STORY EXCERPT

The driveway was fairly steep, and Gideon had to brace his hand on his leg to help him climb up the hill. The fire had damaged the tendons and muscles in his left leg as well as scarring the side of his body. He could walk for hours, but climbing hills or stairs was torturous. When he reached the front porch, he paused again before ringing the bell. He wanted to catch his breath and pull himself together before seeing his brother. He didn’t want Bryce to know about the lingering effects of his injury. The fact that he couldn’t hide the scars on his face was bad enough.

Gideon turned to look out over the Seattle skyline. The pretty little house in Queen Anne set high enough for Gideon to see twilight settle like a blanket on the city. Seattle was no longer his city to protect and serve, but he never lost his appreciation for it. He was startled when the door opened behind him. He expected his brother to open the door and was unprepared for what he found when he turned around.

My God, she’s beautiful.

He couldn’t stop the thought and was surprised to find that he almost said the words out loud. There was something familiar about her, but he couldn’t place it. The only thing average about her was her height. She stood a little under five and a half feet tall and had dark-brown hair that swung down in gentle curls. One long tress was startlingly white. It lay across her full breast so that the slight curl at the end seemed to hug the tip of it. Her body was lush like a woman’s should be. Her eyes were a deep ocean blue, and upon further notice, as blank and distant as slate.

“Miss Kallan?”

“Yes. You must be Bryce’s brother, Gideon. Please come in.” Raina opened the door and gestured him in. She was smiling and facing his direction as though she was looking at him. “Bryce is in the living room. Can I take your coat?”

Gideon looked at her sharply. “How do you know I have a coat?” She smiled so that a dimple appeared in her cheek. “Magic,” she said. She laughed at his silence. “OK, I figured that, since there was a possibility of snow tonight, it must be cold enough for a coat.”

Gideon felt like an ass. “Sorry,” he said as he shrugged out of his coat.

Raina just laughed again. “I wish I had seen your face when I said ‘magic.’ I bet it was priceless.”

Her laugh was contagious. Gideon chuckled.

He was amazed that she referred to her blindness so casually, and even more amazed that he wasn’t uncomfortable with it. Whenever he had to deal with someone who had a disability, he found himself trying to ignore it, yet feeling like it was the invisible elephant in the room. It was just like Bryce had said. She made him feel comfortable immediately.

“There was no mirror around, so I missed it, too, but I’m sure it was quite a sight.” As soon as he said it he realized it must have been true. Expressions that his undamaged face used to wear comfortably often looked grotesque now. The scarring on his face did the same thing it did on his leg.

She must have sensed his discomfort, because her voice became gentle as she took the coat from him. “I’ll just hang this up, and we can head down to the living room.” Before hanging his coat up, she turned and typed a code into the small box next to the door. Gideon saw the light flash from green to red. Then she turned and placed the jacket on the hook. She led the way down the long hallway toward the living room. If he hadn’t known she was blind, he never would have guessed.

He walked into the comfortable living room to find his brother sitting on the overstuffed couch, shoes off, feet on the coffee table. The rest of the room was spotless, so Gideon didn’t think Bryce had been there long. He had a way of leaving debris behind in his wake. Gideon was a bit discomforted by the sight of his brother looking so casual. He wasn’t sure why, exactly.

“Hey, Gideon. Right on time.” Bryce didn’t bother to get up, but just waved at his brother from the couch. Bryce was a little taller and slimmer than Gideon. He had the same moss-colored eyes, but unlike Gideon’s piercing gaze, Bryce’s eyes had a dreaminess to them. He had the eyes of a scholar or a poet. Gideon had the eyes of a warrior.

“Can I get you something to drink?” Raina asked.

“No, thanks. I hope you don’t mind, but I took the liberty of getting a copy of the police reports this afternoon.” Gideon sat and put the folder on an old wooden chest she kept for a coffee table.

“I don’t mind at all. Did you have any problem getting them?” she asked as she sat and reached for the teapot sitting on the table. It had been a long time since he’d seen a tea set with a cozy, china cups, and all. In addition to what looked like an old-fashioned tea set, the living room was also decorated with antiques.

“The only thing I couldn’t get was a copy of your medical files,” Gideon said.

Raina looked surprised. “Why would you want those?”

