Free Hot Trick (A Detective Shelley Caldwell Novel) by Patricia Rosemoor Page A

of my personal space. His gaze bore into me as it had into Norelli. But I wasn’t Norelli and he wasn’t going to get in unless I let him.
    “When a beautiful woman wants to speak to me alone, what else am I to think?”
    He was trying again, probing at the edges of my consciousness. White-hot streaks that zapped my mind. I didn’t waver. What did he think he was going to get from me? I mentally pushed back and smiled.
    “You could think that she’s smarter than she looks.”
    Sebastian ignored the jibe and returned my smile. I took the opportunity to check out his teeth. Nice and white and perfect looking, but the canines weren’t a little too long or a little too sharp.
    Not a vampire.
    “What are you?” I asked.
    Laughing, he reached a hand out and slid it along my neck, back to front, and then brought it to rest between us, a card twined between his fingers. He offered it to me.
    Taking it, I saw it wasn’t a playing card, but a Tarot card. Silke was always messing around with Tarot, so I recognized it without reading the title.
    The Magician.
    Sebastian entered my personal space. “You’re a woman with a strong will.”
    Another glimpse of movement from the corner of my eye made me glance at the window. This time I got a good look. My pulse rushed and I fought to keep my emotions in check.
    At the same time, something pressed at me psychically.
    Refusing to give way, I turned my attention back to Sebastian. “Better men than you have tried to break me.”
    “I don’t want to break you, Shelley. Simply to soften you.”
    When he reached for me, I jutted the flat of my hand out fast, connecting just under his breastbone, and smiled at his quick intake of breath.
    “I’ll be going now. But I’m sure we’ll talk again.”
    “I look forward to it.”
    I turned, glancing one last time back toward the window. Nothing to see now.
    But I knew Jake floated out there with a front row seat to the scene inside. Thankfully, Sebastian hadn’t noticed.
    Jake was spying on me.
    Not for long, not if I had anything to say about it.

Chapter Thirteen
    I hurried outside, hoping Norelli wouldn’t get impatient while I walked around the building and took care of things. Staring into the dark, I whispered, “Jake,” knowing he had superhuman hearing.
    A second later he stood next to me.
    Irritated, I asked, “What the hell do you think you’re doing here?”
    Jake seemed distracted, as if unable to focus on me. “Why are you so bothered by my presence?”
    “Because you’re spying on me.”
    That got his attention.
    “I’m not spying on you.”
    “Then what are you doing?”
    “I sensed something out of the ordinary was going on. I wanted to make sure you were okay—and now I know I was right. That Sebastian character was trying to influence you.”
    “Well, he didn’t. You know I’m not suggestible. And I have an internal radar about that kind of stuff, remember? Plus, I can take care of myself.” Though his wanting the job tempered my irritation with him.
    “Why do you always have to play Lone Ranger?”
    “That’s not what I’m doing. I’m here with Norelli. I’m playing nice.” Glancing to the street to make sure Norelli’s car was still there, I softened my tone. “I appreciate your concern, but I don’t need your protection, Jake. No vampires involved here.”
    Jake sniffed me and his visage darkened. “That scent—it’s his. It was on your jacket too.”
    And here I’d thought he’d smelled the riverbank on me. Maybe he really was jealous. The thought startled me. And made me feel kind of mushy inside. I’d never inspired that kind of emotion in any man before. Um, not that it was attractive, I told myself.
    Catching my breath, I asked, “What about Sebastian’s scent?”
    “I don’t know exactly… He may not be a vampire, but he’s more than human.”
    So much for romanticism. My flesh crawled at his certainty. Jake’s senses could tell him more about a situation than mine