Twice as Hot (38 page)

“What?
He knows?” I whipped around, glaring. “You know where the girls are?”

“Not
me,” Tanner said as Rome nodded. Without guilt, the jerk.

“Why
didn’t you tell me?” I demanded.

“I
just did,” Tanner said, confused.

“Not
you,” I told him. “Are they okay?” I asked Rome.

He
shrugged, his expression growing weary. “Sherridan’s been experimented on.
She’s not doing so well. Lexis is locked inside a cage. She’s been pushed
around a little because she refuses to answer their questions.”

My
stomach cramped painfully. No. No, no, no. I stood. “We’ve got to get them.
Like, now.”

Rome
shook his head as Tanner said, “John doesn’t want you to go after Desert Skank
until I get there.”

“Why?”

“Hello.
So you don’t destroy the world. Look, pick me up at PSI’s private little
airstrip in the morning. And don’t tell me where you are now,” he said, echoing
Rome’s earlier words. “John doesn’t want anyone to know. Just in case. Once
we’re together, we’ll go kick some Desert Bitch ass.”

Desert
Bitch, the elusive enemy. So far, I’d still had no real contact with her, yet
she’d managed to wreak havoc on my life. My friends’ lives. It was time to take
her down! “I’m controlling my powers.” Kind of. “I can do this. I know I can.
Just tell me where they are, and I’ll go get them now.” Waiting might kill me.

Again,
Rome shook his head.

“I
wasn’t talking to you,” I snapped.

“I
want them safe just as much as you do,” he replied, “but I saw the compound
they’re in. Cody e-mailed pictures. We can’t save them alone, Belle. There’s
just too much security. If we tried to do an extraction, we could be captured
ourselves, and then what good would we be to them?”

Exasperated,
I threw my free arm in the air. At least Cody seemed to be on our side still.
“You think adding Tanner into the equation—sorry, Crazy Bones—will mean the
difference between victory and defeat?”

“Well,
I am pretty powerful,” Tanner said.

I
rolled my eyes. Clearly Elaine hadn’t drained his giant ego.

“He’s
not the only one on the way,” Rome said.

“What’s
more,” Tanner added—God, I was being double-teamed—“John took care of the rat.
Reese, the scrim, is caged. You’d have thought the world had ended, the way the
female—and some of the male—agents acted when they learned the truth. Oh, and
by the way. You had several messages at home from wedding people. I took care
of things, though, and told them the whole thing was off. You’re welcome. And
listen, I’ve got a surprise for you. You’re gonna like it. See ya.”

He
didn’t give me time to reply. The line went dead.

I
stared at my phone for a moment. That little shit! Just then, it was easy to
forget how glad I was that he’d recovered. I’d known the wedding was off—for
the moment—but keeping the date and rescheduling my appointments had given me
hope that it could still happen. Now…

Chin
up. He’s still a part of your life, and that’s the important thing.

Suddenly
the phone was ripped from my hands and thrown across the room. Startled,
jolting, I looked up…up…seeing Rome standing just in front of me. His eyes were
still glaring, his mouth still frowning.

“What’d
you do—”

His
lips mashed down on mine, cutting off my words. His tongue thrust deep, his
arms banding around me and jerking me into the hard length of his body. He had
an erection.

I
gasped in shock, and his tongue thrust even deeper. For a minute—an hour?—I
enjoyed him, reveling in his touch, his taste, his heat. He was everything I’d
ever wanted for myself—strong and courageous, passionate and loyal. He was my
past, and once again, for this moment, he was my future.

So
used to holding him, my arms reached up of their own accord, sliding up his
roped chest. My fingers traced circles around his tiny, hardened nipples before
continuing their journey and tangling in his hair.

“What
brought this on?” I asked, breathless.

“You.
Need.”

“We
shouldn’t.” Oh, that was painful to say.

“Should.”
He licked the seam of my lips. “We can’t have you worrying about Tanner the
entire night.”

