Flight of Fancy by Marie Harte Read Free Book Online Page A

at that. His excitement made Aidan feel twice his age, when he only had six years on his naive partner.
    Aidan turned his chair so that he faced Gavin, and their knees almost touched as they watched each other. “Keep your eyes on me. Now think about something that makes you happy. Something peaceful, something you can focus on.”
    “Like what?”
    “That’s up to you.”
    “What do you think about?”
    Aidan paused. “I don’t. Mine is a natural shield that keeps everyone out. It’s an innate ability. I was born this way.”
    “Figures.” Gavin sighed. “Okay. A happy thought?”
    “Yeah.” Aidan stared into Gavin’s eyes and listened hard. He heard thoughts that transitioned into images and soon saw a woman’s smiling eyes that looked familiar. Gavin’s eyes. His mother. They walked into an old-fashioned ice-cream parlor and sat down. Moments later, two large sundaes covered in whipped cream and cherries appeared in front of them. Though he wasn’t empathic, Aidan clearly caught the sense of innocence and belonging.
    He found himself wanting to know what that had been like, having a woman to call mother, someone to be loved by, someone to love. Maudlin shit he had no business thinking about with a mission about to go down.
    With disgust for his ill discipline, he compartmentalized his past and studied Gavin once more. “Now hold that focus, but camouflage it. Brick up that feeling of happiness and make your wall strong. Surround yourself with it, so when I try to punch through, I rebound off it like a rock.”
    Gavin frowned and closed his eyes.
    “Keep your eyes open.”
    “You’re distracting me.”
    A drift of desire and unaccustomed need seeped through Gavin’s mind.
    “Yeah, you want me. I get it. Now focus.”
    “Dickhead.” Gavin flushed. His wall seemed firm, but anytime Aidan moved or made a noise, Gavin lost it.
    “You had some solidity there a few times, but you can’t hold it.”
    “Tell me something I don’t know.” Gavin opened his eyes. “This isn’t helping.”
    “Not my fault. I’m trying to stay out of your mind.”
    “Then quit touching me.”
    To his surprise, Aidan looked down to see his hands on Gavin’s knees. He pulled back, annoyed he’d reached out, if even unconsciously to keep the connection. To cover his lapse, he said, “You’re going to be distracted. You have to learn to tune it out.”
    “Telepathy and mental shielding aren’t natural to me.” Gavin shrugged. “My abilities manifest physically. All your mental mumbo jumbo gives me a headache.”
    “Yeah? Is that the only thing aching?” Aidan smirked down at Gavin’s hard-on. “’Cause I’m thinking you’re not concentrating on your mom anymore.”
    “Pervert.” Gavin stood quickly and put the island between them. “I’m not here to amuse you. I’m going to get that book back.”
    “No, cupcake. We’re going to get the book back. It was my case to start with.”
    “And Aidan ‘Never Fails’ Marshall can’t stand that I messed up his project.” Gavin sneered.
    Aidan’s annoyance turned to downright rage, which shocked him. He didn’t do intense feeling. Living without a sea of murky sentiment helped control his mind and tunneled his focus into a success rate envied by others. They might not like him, but they couldn’t deny he was good at his job.
    He took a deep breath and let it out slowly. The idea that had been building since Gavin arrived blossomed into purpose. “Time to work out the kinks, then.” Aidan stood and rounded the island. He yanked Gavin toward him and stripped off Gavin’s sweatshirt before he could blink. Aidan tossed the garment aside, pleased to see Gavin’s wide blue eyes and lips parted on a gasp.
    “Wh-what are you doing?”
    “You don’t want to train your shields, so we’ll shift to discipline, something you sorely lack.” Aidan shook his head and crossed his arms over his chest. “You were forty-five minutes late this morning. I told you to