Chapter 50 Revelations
Revelations
She snuggled on Nick’s lap, with the evening air cooling around them and the rhythmic crash of waves providing a soothing backdrop. Nick spoke. “Kate, I need to tell you something.” His voice was flat, intense in a way that made her stomach clench.
She looked up at him, her mind still disjointed and fuzzy. Hadn’t they gone over everything already? What else could there be?
“Did you notice that Zach’s story… had a few holes?”
“Yes, but I figured I didn’t need to know every little detail.” Unease spread through Kate like spilled ink. Had something happened to her, or to one of them, that they hadn’t told her? “Is there something else I should know?”
Nick sighed, and his arms tightened around her, as though he needed the contact to steady himself. The tension radiating from him set her nerves on edge.
“If… if this relationship is going to go any further, you need to know something.” His voice was hesitant, almost halting, each word carefully chosen. “Zach didn’t tell you because it’s my story to share. But you deserve the truth.”
Her pulse quickened, thumping hard in her throat. Whatever he was about to say, it mattered. It mattered in a way that could change everything.
“All right,” she whispered. “Just say it.”
He took a deep breath, his chest expanding beneath her; his gaze locked on hers with an intensity that stole her own breath.
“I’m a telepath. I can pick up thoughts if they’re directed at me, or if someone’s emotions are loud.
I can also link minds with my brothers so we can communicate silently.
That’s how I knew you were missing. I heard you scream my name. ”
The words slid through her mind, surreal and impossible, like something out of one of her own novels. For a heartbeat, she wondered if the drug had messed with her brain, if she was hallucinating this entire conversation.
Kate blinked, trying to process. “I’m sorry—what?”
“I know it sounds crazy—”
“Crazy doesn’t even cover it,” she cut in, her voice high with disbelief. She tried to pull back, needing space to think, but he held her in place—not forcefully, but firmly enough that she couldn’t escape. “Telepath? You expect me to believe you can hear thoughts?”
He nodded, solemn. “Yes.” She searched his eyes for signs of a joke—a twitch of his lips, a sparkle of amusement—but only found concern and… fear? Was he afraid of how she’d react? Was he serious?
“Prove it,” she pressed, heart thudding in her chest like a drum. “If this isn’t some elaborate prank—prove it to me now.”
His eyes searched hers, then softened with something that looked like relief. “All right. Think of something—anything—and focus on sending it to me.”
Her mind skittered, blank. What was she supposed to think? What did sending a thought mean? She closed her eyes, trying to latch onto a thought, any thought. If this is real, my entire world just changed.
Nick’s voice, low and intimate, slid into her awareness—not through her ears, but somehow inside her head, resonating in a space she hadn’t known existed. I know. I’m sorry to drop this on you, but I needed you to know.
Her eyes flew open, breath catching. “Oh, my God. I heard you! In my head!” Her heart hammered against her ribs so strongly she thought they might crack.
“It’s real, Kate.” His thumb brushed her cheek, his touch achingly gentle, grounding her in the impossibility of the moment. “I would never lie to you about this.”
She swallowed hard, her throat dry despite the water she’d drunk. “How long? Since when?”
“The day after Zach, David, and I met. It… I started hearing thoughts from others at school. Teachers, mostly. We spent weeks trying to figure it out. It’s been part of my life ever since.”
A tremor rippled through her, starting deep in her core and spreading outward. The implications were staggering. “Have you… have you been listening to me? This whole time?” The violation of that possibility made her stomach turn.
“No!” The word was fierce, immediate, burning with sincerity.
“Never. Until today, I never heard a single thought from you. I think you have a natural shield—many do. I can’t just read minds: I only hear loud thoughts, or those deliberately sent to me, and even then only within a relatively short distance.
Normally, that’s about a half mile tops, but you were further away.
” Nick frowned as he thought that over. “Maybe because you screamed?”
She searched his face, looking for any flicker of deceit, any sign that he was manipulating her, but only steady, unguarded truth shone in those emerald eyes.
Kate pressed her hand over her eyes, her breath shuddering out. The world tilted on its axis. “God, Nick. This is… a lot. I don’t know what to do with it. Who knows?”
“You don’t have to do anything.” His voice was rough with emotion. “I just needed you to know who I am. All of it. You deserve that. As for who, just David and Zach.”
“Not Marguerite?”
“No. We’ve never told anyone what we can do.”
For a long moment, she remained silent, letting it sink in—the sheer magnitude of trusting someone with a secret like this.
A part of her, still afraid, whispered it was too much, too strange, too impossible.
Deeper down, something steadier reminded her he could have hidden it forever—and hadn’t.
He’d trusted her with something that could destroy him.
He’d only known she was missing because he heard her scream. What if he hadn’t?
“We. The others can do it too?”
“No, the telepathy is mine. They do have their own talents, but that’s for them to tell.”
She lowered her hand and met his uneasy gaze, seeing the vulnerability there, the fear of rejection. “I don’t understand it, and honestly, it scares me a little. But… thank you for trusting me enough to tell me.”
Relief flickered across his features like sunrise breaking through clouds. Some of the tension drained from his shoulders, and he let out a long breath.
“Most people would run screaming,” he admitted, a sheepish smile tugging at his mouth.
Kate huffed out a disbelieving laugh, the sound bubbling up from somewhere deep. “Nick, I write paranormal romance for a living. Telepathic billionaires are basically my brand. Now I’m wondering if I should relabel my books as non-fiction.”