“But
you don’t remember me, and I’m determined to resist you until you do.” Wasn’t
I? Who knew anymore.

He
pulled back, only a whisper away. “Resist later,” he said fiercely. “I want you
so badly. I need you. I don’t need my memories for that. Even without them, I
hate it when other men look at you with desire in their eyes. I want to kill
Memory Man. I still want to kill Tanner. He finds too many excuses to touch
you. My mind may not know you, Belle Jamison, but every part of my body
recognizes you as mine.”

Mine.

His.
For so long, that’s all I’d wanted to be. Yes, I was different now than I’d
been when this whole ordeal started. I’d shifted my priorities. But as I’d
learned while staring down at his unconscious body, my love for him had neither
changed nor dwindled. And that he felt this strong a need for me, without truly
knowing me…We
were
meant to be together. We had to be.

“We
already know I can cage your emotions,” he said, assuming that was what was
holding me back. “I’ve proven it.”

“That’s
not what I’m worried about,” I countered, stepping backward. The backs of my
knees hit the mattress.

Rome
closed the distance again, his hardness pressing into my softness.

My
blood was heating, my limbs shaking. Unable to stop myself, I arched into him,
rubbing deliciously.

“Then
what?” he demanded, teeth bared.

“The
case comes first. It has to.”

He
tilted his head to the side, gaze roving over me, and nodded. “You’re right.
But do you really think I’d be here if I thought I could be out there, saving
Lexis? Sherridan? Right now, we’d only do more harm than good. We’ve got Cody
on the inside, protecting the women. He won’t let anything happen to them.”

“He’s
the reason they’re in trouble in the first place.” I trusted him again, still,
whatever—I think—but that didn’t mean I agreed with his methods. “He’s let
Sherridan be experimented on. He’s let Lexis be pushed around.”

“To
save their lives. To gain information. To earn Desert Gal’s trust.” This time,
it was
Rome
who backed away from
me,
hands fisted at his sides.
“His reasons are for the greater good, guaranteed.”

With
every step that separated us, my chest ached.

“I’ve
got cameras all around this motel and they’re feeding directly to my phone. An
alarm will trigger if anyone tries to enter this room.” Another step away.
“There’s nothing else we can do.”

He
was right. So far, we’d done everything we could. Now, we just had to wait.

He
stopped in the center of the room. “I want you, Belle. I want to be with you,
and I know I told you I’d change your mind, but ultimately the decision is
yours. I’ve treated you badly, and I’m sorry for that. I’ve been hot and cold
with you, and I’m sorry for that, too. I would understand if you walked away
from me. I wouldn’t like it, but I would understand. So I’m not going to push
you. Not now, at least. When this is all over…the rules are going to change.
But for right now, if you decide to be with me, I’ll be in the shower.” With
that, he turned on his heel and strode into the bathroom.

I
heard the door snick shut, but didn’t hear the lock turn. I stood there,
utterly torn. I could stay here and worry about my friends, possibly icing down
this room, the entire motel, in the process, doing more harm than good. Or I
could go in there where the man of my dreams was probably stripping even now,
clothes falling away from that magnificent body.

The
sound of water spraying into porcelain suddenly filled my ears. Brass rings
slid against a metal rod as the shower curtain was swept aside. I began
shaking. Heating. Preparing for Rome, only Rome.

Why
are you standing here? Go get your man!
We weren’t promised a tomorrow. We only had
here, now.

Just
like that, my decision was made.

Determined,
I marched to the bathroom and flung open the door. Fragrant steam wafted around
me, and a moment passed before I was able to make out Rome’s silhouette in the
shower.

Without
a word, I began stripping. My clothes, my weapons. Those clanged against the
tile. Moisture beaded on my skin, and desire flooded between my legs. I had
missed this man. I loved this man. I would have this man.

I
threw back the clear curtain. Rome was facing me, waiting. Naked. Hard. Soap
bubbles were scattered over his chest and arms, his legs long and muscled, his
penis as deliciously thick as I remembered.

