Naughty Karma: Karmic Consultants, Book 7 Read Online Free Page A

asked, his voice seeming to come at her from all sides at once. “Why this stubbornness?”
    She struggled to reclaim her brain, tried to remember the logical reasons why any sort of interaction with Prometheus was dangerous, reckless. Karma was never reckless. She was calm. She was control. Restraint was power. Control was its own reward.
    So why did Prometheus’s finger, just a single finger, stroking the nape of her neck in slow, deliberate lines, make all her careful control unravel? Why did her neatly organized thoughts scatter? It wasn’t chemistry; it was something else, something much more dangerous.
    Temptation .
    That was why she could never say yes.
    Which was selfish. Was she really refusing to help him, refusing to save his life , just because she was afraid he was the one man who could corrupt her? Was she really such a coward?
    “Please, Karma.”
    Was she denying him because deep down she wanted nothing more than to be close to him, to bask in the seductive proximity of his power, and she was terrified of letting that part have its way?
    “Okay.”
    The word was barely audible. It invited him closer. Prometheus leaned in, his breath brushing against her face in ways that made her want to press against him and revel in his warmth like a cat. “What was that?”
    “I’ll do it. I’ll help you reclaim your heart.”
    The lights flashed and she felt that power surge zap through her shoulder blades where they touched the glass door. An invisible energy snapped shut around her, her own words the key that locked her prison as she felt the spell surge. A gasp ripped from her throat.
    Prometheus stepped back, returning her space to her own care, a smile curling his lips that made what she felt a pathetic cousin to uneasiness.
    “What. Did. You. Do?”
    He shrugged, the graceful raise of his shoulders distinctly Gallic. “Just made sure you keep your promises.”
    “ I’m not the untrustworthy one,” she snarled at him. “I said I would help you and I will. For a price.”
    “Ah, we’ve come to the mercenary portion of the evening. My favorite.”
    “My earlier terms still apply. You will stop harassing my people and protect them from any harm, you will make amends and you will use your powers for good. By working for me.”
    “Could be amusing. For how long?”
    Karma considered for a moment. “Three weeks.”
    “One.”
    “Three. One of my best finders is backlogged—” and currently being harassed by the FBI. Which reminded Karma she needed to call the regional office on Monday and tell her Jewelry and Gemstone recovery liaison to rein in his new boy. A million little problems. She didn’t have time for Prometheus’s needy it’s-all-about-me bullshit. “—and the other is on his honeymoon. No one will be able to start looking for your heart for a few weeks anyway.”
    “Ten days.”
    “Three weeks,” she snapped, refusing to budge.
    “You don’t seem to understand how to barter. I’ll give you two.”
    “You don’t seem to understand that this isn’t a negotiation. Three. You’re a businessman. You must realize this is a good bargain for you. Three weeks in exchange for your life.”
    “Three weeks of being good in exchange for anything sounds absolutely unreasonable.”
    “Take the deal, Prometheus.”
    “You already said you would help me.”
    “I agreed to help. I didn’t say how hard I was going to try.”
    He cursed softly. “Three weeks?”
    “Three weeks of shining, angelic behavior and I will tear hell apart to reclaim your heart.” He would be one of hers, if he lasted the three weeks, and there was nothing she didn’t do for her people.
    “Done.” The word held an eerie finality.
    Satisfaction lurched against her, more forcefully than she’d anticipated. “Excellent. I’ll expect you at my offices first thing Monday morning. I trust you know where they are?”
    He smiled. “You trust correctly.”
    She nodded, trying to look professional, like his