A startled chuckle escaped him, rich and warm, vibrating through his chest into hers. “That’s… weirdly reassuring.”
She nudged his shoulder playfully. “Although next time you guys negotiate a contract with some unsuspecting CEO, you’d better warn them you’re cheating.”
He grinned, a glint of boyish mischief dancing in his eyes. “It’s not cheating. It’s… a strategic advantage.”
“Oh, so that’s what we’re calling it?” She shook her head, but her heart lightened, the weight lifting. “You realize I’m going to write this into a book one day, right? A mind-reading control freak who thinks he’s smooth.”
His brows shot up, mock-affronted. “Control freak? Really?”
She just laughed and leaned into him, her cheek resting against the solid warmth of his chest. “I’m serious. It’s too good not to use.”
He pressed a kiss on the top of her head, his lips warm. “Fine. As long as I get an autographed copy.”
They sat in silence for a few moments, the breeze from the gulf ruffling her hair and carrying the scent of salt and jasmine.
His heart beat steadily under her palm, a constant rhythm that seemed to sync with her own.
She’d never imagined finding someone who could turn her world upside down in all the best ways—and still make her laugh about it.
She picked up the rescue story again. “So, you heard me, and that started you guys looking for me. What else did Zach skip that I should know?”
“Not much. I touch-read the mind of the maintenance guy that messed with you at the spa, and got flashes, images of the guy who hired him, his jeep, and a comment from the conversation. From that, David hacked a satellite and located the jeep. When we went to rescue you, I held the mind link open so we could communicate silently as we approached to get you. It’s handy that way. ”
Nick turned a boyish grin her way. “And yes, it has been very handy in negotiations when we three can talk to each other as much as we want without anyone knowing!”
Kate laughed, the sound light and genuine. “I think I’m jealous. What a cool ability to have!”
“It is pretty cool. We can discuss it more later. I have one more thing I need to tell you.” Nick’s voice was earnest again, snapping Kate’s attention to him. The shift in his tone made her breath catch.
“I love you, Kate. More than anything in this world. I have loved you from the moment I laid eyes on you, but I stupidly tried to ignore it. Now, I can’t imagine my life without you.”
His words hit Kate like a thunderbolt, crackling through her entire body.
A surge of emotion welled up—fierce and overwhelming, threatening to spill over.
Her throat tightened, and tears pricked at the corners of her eyes.
She had been falling for Nick from the minute they met, but had been too afraid to admit it, too afraid of what it might mean, too afraid of being hurt again.
Kate looked into his eyes—those beautiful emerald eyes that saw right through her defenses—and knew she loved him, too. With every fiber of her being, every beat of her heart, she loved him.
She loved the way he held her close to him, like she was the most precious thing in the world.
She loved the way he made her laugh, even when her world was falling apart.
She loved the way he challenged her, the way he made her feel strong, like she could conquer anything with him by her side.
Most of all, she loved the way he loved her back—completely, fiercely, and without reservation.
Nick was not just a partner, but her soulmate. And she knew, without a shadow of a doubt, that she wanted to spend the rest of her life with him.
“Nick,” Kate breathed, her voice a trembling whisper, yet unwavering in its conviction. “I love you too.”
As she spoke those words, she laughed and threw her arms around Nick’s neck, tears of happiness spilling down her cheeks. She had never been so happy, so content, so completely and utterly loved. As long as she had Nick by her side, nothing could ever hurt her again.
Her lips met his as naturally as breathing, the kiss sweet and urgent and perfect. Joy raced through her veins like wildfire, igniting every nerve ending. His lips pressed warm and firm against hers, tasting of coffee and something uniquely him.
When Nick’s lips parted from hers—minutes or hours later, she couldn’t say—Kate found herself lost in his emerald gaze, drowning in the love burning there. Her heart overflowed, too full to contain.
Nick drew her even closer, his arms wrapping around her in a fierce embrace that bordered on desperate. “Whatever you need, Kate. I’ll be there. Always.” Their bodies pressed together, the strength of his muscles hard against her own, the solid wall of his chest, the warmth radiating from him.
With a gentle touch, Nick lifted her chin, his fingers calloused but tender against her skin.
His eyes met hers once more. There was a look of longing in his gaze, a desire to express the full extent of his feelings.
And then, as if he could no longer hold back, his lips descended upon hers in a passionate kiss that stole the breath from her lungs.
It was unlike any kiss Kate had ever experienced.
There was a fierceness, a hunger that spoke to the depths of their souls and made her toes curl.
His mouth moved over hers with an urgency that thrilled her, claiming her.
Nick’s tongue teased at her lips, and she opened to him, their tongues intertwining in a dance both exhilarating and arousing.
Heat pooled low in her belly, spreading through her limbs like honey.
As the kiss continued, Kate lost herself in a whirlwind of emotion—desire and love and need all tangled together until she couldn’t separate one from the other.
When they pulled apart, she was breathless, her heart pounding like a wild thing.
She had found something rare in him, a connection that she never wanted to let go, something extraordinary and precious and worth fighting for.
And as she gazed into his eyes, it was clear the feeling was mutual—it was written all over his face and blazed from his gorgeous emerald eyes like a beacon.
This was a love that would sustain them through whatever trials and tribulations lay ahead, a bond forged in fire that would see them through to the end.