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you're talking about."

"CALM DOWN?" I shrieked. "No, I won't calm down. You're using sex as a tool to keep me in control." Roberto scowled, "That's absurd."

"Is it? Every time I'm upset or angry you start kissing me and turning my anger or sadness or whatever into lust." He rolled his eyes at me, "And why is that a bad thing Olivia? I desire you and I have feelings for you. I don't want to see you upset or hurting."

I gasped when he admitted it, "Because Roberto, when we have sex, it is more than a tool to me. I desire you because I have feelings for you and our lovemaking is an expression of those feelings. If I just needed sex to calm down, I could go ask Juan for some help."

From up above us toward the house we heard, "Woo hoo.!!"

"Shut the hell up Juan!" Roberto shouted. "Piccolina, you forget you are a Sensay. I'm just trying to help you through your volatile emotions."

We heard laughter and Cristoforo say, "Way to go bro, keep digging the hole deeper."

"Will you shut the hell up? This is between Olivia and me." Roberto snarled at them.

Roberto took my hand in his, "Olivia, I'm not going to stand here and deny that you turn me on and that I want to ease your way with your new abilities. If I could, I would turn every minute you've had to suffer into pleasure." I sniffled a little, "But Cristoforo said I'm not your usual type. That you prefer long legged blondes." Roberto ran his hand through his long hair "Okay, so you don't fit the physical description of women I usually date. But then again I've never felt the way about them that I feel about you."

"Really? I don't know what's wrong with me. I am not normally a jealous type of person. And I still don't understand why you would want me? You are so handsome and I'm just average." I said quietly.

Roberto grabbed me by the arms, "I find it amazing that you have no idea how sexy and beautiful you are. You will devastate men everywhere when you come into your own Olivia. I just hope I will still be the one at your side by then." He said rather sadly.

The idea of me devastating men was ludicrous. Even more ludicrous was the thought that one day I wouldn't want this man at my side.

I wrapped my arms around him and hugged him tight,

"Roberto, I'm sorry for being so emotional tonight. I think I'm on overload. Too much has happened in a short time."

"Cara, why don't you spend the rest of the evening with Janel and catch up?" He chuckled. "I
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have a feeling she has a lot to say."

He kissed me, "Though I will miss you, one day I want to wake up with you beside me or on top of me." He groaned and took my hand to the front of his pants. "Feel this Olivia, this is for you, not to calm you or control you. This is desire to be inside the woman I care for." Being on the short side, my head was about even with his chest so I leaned forward and put my mouth on his shirt and found his nipple and tugged the little nub gently with my teeth. Roberto stood very still and as I moved on to his other nipple, I ran my tongue over it through the silk of his shirt and he moaned low in his throat. When I backed up he was breathing hard and from the look of things his erection was now probably at the painful stage. I walked away but turned my head around to say, "Being short has its advantages, wouldn't you say?"

I ran up to the house so that I wouldn't change my mind and go back to Roberto and beg him to make love to me. When I got back to the house Janel was in the kitchen, batting her big blues at Juan. "Oh good you're here, Juan. Are there enough bedrooms for everyone?" I asked.

"Sure, maybe some of us will have to double up though." He winked at Janel.

Janel giggled. Oh brother. I hoped to God that I didn't act like that with Roberto.

"That sounds great. I will double up with Janel." I smiled at Juan.

"Oh oh, don't tell me you cut Roberto off chica. That is cold."

"No, not that's it's any of your business, but Roberto thought I should spend some time with my best friend tonight."

Janel rolled her eyes, "Um sweetie, we all heard the argument that you had with Roberto." My cheeks reddened, in what seemed to be a perpetual state of embarrassment. "Great, now everyone probably thinks I'm an emotional mess."

Janel came over to hug me, "If I had gone through what you have the last few days I'd be more than that. I'd be totally bonkers."

Juan added, "Yeah, she's right chica, you have kept it together through all of this. Gotta admire that." Roberto came in, with Cristoforo right behind him and said,

"They're right you know. You are stronger than you think Olivia."