She didn’t sound defensive, just curious, so he answered matter-of-factly, “I think they might solve a puzzle for me. I had a look at Michelle’s postmortem, and I think I might have an idea of what caused your vision problems. If I’m right, you have a big problem on your hands.”

ADULT EXCERPT

Gideon paused on the threshold of the darkened bedroom. Raina walked into the shadows of the room. A moment later he heard the hiss of a match as she lit a candle by the bed. She moved to the dresser to light several more. Before he knew it, the room was ablaze with soft candlelight.

“I can’t see it,” she said, “but I love the smell.”

Gideon stepped into the room and was enveloped in the scent of sandalwood and vanilla.

Raina stopped in the middle of the room and pulled her top over her head. Wasting no time, she reached around to unhook her bra. The cool air danced over her skin, causing her nipples to tighten.

Gideon stood just inside the doorway and watched her undress. When he saw the plump nipples harden into tight buds, he groaned. Although they weren’t touching, the tension in the room rose at the sound.

Raina didn’t stop until she was naked. Her clothes were in a pile right next to her, and she stood still in the center of the room.

Abruptly, Gideon realized that he had been standing there like an idiot watching her undress. He didn’t try to help or even shuck his own clothes. He walked into the room until he was in front of her.

He was afraid to touch her, afraid that if he laid his hands on her, he’d simply lay her down, tuck her lush body under his, and slam into her like an animal. His cock was painfully hard and throbbing.

To give himself relief, he unbuttoned and unzipped his jeans, but he didn’t remove them. Instead, he leaned down, and without touching her anywhere else on her body, drew her nipple into his mouth.

Raina cried out. She grabbed his head and pulled him tighter to her. He put his hands on her ribcage and held her still while he sucked. He could have stayed there all night, but she became impatient. She started tugging at his shirt and making mewling sounds.

Suddenly eager to have her hands on him, Gideon pulled back and yanked off his shirt. Raina ran her hands over his chest. Before he could pull her into an embrace, she began almost frantically pushing down his pants.

Gideon’s cock sprang free with a sigh of relief from him. Raina didn’t push his pants all the way down. As soon as he was free, she slid her hand around to grasp him firmly.

The feel of her cool hands on his overheated flesh was almost enough to set him off. He felt like a teenager, randy and ready to shoot his load just from her touch. He let her explore him, running her fingers down the thick vein of his cock, cupping his tight balls, spreading the drop of pre-cum on his head with the tip of her finger. When she took him into her grasp and started to give him long pumping strokes, he stilled her hand.

If you do that, it’ll be over before we can even get started.

She gave him one last pump and moved her hand, sliding it around to his ass. As she did, he pulled her in for a kiss. When their naked bodies touched, they both groaned.

“You feel so fucking good,” he said, not even noticing the language. He kissed her and tried moving her toward the bed. He had forgotten that his pants weren’t all the way off and almost tripped, tumbling them both to the floor.

Raina laughed. “Sorry, I was in too much of a rush to get my hands on you to take them off.”

Gideon stepped back and pulled off his pants and boxers. He quickly tugged his socks off. Then he picked her up and laid her on the bed.

“My God, you’re beautiful.” Gideon lay down, careful not to crush her, and began kissing her. He was alternating long kisses with little nibbles and sucks. While he was waging his sensuous assault on her mouth, his hand was traveling all over her body. He stroked her like a cat, long slow strokes from her neck to her belly. Then he ran the palm of his hand over her nipple. When she arched her back at that, he pinched it lightly.

Finally, he slid his hand between her legs. Her thighs opened eagerly. When he slid his finger over her entrance, he found her wet and ready. He circled her clitoris with the pad of his finger, occasionally dipping his finger inside her slightly to keep it wet. When she started to rotate her hips against him, he picked up the pace. She began to shudder, and he slid his forefinger in her tight opening while continuing to work her nub with his thumb. She let out a long high-pitched screech while her muscles spasmed around his finger. He kept pace with her until her body went limp.

“I’m sorry,” he said. “I can’t wait anymore. I don’t have a condom, but I haven’t been with anyone since I’ve been checked out.” He didn’t say anything about pregnancy because he didn’t want her to know that he saw the note in her file.

“I’m clean, too, and I can’t get pregnant. I need to feel you inside me.”