Locked Out of Love by Mary K. Norris Read Free Book Online Page B

he making her feel this insatiable attraction to him?
    The idea kept her focused.
    She had an assignment to do. Juliet wanted her to get close to him, get tutoring for her powers. Melanie was not to get emotionally involved. She needed to keep her distance.
    “I’m glad to see you’re okay,” Joel said when the last members of her yoga class were out of hearing range. “I was worried last week when you ran off.”
    Worried.
    The word threw her for a loop and she tried to force down the emotions.
    “Did anything … happen?” His eyes flashed dangerously, as if promising pain to anyone who’d dare lay a hand on her.
    “Nothing happened. I was just spooked. Usually when I see a guy from work outside of work … ” She shrugged. It wasn’t a complete lie.
    “Do you know who suit guy is?”
    Melanie forced herself to keep eye contact. “I don’t.” That was a lie.
    “Have you seen him since?”
    She shook her head and felt a little better that she was able to be completely honest. She hadn’t seen Mr. Richardson since last Friday. In fact, Juliet’s whole organization had been keeping their distance, and it made her nervous. Of course, Juliet said Melanie could call her if she ever felt the need.
    Joel’s posture relaxed. He shifted his weight from one foot to the other.
    “So.” He broke the silence that fell over them. “How was yoga?”
    Melanie blinked. Surely someone this nervous and awkward couldn’t have done something awful. A smile tugged at her lips. “Do you want to sit down somewhere?” It was time to get to know Joel a little better.
    • • •
    Joel blinked at Melanie from across the small table they’d found in the community center. “Wait a second, I’m confused.” Joel held up his hand. “Did you just suggest we hang out?”
    Melanie’s shrug was all nonchalance. “Yeah.”
    You’ve been out of the game for a while, Kegler.
    Still, it couldn’t be
this
easy. He’d been expecting hesitation, resistance—something! It was almost anti-climactic. Almost. The burning need inside him didn’t give a damn who asked who out, as long as it meant he’d get to spend more time with her. The past two days without seeing her had been torture. He was still no closer to finding out who those new suited men were. Cali had volunteered to contact Jente, a man in Vander’s employment who had helped her out once, to see if he would divulge any information. Felix had been completely against the plan, but it was all they had to go on. They couldn’t leave this potential new threat alone to grow stronger.
    He wheeled in his stray thoughts. He could plan heroics later. Right now he needed to figure out the puzzle in front of him.
    As much as Joel would like to think that Melanie returned the sexual attraction between them and wanted to explore it, it wasn’t true. Felix had been right—if she’d worn a fake nametag when she’d worked at that bar, she didn’t want to be found. She admitted as much when he’d first tracked her down. So then why the hell was she seeking his company?
    Did she finally come to terms with the fact that she had powers? Did she want him to teach her?
    The idea of being her mentor made him sit up a little straighter. He could teach; he was a great teacher—teaching led to camaraderie, a way to get to know her without having this big cloud of expectation looming over his head.
    He eyed her hand resting on the table and itched to reach out and take hold of it. He’d always been self-conscious of his hands around Sydney. She used to wince at his scars, as if she could feel the pain of how he’d acquired them. But with Melanie he got no such vibe. In fact, twice already he’d found her staring at his scars in fascination, as if she wondered what they’d feel like under her fingertips. The image of her soft skin tracing over his hands heated his blood and stiffened his cock.
    He cleared his throat and shifted in his seat. “I still don’t understand. You said before