Page 52 of The Heir
“Yes.”
“Okay, good!” My head was exploding with names and faces of men my sister might be in love with, but I’d never seen her flirt with anyone, so I gave up. “What about Victor?”
Linea tilted her head. “Victor? What about him?”
“Did you read his mind like I asked you to? I got into a massive argument with him today right after you and Indiana left. The idiot seems to think France should have special treatment when it comes to trade agreements. He has little to bargain with and still acts as if he sits on a pile of gold.”
“Hmm… I did pick up on a few interesting things about Victor, but it’s nothing related to your trade dealings.”
“Then what is it?”
“Let’s see.” Linea tapped her chin and looked up at the corner of the wall as if clearing her mind. “He doesn’t like it when his people praise and admire him. It happened a few times when we walked to the night club and it made him uncomfortable.”
“Okay. What else did you pick up on?”
“Hmm… some things related to his sexual preferences. Are you interested in that?”
“Fuck no!” I wrinkled my nose. “Why would you pick up on useless shit like that? What we need is information that can help us outsmart him in the trade dealings! Maybe you need to sharpen your abilities a little.”
“But that’s the thing, Thor. I don’t read minds like you think I do. I read energy and that’s different.”
“You read my mind. Several times.”
“It was more of a lucky guess. I can pick up moods and sometimes a word or two will pop into my head. My mom and I finish each other’s sentences but it’s not as if I can look at Victor and read his every thought.”
“Hmm… let’s do a test. See if you can read my mind.”
Linea inhaled deeply and shook her hands while pushing out the air in her lungs. “Okay. Let me get comfortable first.” Taking off her shoes, she curled her feet up under her and sat in a meditation position with her body turned toward me.
“You ready?” I asked.
Pushing her hair back and twisting it to stay behind her shoulders, Linea closed her eyes. “Let me just center myself. All right. Go ahead.”
I stared into her eyes and thought about something to focus on. Maybe a compliment?
If I was honest there was a long list of things that I admired about her. Linea’s beauty was obvious to everyone but the thing that stood out to me was how safe I felt with her. With my position in life came a suspicion of people’s motives for wanting to be my friend. I had learned the hard way that often people’s interest in me was less about me and more about what I could do for them. Linea had never tried to charm me, and she was always unapologetic in our confrontations. I appreciated her authenticity.
“Your energy feels scattered, Thor. Are you focusing on one thing?”
“No. Sorry. Maybe I should just ask you a question.”
“Yes. And repeat it in your mind.”
“All right.” I studied her amazing silver-gray eyes with the specks of white, gold, gray, and green that reminded me of star formations in a great cosmos. “Wow,” I breathed.
“Wow what?”
“Your eyes are extraordinary. It’s like you have every color in there. I never noticed that.”
“Maybe because you’re usually busy yelling at me. Now focus on your question.”
“Right.” I straightened up and tried to think of something simple.Do you likeapples, no, bananas… no, I’ll stick with apples or I’ll confuse her.My mind was all over the place as I studied her features up close. Back in January when I’d walked into the library and seen Linea again after ten years, I’d found her pretty but reserved for a Motlander. It hadn’t taken long for me to realize she wasn’t cold to everyone; just me. Then a few days later when we tested the personalities of the Explorer candidates, I’d watch her flirt with all of them. Freya said it was Linea’s strategy in order to get them to open up so she could determine if they were the right fit for the job. Still, it had annoyed the hell out of me. To see Linea smile and laugh with all those people when all I got was disdain and disinterest had frustrated me. After that day, she had been in my thoughts often. Especially my private thoughts.
That time she came to get me in the Motherlands, she had guessed right when she said I’d obsessed about her. Not that I’d wanted to, but there was something mysterious and fascinating about Linea. Our heated arguments had inspired daily fantasies about how I would like to solve those disagreements.
Sitting so close to her now, I focused on her cute pixie ears, her long eyelashes, the perfect shape of her nose, and those gorgeous lips that had tasted amazing when I kissed her.
The front of my pants tightened, and I wasn’t thinking about fruit anymore. The question on my mind had shifted to,What would you do if I kissed you?
