My body rode a rollercoaster of emotion.

I immediately felt embarrassed that he’d known what I really thought about him, which was then made even worse by the humiliating possibility that he’d been aware of my earlier appreciation of his physical attributes, but then I got angry. The buzzing in my ears had morphed into a headache and I was rapidly approaching some inner line in the sand. I hadn’t given him permission to stroll through my mind or to inconvenience me with his unexpected presence or his side-show antics. Since I had no intention of taking him on as a client, I felt justified in letting myself have a reaction.

I held onto the arms of the chair so tightly that my fingers blanched whiter than normal.

“That’s quite a clever parlor trick. Are you a mind reader? A psychic?” There was more heat in my voice than I’d intended.

Something is very wrong here. I’ve never had this reaction to any client, ever. I’ve never gotten angry at a client before. I’ve never been so attracted to a client before. This is unnatural.

“You are angry. Once again, I apologize for upsetting you. It is my nature to be able to read the thoughts and sense the emotions of others. It has always been that way for me, even before I was born into darkness. I cannot be other than I am. All vampires are telepathic, but not all are as skilled as I am. It is one of my gifts. I can teach you to shield your thoughts if you wish.”

“Can’t you just stay out of my mind?” I demanded, much louder than I’d meant to. I couldn’t honestly say I believed he’d read my mind, because that just wasn’t possible, but I had to admit I couldn’t explain how he knew what I was thinking. Not being able to explain it made me nervous.

His lips curved, and he and gave another bow of his head.

“With most humans, there is little pull to their thoughts. Their minds are filled with ordinary, meaningless details and I can easily turn my attention elsewhere. But your mind is very powerful and you have your own abilities that you have not acknowledged yet. That is a very strong attraction for me. But I will do my best to stay out of your mind.”