Page 22 of Possessed

She stopped halfway down the hall. “Seriously?”

“Naps are healthy. Again, this shows another lack in your upbringing.”

“I can assure you that’s only the second of many,” she said, following him to the wide leather couch that was already loaded with soft pillows and a faux-fur throw. She plumped a pillow, kicked off her shoes and curled up on her side, pulling the throw up to her neck. “You know, it really does look like a girl lives here.”

“I didn’t realize pillows, a blanket and a few antiques and art were gender specific.”

“Your pillows are baby-blue and cream, your throw is faux leopard and your art is Erté. I have two words for you, and they’re hyphenated—girl-like.”

She was looking at him through big blue eyes that were ringed with shadow, her hair was already rumpled and she was all curled up in a ball that he thought was so little he could almost pick her up and toss her into the other room—but she had an impish smile and a lifted chin that said she’d dare him to try.

Raef liked her. Really liked her.

He leaned down, clicked on the universal remote and handed it to her. “Girl-like or not, I also have all the cable channels—in HD.”

“That’s not girl-like. That’s civilized.”

He chuckled all the way back to his office.

* * *

RAEFTRIEDTOWORK, but it was an exercise in frustration. He searched the internet for everything he could find about the three tree doctors, and then stared at their websites. Nothing stood out and screamedpsychic serial killerabout any of them. Melnore, a white guy in his mid-thirties, was divorced and had a part-time kid, or at least that’s what his Facebook page said. Elwood, another white guy, didn’t have a Facebook page. His website had a fish with a cross in it and by his Photoshopped picture he looked to be late thirties to early forties and in denial about balding. “Great, a church boy. He’s gonna be fun to research.” According to the TU faculty website, Braggs completed the white, middle-aged trifecta. He was single and newly tenured at the university. His faculty picture was standard conservative suit and tie. He looked professorially boring. His bio didn’t mention any family. He needed a haircut, but besides that looked as harmless as the other two. “Could be any or all of them.”

Raef pushed his chair back from his desk and rolled his shoulders. He felt like shit. Not hungover anymore, but tired and woolly-headed. He glanced at the computer clock—just after noon. Preston would be at lunch. He wouldn’t call for at least the next hour or so.

“Combat nap time,” he told the air around him, then he padded quietly down the hallway and stole a peek at Lauren. The TV was on, but turned way down. The day had become overcast, and the room was dim, but he could see by the light from the TV that her eyes were closed.Good. We’ll both be better off after forty winks.Raef reclined onto his wide bed, fully clothed, put his phone on Vibrate, slid it into his jeans pocket and closed his eyes. Sleep came to him like it had since his days in the military—fast and easy.

Which was exactly how he came awake, too, when the feeling intruded on an excellent dream he was having about playing shortstop during the World Series.

Hope! I know it’s ridiculous, impossible, but I can feel hope.Raef lay there for a moment, just soaking in the emotion. God, it felt good. Better than pleasure. Better than joy.

And then he realized why he was feeling it.

Aubrey had to be here.

Quickly, quietly, he padded on sock feet to where he could look into the living room. He’d been right. She was there, sitting on the couch beside Lauren, who was awake. They were talking in low voices, their heads tilted toward each other, and Raef was struck by how alike they were. It wasn’t just how they looked. It was the way they moved—the way they both talked with their hands. As he watched, Aubrey swept back a strand of diaphanous blond hair that had floated over her face, just like Lauren had been doing all morning. She said something Raef couldn’t hear, but it had Lauren giggling and then pressing a hand over her mouth, as if she’d just laughed at something mischievous—or raunchy,Raef thought as he watched Lauren fan herself like her face was suddenly hot.

He didn’t think he’d made a noise, though he was smiling, but Aubrey chose then to look around her sister and straight at him.

“Come on in, Kent. We have a proposition for you,”she said, sounding both mischievous and raunchy.

CHAPTER NINE

“What’s the proposition?” he asked, wondering why even though he sounded reluctant his feet were propelling him quickly to join the two women.

“Aubrey wants to give you something,” Lauren said, still looking flushed-cheeked and sounding a little breathless.

“But I need Lauren’s help.”Aubrey grinned at her twin.“And she’s agreed. Happily.”

Raef was almost as suspicious as he was curious. Almost. “All right, what do you want to give me?”

“We’ll tell you—or rather, we’ll show you—but first I want you to promise me you’ll open your mind and your heart and be willing to just go with it.”

A red flag went up for Raef, but it was hard to assess the warning when Aubrey and Lauren were both beaming full-wattage smiles at him. “I need to know what it is I’m being open about before I make that promise.” Even he could hear the bullshit in his voice. Hell, he’d agree to be open to sprouting wings and jumping off the fucking garage if those two kept smiling at him like that.

“It’s part of being open, Raef. You don’t get to know what you’re promising—you get to beopento all sorts of possibilities.” Then Lauren giggled, and her cheeks got even pinker.

Raef went from being curious to intrigued, and that trumped suspicious. “All right. I promise. Now, what are you two cooking up?”