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tight lines. “She’s not actually here, Everly.” There was a long pause. “Is she?”
    I bit my cheek to keep the laughter in. There had been a touch of hysteria in his question, and for the first time since we’d tumbled into bed together my man had gone completely limp. “Ah, no. Not in the room with us, but the image was vibrant. Not surprising since Makani was a skilled kahuna. Remember when she left me those holographic images of herself at her old home site? I can’t even imagine how much psychic energy that took, and I draw a hefty amount when I’m doing healing work.” I glanced down. “The naked house tour isn’t working so well for either of us.”
    “It’s late.” Pierce’s stomach let out a loud rumble. “Quick tour, food, shower, bed. You can explore more tomorrow.”
    Now that he’d mentioned food, I realized I was starving. “Good plan, except there’s probably not much to eat here.”
    “There’s fresh fruit, cheese, and drinks in refrigerator.” His mouth clamped into a thin line.
    I gave him the squint-eye. “Where did it come from? Surely you didn’t have time to grocery shop between texting me and my arrival here. Not if you checked out both the property and the house.”
    Guilt poured off him in huge waves. “Right. It was stocked. Spotted it when I cleared the house.”
    Curiosity, impatience, and anger tumbled around in my brain. “Who the hell was in my house? And probably before I even knew I had a house.”
    He shrugged. “Didn’t see anyone.”
    “Damn it all.” I stalked into the bathroom, mummied myself in a bath sheet, and motioned for Pierce to lead the way. “Kitchen first.”
    Pierce flicked on lights as we passed through the living room, through an archway, and into a huge kitchen with brand spanking new modern appliances. Someone had been working overtime in here. Without so much as a glance at Pierce, I revved my fingers and headed for the refrigerator, and then planted my hand on the door.
    A clear image popped up. Recent. And it left no doubt about exactly who had been in the house.
    “Millie.”

FOUR

    I PRESSED MY HAND SO tight againstthe refrigerator door that my fingertips left four shallow, fleeting dents in the surface. There were no more images. “How did Millie get here?” I barely breathed the words, then whirled to face Pierce. “You knew she was here. Was that my surprise?”
    In a classic move his hands reached for pants pockets, but brushed against bare thighs. No place to hide. “If I’d known I would have told you. I suspected it was Aukele, and no, not the surprise.”
    My attention hadn’t moved from the middle of Tynan’s body. “Maybe, um, go wrap a towel around your waist, or something.” I didn’t really want him to cover those luscious muscles and man parts, but if he didn’t we wouldn’t make it through our snack and a house tour. And both were rapidly becoming critical.
    His grin was pure ready-to-rumble male. “I’m part of you now, Everly. No towel’s gonna cover what your fingers have memorized.”
    I blew out a sigh. “Right. Do it anyway. Please.”
    He didn’t bother to hide his grin before he headed for the bathroom.
    It took several deep breaths to clear my mind before I could focus on the task at hand. Should I approach it methodically, or follow my intuition? Tough call. Not completely trusting my intuition, I went for methodical and started with the counter closest to me, jerked my hand away.
    Pierce strolled back into the kitchen, towel secured around his waist, took one look at me, and lost the grin. “What?”
    “The scars. From the accident.” My stomach knotted with empathic pain and sorrow. “They cover Millie’s hands and forearms. Dear heaven, the agony she must have endured.”
    He covered my hand with his. Heat and courage flooded into me, and stirred a fresh round of questions. Was sending comfort through touch another of his gifts? No. It was love. Just. Pure. Love. This man had the