“Thank
God,” he said, piercing me with his gaze. Then that gaze slid to the bathroom
floor and the weapons scattered about. He grinned, tender, aroused and amused
all at once. “I knew you were armed, but I had no idea how much. Why does that
turn me the hell on?”

“You’re
warped.” But then, so was I. Calves trembling, I stepped inside. Instantly warm
water rained over me. My nipples hardened, my stomach quivered.

“And
you’re going to come, over and over again.” He closed all hint of distance,
hot, wet, and his arms wrapped around me. I knew we were an interesting contrast:
his sun-kissed skin, my olive-toned. His black hair, my honey-colored. No,
wait. My hair was also black. Well, streaked with black, since so much of the
dye had already dripped off me.

“So
are you,” I said. “Going to come, I mean.”

“Ladies
first.” His lips smashed over mine. Instantly our tongues dueled, rolling
against each other. His skin was slick but soon mine was slicker, making for
easy friction.

One
of his palms settled on my breast, kneading. I felt a lance of pleasure dive
straight between my legs. Felt a flame light inside me, growing, blossoming.

Rome
must have felt it, too, because he said, “I’ve got it. I’ve got it.”

As
I allowed the fire to flow out of me, mingling with my breath, and into him,
flowing down his lungs, binding us, I rubbed myself against his thick length.

He
moaned. “Again. Do that again.”

I
arched, sliding up…down…This time, we moaned in unison.

“I
missed this so much,” I said.

He
cupped my face, backing me up and pressing me against the cold tile. “Shit,
you’re beautiful. How have I kept my hands off you?”

“You
aren’t always the sharpest tool in the shed. Now tell me more about me.”

He
chuckled softly, his gaze perusing me. “My pleasure. Your nipples are like
berries. Your waist perfectly flared. Your legs go on for miles and, damn, the
core of you…” Two of his fingers traced a path between my breasts, down my
stomach and through the soft patch of curls between my legs.

I
closed my eyes, my delight so intense I was swept into a maelstrom of need. I
couldn’t quite catch my breath, was burning up, needy, achy, even the water
caressing my skin so hot that it seemed every inch of me was under intense
attack.

“Part
those beautiful legs for me, baby. Let me see you.”

I
didn’t have to open my eyes to know he’d dropped to his knees. And I didn’t
even think about hesitating or refusing. I simply parted my legs. I wanted his
mouth on me, licking, nibbling, tasting me.

He
sucked in a reverent breath a split second before that hot tongue flicked my
clitoris. A groan of surrender escaped me, and I found myself reaching up,
gripping the shower curtain rod to keep from gripping his hair and perhaps
ripping him a few bald spots.

As
his tongue continued to work its magic, he drove a finger into me. Deep, hard,
enough to make my knees collapse, but he held me up with his other hand. He
inserted another finger, then another, and rocked into me again and again. That
decadent tongue never stopped moving on me. It was too much, not enough,
everything I needed, everything I craved. A reason to live, a reason to die.

Release
slammed into me quickly and with a vengeance, consuming my entire body. I
screamed and arched back and forth into his mouth, prolonging every tremor.
Taking…taking, demanding more.

I’m
not sure how much time passed before I came to my senses and opened my eyes.
When I did, Rome was standing in front of me, still naked. The water still
raged. It was still warm, at least, so I hadn’t taken too long. I was panting,
shaking, and I’d gripped the rod so tightly it had bent in the center.

Rome’s
pupils were dilated, his eyes completely black. His cheeks were flushed, his
mouth glistening as he ran his tongue over his lips, savoring the taste of me.
I could almost see the outline of his cat underneath his skin.

“I’m
going to kill that fucking Memory Man,” he said, slamming his hands beside my
head and cracking the tile. He was so big, overwhelming the space around me
until all I saw, all I breathed was him. Just then, there was no Belle without
Rome.