Abduction (A Psychic Romance Novella Series) by Larissa Ladd Read Free Book Online Page A

Gabrielle gritted her teeth, taking a deep breath as she took another pull on the bottle of soda and closed the cap on the bottle.
    She caught Dustin grinning in the corner of her vision and felt her face burning with an intense flush of embarrassment.
    “So, you’re high maintenance, eh?” he asked, his voice full of teasing.
    Gabrielle growled lowly in her throat, tightening her arms across her chest and shifting down in the seat. Her back ached, her legs were faintly numb from sitting for so long, her routine was disrupted, and she had no idea when—if—her life would ever go back to normal.
    “I am not high maintenance. I am just not interested in guys who have nothing better on their mind than porn and sports, or who spend all their time with me looking at other women thinking that I don’t know exactly what they’re doing. I am also not fond of high-handed assholes who think that they know better than I do on every conceivable subject, who think they can just make all my choices for me and make me go along with it.” She cast a scowl in his direction, gritting her teeth. She was tired, her hand was still throbbing from the cuts, and the farther they got from her comfortable apartment and her contented life, the more anxious she felt.
    Clearly, something more threatening than some disappointed drug lord was after her, but Gabrielle couldn’t stand not knowing—and the way that Dustin had threatened her, the way he had held her glued to a spot with his telekinetic ability, still rankled. Almost as much as her continued inability to read him, and the fact that she found him physically attractive in spite of her distrust and anger.
    Dustin glanced at her for a moment, and Gabrielle could feel his gaze, even though she didn’t look in his direction. “I was trying to make a joke,” he said slowly. “Clearly it was a stupid one. I’m sorry.”
    Gabrielle didn’t respond for a long moment . The apology surprised her, but her pride made it difficult to accept. She needed to get out of the car—needed to know where they were going, what was in her future.
    “Apology accepted,” she said finally, still not meeting his gaze. The silence between them stretched out for several long moments. Gabrielle took another sip of her soda, in spite of the fact that she wasn’t truly thirsty . There was something in the air between them—some charge, some tension—that made Gabrielle uncomfortably aware of Dustin’s proximity.
    “I hadn’t really thought about how difficult it must be to date when you’re a telepath,” Dustin said softly. “I’ve met a few other telepaths before—some of them I work with—but it’s never really come up.”
    Gabrielle tried to relax in the seat, but her body was cramping up all over. She needed to get out of the car. It seemed like they had been driving for days, not hours.
    “It is. Difficult, I mean,” she said, glancing over at him. “Knowing what someone’s thinking kind of kills the mood when you realize that they’re pining over their ex the entire time they’re supposedly trying to seduce you.”
    Dustin smiled slightly at the wry tone of her voice, and Gabrielle felt herself smiling back. “Although it’s not difficult to pick someone up in a club.” Dustin chuckled. “You know, I don’t know anything at all about you, obviously; how much do you know about me?”
    Dustin glanced at her for a moment, seeming to consider the question. He took a deep breath and drained the last of the coffee from the big cup he was swigging from, putting it down in the cup holder on the center console.
    “A lot and not very much at the same time,” he admitted. “I know you’re a very strong telepath and that you work with a bunch of government agencies. I obviously knew your address, and I knew your route from yesterday. I’ve been trailing you for a couple of days, since the assignment came down.”
    He paused again, and Gabrielle wondered whether there was something he was