The Touch (Healer Series) by Allison Rios Read Free Book Online Page B

nowhere, almost biological as opposed to emotional.
       He took it from her, running it over his hair
and shoulders. To smile so much was making his face hurt. He hadn’t used those
muscles in years. He moved his hand, placing it under her chin, pulling his
face closer to hers. She didn’t push away. His scent was transfixing; his body
warm close to hers.     
       “Dinner!” a voice from downstairs
interrupted, snapping Addie back to life.
       “Time for dinner!” Addie said, stepping back and stumbling a bit before turning and bolting down
the stairs. AJ stood there for a moment, collecting his thoughts. What had just
happened?
       He felt guilty, almost as though he were
taking advantage of her. She’d only just left Joseph and it wasn’t right to try
and step into that world right now. He’d have to make sure that in the future
he was more careful and kept his distance. He couldn’t risk hurting her after
all she’d been through.

 
    **************************************************

 
       “Dinner was delicious, thank you Gram,” he
said awkwardly, after Gram had insisted he call her that. She convinced him
everyone did. He wasn’t so sure.
       “You are very welcome! Thanks for being our
guest. It’s not too often we get new blood in this town!” she smiled, lifting
some dishes from the table. She was a happy soul. AJ figured she and Helen must
have come from the same breed.
       “Let me help,” he insisted, picking up a
plate. Gram immediately placed her hand on his saying, “Nonsense. You’re our
guest.”
       As soon as she touched him her eyes darted to
his. She didn’t have a look of fear or shock like all the others did. She had a
look of knowing and it scared him. Her eyes almost seemed translucent. He
pulled his hand away, dropping a plate on the floor.
       “I’m so sorry,” he managed to get out,
kneeling down to begin picking up the broken pieces dotting the linoleum. “I’ll
get this cleaned up, right away.”
       “AJ, honey, it’s okay,” she said, kneeling down to his level. She looked at him until he met her
eyes with his. “It’s okay. Let me get this. Why don’t you go sit down a bit?”
       He was shaken. He sat down in his chair,
trying to pull it together so Addie might not notice. Luckily, she’d been in
the kitchen when it happened so she hadn’t seen everything. He was days into a
new town, and the last thing he wanted was to start standing out already.
       He heard Addie in the kitchen talking to
Gram, mentioning how she had to get going and get Rose home and in bed. Gram
told her to go on ahead, that she’d bring AJ home. There was some whispering,
and then Addie leaning around the doorframe to tell AJ goodnight. She wasn’t
going to get too close to him again after what happened. She needed simplicity
for awhile.
       “Night,” AJ said, smiling meekly at her. “Night Rose.”
       “Night Mr. AJ!” Rose
shouted, peeking with a giggle around the corner.
       He smiled, watching the screen door shut
behind them. When Gram came back out to the table she pulled out the chair
directly across from him and sat down. They stared at each other, not a word
being uttered, as if Gram was studying him.
       “You can’t work your charms on me,” Gram
said, releasing her stark stare into a smile.
       “Charms?” he said, trying to laugh. “I have
no charms. I’m lucky I have enough brains just to put two and two together.”
       The tension was only growing. The way she
looked at him was making him highly uncomfortable and he squirmed in his seat.
       “Yes, your… charms.
You could feel it, couldn’t you?”
       He thought about making a cougar joke, as he
would have normally done in a tense situation. Her stare suggested it wasn’t a
time for laughter.
       “What do you mean?” AJ said while attempting
to decipher what she knew. Had she heard about him on television? He leaned
forward in his chair, his