Page 46 of A Sinful Trap

Chapter Eleven

Bailey tried to get her hands to stop shaking enough to start the truck. How the hell did she shut this crazy telepathy shit off?

She’d been halfway up the hill on her way to their place when the first wave of desire had torn through her body, strong enough to make her swerve onto the shoulder. She’d barely gotten the truck parked in the shadow of a vacant house before she was hit with another blast of it, along with an image of Cam and Davide having sex in their kitchen.

She’d felt everything they did. Every caress. Every thrust. She’d had three orgasms before she’d been able to come up for air. It was the most intense sexual fantasy of her life. Too intense. Cam’s thoughts and Davide’s were clear in her mind, and so different from her own that it reminded her of what Liam told her about Stax being in Dani’s head.

What had the coyote said to her again? “Being safe isn’t enough anymore, so be brave. And no matter what you see, don’t forget to listen.”

He was the only magical creature she knew other than the spider, and that one wasn’t talking. Was he doing this? Why give her a glimpse of Cam and Davide’s most intimate moments? Why let them see her in return? Was it some kind of game to him?

Don’t forget to listen.

She wasn’t sure what possessed her or what she expected to happen, but she closed her eyes and opened her mind. She wasn’t Kaya. She wasn’t even the Divine Darla. But if she was connected to them the way Kaya had claimed, then maybe…

Don’t make me choose. I can’t lose him.

The thought stabbed at her like a knife, pinning her to her seat. The barrage of images that followed left her sobbing.

Thirty years. Thirty years of love and fights and passion. How could they have been together for that long? Longer than she’d been alive. How old were they? And how had she seen so much of their life together in less than a few heartbeats?

She’d thought they were just rich and bored—too beautiful to be called average, but still human. Human, bisexual, fancy-booted real estate tycoons. That would have been wild enough for her.

But they weren’t human. Not even close. They could turn into animals on command. Holy shit.

“This isn’t real,” she told herself, fighting the urge to panic.

She’d go to their place right now and find them fully dressed and surrounded by their entourage. They’d be surprised to see her and they wouldn’t have a clue she’d just been masturbating in her truck down the road, because they weren’t psychically connected. That would be all the proof she’d need that this was all in her head. What a relief it would be to only need therapy.

She finally started her truck and was about to put it in gear when her phone rang. “Shit.” She wanted to ignore it, but the ringtone told her it was coming from her inn. “Damn it.”

She sucked in a trembling breath as her numb fingers fumbled with the phone. “Cyndy? Now’s not the best time.”

“This is Ava. And you don’t sound so good, Bailey. Are you okay?”

“I’m fine.” Her voice cracked and she leaned her forehead against the steering wheel. “Where’s Cyndy? She said she could stay for a few more hours. Did something happen?”

“She’s here.” Ava’s hesitation made her stomach knot. “We’ve had some excitement that I thought you might be interested in.”

Meaning Cyndy hadn’t agreed. “Lay it on me.”

“Well, I was prepping for dinner when Dani showed up with an older gentleman she said was Kaya’s grandfather,” she started.

Will was at her inn? The grandfather who’d literally walked away from the reservation and appeared at Kaya’s house back when Dani needed help with her Liam situation? “Why?”

And why was Dani with him instead of Kaya?

“The ghosts, dear.” Ava sounded utterly unfazed, as if she were still discussing her evening menu. “She says he’s got a talent for talking to them. Unfortunately, a few of the guests heard her mention what he was planning and decided to join him in the attic.”

“What?” She was losing her mind. First pornographic delusions of shifters, and now this? “Who is in the attic? Don’t answer that, I already know. How did Mr. Olyphant even get up there without stairs? I know he didn’t use the ladder from the shed.”

“That last part was going to be your surprise, Bailey. Alwin—you know him. He’s got a thing for my roast beef, so I told him about our missing ladder problem and he got right on it. It was installed before Dani arrived.”

“The cooking carpenter, Alwin?” He’d worked at the resort with Jace and Liam before starting his own carpentry business this year. At least she remembered that. It was a good sign that some part of her brain was still working. “He installed a new ladder in the attic?”

“That’s right,” Ava said cheerfully. “It’s very sturdy, and it even has a handrail. I was impressed. And he says there’s no charge as long as he’s invited over for dinner every once in a while.”

Bailey dug her throbbing forehead deeper into the wheel. “He’s got an open invitation.” She was still going to pay him. He was a good guy, but that wasn’t up for negotiation. “So, we have a ladder and two old men in our attic as we speak?”

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