"You all are making me sick, treating the little Sensay like she's made of porcelain. Why don't you just tell her?" Cristoforo said.

"Tell me what?" I asked looking at all of them confused.

"That they want you to sleep with the enemy."

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"Excuse me. Did you say sleep with the enemy?" I asked, having a little problem contemplating what Cristoforo had just said.

Roberto tried to clarify, "Not sleeping with the enemy literally piccolina. But we thought you may be a good candidate to infiltrate their ranks to get information so that we can stay a step ahead of the bastards."

"I don't know Roberto, I honestly don't know if I could be around them, knowing what they did to my parents, without being sick." I shuddered at the thought of having to act like they were anything else but the criminals they were.

"We would never even consider sending you on a mission like this until you're fully trained to use your abilities. This is not something we even have to discuss at this time and Cristoforo should not have brought it up." Roberto said as he turned and scowled at his brother.

Cristoforo smiled.

"We're still going to go after Alex aren't we?" I asked worriedly.

"Looks like you might have a little competition bro." Cristoforo smirked.

Roberto sighed, "When are you going back to Italy little brother?"

"I don't know, I was going to go straight back." He leaned his long body against the wall. "But things back home aren't as interesting as they are here. This could be fun to watch."

Roberto ignored him and said, "Yes we're still going after Alexander. I want to get things ready but I think we should be able to leave the night after tomorrow."

"And just what am I supposed to do while all of you are off on a grand adventure?" Janel complained. Giving her a tolerant look that a mother would give a five year old I said, "This is not going to be fun you know. These Guardians are seriously evil. It's scary to hear them speak of their purpose on earth. They are more dangerous than your average run of the mill fanatical." Janel had the sense to look abashed at her childish remark.

I tried to stifle a yawn, but Roberto caught it, "You should go to bed cara. You will need a good night's rest for all of your training tomorrow. Let me show you what room you and Janel will share."

Cristoforo pushed himself away from the wall, "That means that I have to share a room with one of you guys?" Juan said, "Oh no amigo, you aren't bunking in my room. In my four hundred years walking this earth, I have never woken up next to a dude. Well that once in Mexico after a night of too much tequila but..."

Cristoforo headed toward the door, "I will find my own place to sleep."

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Roberto warned him, "Be careful you don't end up in the morgue again."

I looked at Roberto for an explanation and he shook his head at me, "You don't want to know.

Let's just say that over the years Cristoforo has been a handful."

Roberto led Janel and I upstairs to the bedroom next to his. Janel went in ahead of us and I told her, "I'll be right in okay?"

She winked, "Sure, take your time. I'm going to hop in the shower so I won't hear anything going on out here." She closed the door and I stood awkwardly in front of Roberto, suddenly feeling shy. Roberto looked uncomfortable also. "You know piccolina, it has just occurred to me you may have been on to something with us and sex." I at once felt hurt and he noticed and hastily said, "It's not what you think. But we're both standing here feeling awkward and I think that we became intimate too soon. We don't know each other well at all do we? When this mission to rescue Alexander is over, we will do some old fashioned dating. What do you say?"

I was touched by his proposal, "Of course, it sounds wonderful. Can we take the boat out on the lake?" Roberto hugged me tight. "Sure, we can take the boat out, and I know the perfect place for moonlight picnic." I hugged him back and for the first time in days felt happy. Thinking about Roberto and I having a moonlight picnic under the stars, all alone, his soft touches, his passionate kisses, his hard body made me get goose bumps. Roberto noticed my mounting desire and said, "I had better go before I change my mind about you catching up with Janel. It is very difficult to deny myself your delicious body, but I can handle it." He tilted my chin back and looking deeply into my eyes he lowered his mouth to mine and kissed me softly, once and then twice and murmured against my mouth, "At least I think that I can handle it." He pulled away and ran a hand through his long hair in a frustrated gesture. With one last look of longing, turned and walked down the hall. With a big sigh of resignation, I opened the door and went inside. Janel was still in the shower and I found the packages that we had purchased tonight were sitting on the bed. Yeah! Normal clothes for a change.

