Free Deadly Sight by Cindy Dees Page B

surged up out of her blanket and stormed into her bedroom. The door closed with an ominously soft click.
    What in the hell had he done? He never called her a freak! He might have thought it, but a guy couldn’t be convicted of just thinking a word. Except she must have seen it in his eyes...he sighed...and he ought to be man enough to admit it.
    He went to her door and knocked gently. “Sammie Jo? Can we talk?”
    Nothing.
    “Sam? Please. I’m sorry.”
    Still nothing.
    “I’m an ass.”
    Still nothing. Damn.
    “You’re not a freak.”
    The door cracked open. Her teary gaze looked like molten gold. A quicksilver tear trembled on her cheek. She looked supernatural—stunning and beautiful.
    “I truly am sorry. Your special abilities take a little getting used to. Please bear with me while I adjust.”
    “Now I know what the guys were talking about.” He must have looked confused, because she clarified, “Jeff and Aiden were comparing notes about how it sucked when their girlfriends thought they were completely bizzaro.”
    “You’re not bizzaro,” he declared. “Just your clothes are,” he teased gently.
    “Hey! I dressed conservative to come to Hickville.”
    He made a face. “I’d hate to see your idea of far-out attire.”
    “That can be arranged,” she threatened. A smile broke through and lit her face.
    Without the wild makeup her skin was like satin, and its creamy contrast to her hair was striking. “Is that your natural hair color?” he asked.
    “Actually, yes.”
    “Impressive.”
    “It’s just genetics,” she commented dryly.
    He leaned against the door frame as she opened the door fully. Her pajama pants were baby-blue flannel with cute cartoon sheep sprinkled over them like fluffy marshmallows. The thin white tank T-shirt she wore stood in starkly sexy contrast, announcing in no uncertain terms that she was all woman and nicely endowed. She obviously hadn’t needed much help under that leather jacket to create that impressive cleavage. Must concentrate. Build rapport . And avoid sexual thoughts since she also appeared to be some kind of mind reader.
    “Have your eyes always been that color?” he asked curiously.
    “No. They used to be light brown. The changes to my DNA changed both the inside and outside of my eyeballs.”
    “Did it hurt?”
    “No. The treatment was just a series of shots, and the changes were gradual. I’ve been in the program long enough now that Gemma thinks my modifications are permanent. We’ve stopped the shots to see if the changes remain.”
    “And if they don’t?”
    “I’ll go back to taking the shots.”
    Wow. She didn’t hesitate for a moment when she said that. “So you wouldn’t consider letting your eyesight return to normal?”
    She shook her head. “Once you’ve experienced life this way, you don’t want to go back.”
    “How’s that?”
    “I see everything so much more clearly than I used to. It would be like getting used to 3D, HD television and then going back to a 1960s vintage black-and-white TV.”
    That actually made sense. “What about health side effects?”
    “I’ll deal with them if and when they manifest. So far, the only real downside is the whole business of sunlight. It has forced me to live more like a vampire than most folks. It took a little getting used to. That and learning to remember other people can’t see what I can.”
    That gave him pause. What did she see when she looked at him? “I’d be afraid of going blind or something terrible later on,” he commented.
    She shrugged. “There are no guarantees in life, are there? I could be hit by a car tomorrow, and then it wouldn’t matter what happens to my vision down the road. Weren’t you the one who was just telling me to live in the moment and not fear the future?”
    He scowled at having his words turned back on him like that. “Fine. You may be right. But still. I’d worry about the consequences of doing something so drastic to