Page 10 of Controlled Chaos

Chapter 6

Porter

Porter gotout of his car and headed for the door to his condo. He’d chosen this specific apartment because it was more secluded than some of the other ones he’d researched while in town. It was his home away from home when visiting his sister, where he still needed the seclusion and the privacy. Isolation and discretion were precious commodities. A fact his father had instilled in him.

Sometimes he felt sorry for his dad, knowing exactly what he’d gone through, what the stares of sexy and beautiful women could do to a man’s ego and how easily it was to get lost in the mirage. It was a wonder he’d stayed faithful to Porter’s mom until the day he died.

Porter had learned the hard way why he needed to keep people at a distance, never knowing if someone liked him for who he was or the pheromone he emitted.

This street had one woman on it. A housewife that lived two doors down. He cursed beneath his breath and pasted on a fake smile as he got out of the car. Normally he could make it inside if he timed it just right, but today it looked as though his lucky streak wasn’t holding out.

The neighbor glanced up at him before returning her gaze to tending the weeds in her flower bed.

It took him a minute to realize what was going on.

His gaze flew to his condo door, and he lifted a brow.

There were no signs of intruders. No signs of forced entry.

He used his key and closed the door behind him. “You changed your mind?”

Clara stepped around the corner and into the foyer. Her hands were clasped in front of her as she leaned against the wall. “What gave me away?”

“The neighbor didn’t offer sex,” Porter answered, letting his gaze slide down Clara’s body and back up.

“Does that disappoint you?” she asked.

His lips twitched. “It’s a welcome reprieve.” He walked past her into the kitchen to find the table set for dinner, his favorite beverage of choice and an envelope sitting next to it.

“I thought you might be hungry.”

“You thought?” His lips twitched as he held in a smile. He was hungry for food and her help, and if this was the game he needed to play, he’d paste on a smile and let her run this show. His stomach grumbled, giving her the answer.

“Okay, so it was more than a thought. I knew you were hungry. See, when you aren’t around, I can sense things.” She took a seat at the end of the table, farthest from him.

“Do you often break into stranger’s houses and surprise them with dinner?” Porter asked.

“Only for my brothers, but even then, I don’t cook.” Clara moved the napkin to her lap and waited patiently, watching his every move until Porter sat down.

“Let me guess. My sister changed your mind?” he asked, twisting off the top of the root beer sitting next to his plate.

At her end of the table, Clara poured a glass of wine that she must have brought with her. The distance between them might as well have been her on one side of the Grand Canyon, with him on the other.

“She tried, but ultimately it wasn’t her. It was you.”

He raised a brow and lifted the metal dome resting over his plate to find a steak and potatoes beneath. The scent of it earned another rumble from his stomach. She hadn’t cooked. She’d ordered in. “What was it that I said to convince you?”

She lifted her silver dome to reveal a bowl of delicate chicken fettuccine, and he grinned.

“I negate your voodoo, and you negate my visions. At first, that didn’t sound like anything I wanted to be a part of. Me without my visions is a scary thought.”

“So, if it scared you, then what are you doing here?”

“Do you block everyone’s abilities, or is it just mine?”

“Everyone I’m near.” Porter cut into his steak, unable to wait. He speared it with his fork. “Why?”

“I could use a vacation away from prying eyes.”

---