way she used to. It was working. She could tell by the lack of intensity in Rhys’
    touch, as if his physical presence was easing back with what she was doing.
    It’s working.
    “Yeah, but I can’t quite…” The link was still there no matter how tightly she held it. Maybe if she… With a mental twist, she cinched it closed. “There. I just had to shift my focus a little bit tighter.”
    Silence met her explanation. She shook her head and released the hold.
    Duh.
    “Rhys?”
    Yeah.
    “Did you feel how I did that?”
    A pause, then, I gotcha. I just tried it and you didn’t hear me, so yeah…we can still block each other.
    Her relief was palpable. “Thank God.”
    She flopped back on her pillow, and thought about the hearing thing. It was pretty cool he could hear whatever she did if she was open to it. His world must get pretty lonely with only her thoughts to hear. Background noise would be nice for him…when appropriate, that is.
    My thoughts exactly.
    She laughed. Couldn’t help it. “Damn, Rhys. I’m getting far too comfortable with you in my head. It used to be second-nature to block all my thoughts from you. I gotta seriously work on that.”
    Like hell you do. I like hearing everything. Keep going. It’s okay. I won’t use it against you— He cleared his throat with the word “much” not-so-cleverly hidden in the sound.
    She rolled her eyes and then closed them, braving his physical presence. “Aren’t you just the chivalrous gentleman?”
    Oh, I’m all about treating a woman right.
    She tensed as she felt a finger tracing up and down the length of her arm, and then he asked—a little too sweetly—the question she had already heard in his thoughts.
    Are you gonna check your email this morning? Ya know, to see if Xavier hit us back.
    Her entire body locked down. “Is that why you did that last night? To butter me up?” Please say no. Please say no.
    She also prayed he didn’t pick up on her little mantra, hoping she was blocking it correctly.
    Wait. Why the hell would she want him to say ‘no’?
    Hell, no. I did that to meet a fucking challenge no man alive could’ve walked away from.
    But you felt so good… I wasn’t expecting to be able to feel that.
    Addison felt the heat rush into her cheeks and she mumbled, “Me either.” The phone rang, as if a guardian angel had swooped down, saving her from the rest of a sure-to-be-disastrous conversation. Rolling over, she grabbed the cordless off the bedside table.
    An absent glace showed unavailable on the caller ID.
    "Hello?"
    A deep, rough voice responded. Actually, it was closer to a growl. "Addison Calomino?"
    Xavier? Rhys nearly choked on the name, having heard what she did.
    Her spine shot ramrod-straight as she bolted into a sitting position, nearly fumbling the phone.
    Her voice was breathless. "Xavier?" And then she silently cursed.
    She hadn’t meant to say his name out loud.

Chapter Twelve

    The silence on the other end of the line was absolute, to the point where Addison half-thought Xavier had hung up on her. Not that she’d blame him if he had.
    “Hello?” she said meekly, and then winced, telling herself to suck it up.
    “I know for a fact this number is unlisted, so tell me...how did you know who this was?” And how the hell was she supposed to answer that?!
    Tell him! Rhys demanded, his anxiety shooting straight into her veins.
    I can’t! He’ll think I’m nuts! she retorted, scrambling to find any suitable words to explain…well, anything. Everything. Dammit. It couldn’t be explained!
    Her panic kicked up a notch, jamming her throat closed.
    Do it! Rhys roared. Before he hangs up!
    Cringing at his volume, she resisted his words. No, she couldn’t just—
    Rhys started to yell, to really holler in her mind. His string of