I went through the bags looking for the pajamas I had picked out and blushed when I pulled out the leather mini skirt. I shoved it back in the bag and couldn't help but think about wearing it for Roberto. I found the silk pajama and laid them on the bed to wear after my shower. Janel came out of the bathroom, looking as lovely as ever, in boy boxer shorts and a short t-shirt and looked at my pajamas laid out on the bed, "When I saw your outfit tonight I had high hopes that you had an extreme makeover since I last saw you." Janel sighed. "But I can see your back to your old boring ways." She laughed.

"Oh yeah, Miss Smarty Pants, when I'm through with my shower I'll show you the rest of what I bought and make you eat your words." I replied as I went into the bathroom. The shower felt wonderful and putting on the silk pajamas made me feel as if I took a step back to normalcy.

When I came out of the bathroom, Janel was sitting on the bed holding a cup of steaming hot chocolate. I looked around for my cup, knowing that Janel wouldn't have dared to only get a cup for herself. She knows I love hot chocolate. I spotted another cup on the dresser next to a gift-wrapped box.

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"Was this here before?" I asked her. "I didn't notice it earlier."

Janel laughed, "I did that's why I put chocolate next to it. How you could not notice what is obviously a jewelry box, I can't imagine."

I picked it up and looked at it. It was wrapped in blue paper with a silver bow on it.

Janel said impatiently, "Well open it for heaven’s sakes. I've been waiting forever."

I unwrapped the box and took off the lid rather slowly, almost afraid of what I would find in it.

Inside was a beautiful necklace with a large grey stone on a silver chain.

Janel came closer, "It's beautiful ... I wonder what kind of stone it is?"

Underneath the necklace was a note, in a flowing old-fashioned script that said: My beautiful Olivia, This stone reminds me of your eyes, how they can look like the stormy sea when you are upset or the silvery moon when they burn with desire. The stone is a bloodstone and is special to my people. These stones are given to warriors to protect them and their lifeblood. Wear this and always think of me and the warrior strength you hold inside.

The note was signed with a scrolling R.

Janel sighed, "That guy may be on my list for pushing you into a relationship too fast but he gets points for being romantic. I wonder why his brother is such an asshole?" I unclasped the necklace to put it around my neck and Janel came over to help me.

"He is a bit rough around the edges isn't he?" I said.

"Rough? Once again you are being too nice. He is rude and totally obnoxious. And he likes to cause trouble." Janel trailed off obviously referring to tonight's argument I had with Roberto.

"Yeah, you're right. Plus there's something about him that makes me uncomfortable. He has a hardness about him. But it's more than that. It's like the hardness goes beyond him. It goes all the way to his soul. And his soul has been separated from the rest of him and is on another plane." I stopped talking and realized I had been in a different place for a minute.

Janel was standing in front of me now and I don't remember her moving there.

Janel said a little nervously, "Wow, that was weird. You seemed like you were almost in a trance." I laughed though it sounded a bit hollow, "Don't be silly, I'm just tired. It seems that every day brings a new twist into my life."

I hugged her, "Did I tell you how glad I am that you're here with me? I'm going to need you to help me with this training stuff. I keep envisioning a boot camp or something. And you know how I can't even go to the gym more than once a week. This is so going to suck!"

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"It shouldn't be too bad. Are these day guards cute?" Janel asked quite seriously. It was a motivator for her. She could train at the gym for hours if there were hot trainers working with her. If not she would lose interest in ten minutes and head for the juice bar.

"They're not bad. I think one of them, Mark, is an ex-navy seal." I said with a smile. Let's see her try and get Mark under her magic spell.

Janel got serious then, "Olivia do you want to talk about what happened to your parents? It may help to talk about it." I sat on the bed and wrapped my arms around my knees,