"Never As It Seems" by Shiloh Walker Now Available!!

Never As It Seems
by Shiloh Walker
· Ellora's Cave
· June 2010
· ISBN: 9781419928956

To Order "Never As It Seems" click the following link:http://www.jasminejade.com/m-171-shiloh-walker.aspx


About the Book

Three years after he walked away from her and broke her heart, Leo is back in Chloe’s life and that’s the last place she wants him. Not that she has any choice in the matter. She’s in big trouble. She needs somebody to watch her back and he’s the “somebody”.

Three years ago, Chloe dumped a bombshell in Leo’s lap. I’m psychic, she told him.

As if he was supposed to believe that. His world is black and white, and he doesn’t buy into that mumbo jumbo. Walking away from her damn near killed him, but he couldn’t be with somebody he couldn’t trust.

His new job? Keep Chloe safe. That’s it.

He’s not supposed to touch her. He’s not supposed to make love to her. He’s not supposed to want her…need her…love her.

But he can’t stop thinking about her, can’t stop dreaming about her. Now that she’s back in his life, he can’t keep his hands off her either.

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Excerpt from "Never As It Seems" by Shiloh Walker

Leo…

Feeling a pair of angry eyes boring into the back of her head, she carefully blanked her expression, willed her tight muscles to relax. Once she felt she could face him without showing some sign of how awful she felt, she turned around and looked at the one man she’d trusted enough to give her heart.

But he’d broken it. Thrown it at her feet and stomped on it.

And if that wasn’t enough, he’d called her a liar, a con artist, a thief.

It isn’t exactly fair that Leo Brant should still look so good, she thought. Yeah, yeah, it had only been three years, but as cruel as he’d been, as much as he’d hurt her, couldn’t fate have been kind and given him a paunch? A bald spot? Turned that long, lean body soft and mushy?

Even a few wrinkles.

But no, he looked as yummy now as he had the first time she’d seen him, nearly four years ago.

Black hair tumbling into his face, eyes almost as green as grass and sharp enough to cut, wide shoulders and narrow hips. He wasn’t particularly tall—only about five-seven but
Chloe was only five-two herself and she kind of liked having a man she didn’t have strain to look at. She’d loved resting her head on those shoulders, loved pressing her face against his neck and breathing in the warm, male scent of him. Loved waking in his arms, loved falling asleep next to him. Loved him.

She’d loved him. Plain and simple, and he’d broken her heart.

She wanted to yell at him. Wanted to throw herself at him and wrap her arms around his neck, kiss him until they lost their breath, strip him naked…

Then she wanted to beat him bloody, yell at him until she was hoarse. Then she wanted to cry.

More than anything, she wanted to cry.

He’d given her a glimpse of happiness and then he’d stolen it away from her. She still felt broken over it and she still wanted to scream and rant.

Because she suspected she might, she swallowed the knot in her throat. She could fake it. She’d been faking her way through things for most of her life. She’d pretended to be normal, pretended not to hear voices, pretended that her gift wasn’t as strong as it was, pretended it wasn’t more of a curse.

She could pretend her heart wasn’t turning to stone in her chest.

Sliding her tongue along her lower lip, she looked Leo over, head to toe and then back again. Once their eyes met, she gave him a slow smile and tugged her sunglasses off.

“Well hello, Leo. Long time, no see,” she drawled.

“Chloe.”

“Wow. You don’t sound happy to see me.” She gave him a look of mock innocence, though she knew just how not happy he was. He would rather be anywhere but here, assigned to any job but this one.

Not that she could really tell any of that from his mind, but she didn’t have to. It was written all over his face.
She’d never been able to read him all that easily, although she could…sometimes.

No, she’d gotten that off Dave. She might not be able to read Leo, but Dave? He was a bit easier to read.

“I’ve been explaining the basics of the situation to Leo, Chloe. Of course, it would be easier if somebody would explain more details to me.” He lifted a brow and said, “Could you maybe shed some light on the subject?”

“Hoffner said he’d already filled you in on the details.”

She studied her nails, frowning as she realized she’d
chipped the polish on just about every one of her nails and two of them were broken. One was broken right down to the quick, but she’d never even noticed.

Unconsciously, she started to twist one of the silver rings she wore, staring out the window.

“Hoffner said he couldn’t tell me much. He was still investigating things,” Dave said, drawing her attention back to him.

Investigating. Yes, she imagined he was. Trying to track down Mike Greely, trying to figure out what all he was involved in and how he was connected to a dead foster child. How all of that connected to Chloe and how that connected to the fire that had chased Chloe out of her home in the middle of the night three weeks ago.

Her throat started to burn as the memory of the smoke crept up to taunt her. She pressed her fingers against her tired eyes and tried not to think about what would happen if Hoffner decided it was too chancy to risk taking the word of a psychic.

So far, the police and the arson investigators weren’t too impressed with the idea that somebody had set the fire.

They were blaming faulty wiring. Greely did know his arsonists.

Blowing out a sigh, she looked at Dave and said, “I’m sorry but I promised the DA I wouldn’t discuss this with anybody until he’d done some poking around.”

Acid churned in her stomach and she rested a hand on her belly for a moment and then rooted around in the purse she carried. The mangled pack of Tums was almost empty. She’d have to talk her new jailor into stopping for more on the way to wherever he was going to keep her.

Keith Hoffner had warned her it could be a couple of weeks before he had anything concrete.

Weeks, she thought glumly.

She might have to spend weeks with Leo.

From the corner of her eye, she could see him watching her. And while she might not be able to read his mind, she could sure as hell feel the general state of it.

And he was pissed.

But there was something under that anger, and it was familiar, even after three years.

Heat.

She shivered and crossed her arms over her breasts, casually hiding her body’s reaction. The feel of her arms rubbing over her nipples was torment, but at least it was better than having him notice. And he would. Even as mad as he was, he was all too aware of her, she knew.

Just as she was aware of him.

Man, could she really handle this?



Copyright © 2010 Shiloh Walker


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