Empath, by Bonnie Dee

Part of Samhain’s Gifted anthology, Empath is a novella length contemporary romance, with a touch of the paranormal. It centers on Jordan, an empath who has grown to resent his ability to the point of living as a virtual hermit in order to avoid contact with others’ feelings, and Lauren, a police detective whose trust on her ability to accurately judge people’s characters—essential to her job—has been badly shaken by experience.

This is an adult story, which uses graphic language and contains explicit sex scenes, so minors shouldn’t read further—nor should people who object to either the language or the content.

And with that out of the way, this is the blurb from the publisher’s site:

How to trust him…when she can’t even trust herself?

Jordan Langley thought he could deal with his empathic “gift”—until a traumatic event drove him into seclusion. As a hermit, he can avoid a world that tears his own emotions to shreds. But now a friend needs his help to reach an autistic boy who witnessed a murder.

Detective Lauren Sadler specializes in blocking her emotions so she can do her job. She can’t deny Jordan’s ability to reach the troubled boy, but she hadn’t counted on how his touch affects her.

In the midst of the investigation, Jordan and Lauren break their own rules, sharing a night of passion that shatters all their barriers. Jordan is intrigued by the vulnerability and self-doubt he senses underneath Lauren’s tough exterior.

But Lauren isn’t sure if she’s ready to yield to the power of the most intimate exchange she has ever known. Even if it’s the only way to catch a killer.

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