Twice as Hot (41 page)

Rest
sounded…heavenly, I realized, yawning again. I’d only had a few hours’ sleep
myself the past few days and my adrenaline levels had been up and down so much
I had whiplash.

“Lead
the way,” I said.

He
handed me the clothes he’d brought for me. “Get dressed or I’ll forget why I
don’t want to have sex.”

“Fine.”
I dropped the towel.

His
animal gave a quiet snarl.

His
eyes bored into me, burning me, as I strapped on my weapons, then dressed. Wicked
me, I took my time, hoping to remind him of the many other times I’d done this
for him.

“Gonna
be uncomfortable,” he said, motioning to where one of the knives protruded.

“I
know.” I sauntered to his side. He had an erection, and he didn’t try to hide
it.

“This
way.” He wrapped his arm around my waist.

I
was shivering, and it had nothing to do with being cold, as he ushered me down
the hall and into a bedroom. A full-size bed, brown comforter, no other
furnishings. Strictly for resting between jobs or flights, I guess.

Rome
kicked off his shoes and lay down. I tossed mine beside his and did the same,
nuzzling up to him. He threw an arm and a leg over me, my back to his chest,
holding me tight, as if I were a precious treasure he needed to guard.

My
weapons were uncomfortable, just as he’d predicted, but I didn’t remove them.
An agent—a true agent—had to be ready for anything at a moment’s notice. A few
minutes passed, but they seemed like an eternity. I rolled the other way, but
was still uncomfortable. I rolled back to him.

“My
mind is wired,” I said. “I’m not sure I’ll actually be able to sleep.”

“We’ll
talk for a minute and wind you down, then.”

“’Kay.
’Bout what?”

“About
the fact that I like the thought of making you mine,” he whispered, breath
trekking over my cheek. “I like the thought of you being Belle Masters. I
didn’t realize just how much until you told me the wedding was canceled.”

I…I…must
be dreaming. Must have fallen asleep without realizing it. This was too surreal
to take seriously. Unless he was belatedly trying to sweet-talk me into that
nookie. “Don’t talk like that. Besides, who said I’d be taking your name?”

“Why
not?” Warm fingers caressed my wrist, along each of my fingers.

“Why
not take your name?” Lexis’s words chose that moment to invade my mind:
You’re
going to continue to plan your wedding, but he’ll want nothing to do with it.
Another man will court you, but Rome won’t care. Do you hear me? He won’t care!
You’re going to date this other man. It’s
him
you’ll marry. Him. Not
Rome. Him.
One thing she’d said had come true so far: another man was
indeed courting me. But everything else…wrong. Rome obviously cared about the
wedding (somewhat). I did not plan to date Jean-Luc (at all), much less marry
him (ever), didn’t view him romantically (even a little). I couldn’t imagine
that changing, either.

Had
Lexis lied to me, then? I wouldn’t put it past her. She was clearly willing to
do anything to win her ex back.

“Oh,
you’ll take my name. Why not talk like that to you?”

“Just…let’s
wait until things are a little calmer before discussing it,” I said. The
subject cut me up and left me raw, and I needed to be at my best right now.

“All
I’m trying to say is that, if Memory Man never returns my memories of you, I
still want a chance with you. I want to date you, get to know you again.”

A
flash of white-hot tears stung my eyes. I could only hope the ceiling wouldn’t
start raining next. “And if you ultimately decided you didn’t want me?” The
question sprang from my deepest fears, unstoppable, pain-drenched.

“Right
now I can’t imagine not wanting you.” He sighed. “Go to sleep, Belle. Your mind
isn’t quite so wired.” It was true. While we’d been talking, he’d obviously
been filtering, the darling man. Just then, I was drained. “We’ll figure
everything out later.”

“Wake
up , Viper . You’re sooo not Sleeping Beauty.”

The
voice floated through my mind, familiar, beloved. Smart-assy. “Tanner?” Slowly
I cracked open my eyes. The lights were on, golden bulbs illuminating Tanner’s
gorgeous features and blue hair. “Tanner!”

I
sat up and threw myself into his arms, squealing with delight. He was here, in
the flesh, healthy and whole. “Let me look at you.” I pulled back from him,
studied his face. He’d lost a little weight, his cheeks a little more hollow,
but his skin was flushed with vitality and his blue eyes sparkling.

He
shook his head,
tsked
under his tongue. “Any excuse to get me into your
arms, you hussy.”

I
slapped his shoulder, but couldn’t hold back my grin. “I’m glad to see your
hospital stay didn’t dampen that dazzling wit. So where’s my surprise? You said
you were bringing me one.”

“I’m
right here.”

The
female voice came from the corner of the room and drew my attention. My gaze
landed on beautiful, angelic Elaine. I swung my focus back to Tanner, shock
flowing through me. “How?”

“John
relented,” Tanner explained. “Strapped her to a lie detector—he didn’t trust my
word for it, said I was biased—and she passed. It’s something we should have
done to Reese the lying vampire a long time ago, but whatever. John allowed her
to join the agency and help us on this case.”

“I
thought she wasn’t interested in joining another agency?”

“I,
uh, changed her mind.”

I
looked back at Elaine. She was once again covered from neck to ankles in black
cloth. Her shirt possessed a long hood that I suspected could be drawn up over
her face to shield even that energy-draining skin. I remembered all too well
what had happened the last time it had been exposed.

She
gave me a half smile, hesitant and unsure.

“I’m
glad you’re here,” I told her sincerely.

The
smile grew, and she threw a quick, longing glance at Tanner. “Me, too.”

“Did
you get your meal and your iPod? I will kill John when I return if he failed to
do as he told me he would.”

“I
did, thank you. No need to kill anyone.”

“Oh,
and guess what? I’ve renamed her Super Absorber,” Tanner said.

I
tried not to cringe. “You realize that name makes her sound like a tampon,
right?”

His
brow furrowed. “No way.”

“Yes,
way.”

Elaine
nodded reluctantly, as if she hated to disappoint him. “It does. I’m sorry. I
should have told you, but you were so proud.”

Tanner
threw up his arms. “Fine. I’ll keep thinking.”

“Rome
will—” Hey, where was Rome? Frowning, I swept my gaze over the bed. The covers
were rumpled, but empty. “Anyone seen Rome?”

Tanner
nodded and motioned Elaine over to him.

The
girl inched her way toward him, feet dragging, as though she was afraid to get
too close. When she reached his side, he wound his arm around her waist, not
the least bit frightened by what could happen despite all he’d been through. I
stiffened, she gasped.

A
minute ticked by in silence.

Tanner
didn’t tremble, didn’t fall and gradually I relaxed. I felt sad for them,
though. Obviously he’d moved on from Lexis (hip hip hurrah!) and just as
obviously he and Elaine had feelings for each other. But they were doomed. They
could never touch each other, skin to skin, which meant they could never…
Stop
right there.
I did not want to imagine Tanner having sex. Although, I
supposed there were ways around it. Phone sex, self-pleasure in front of each
other, full-body condom.
Uh, stop. Now.

“Cat
Man was on the airstrip when we landed,” Tanner said, drawing me from my
reluctantly lascivious thoughts. “Unlike you, he knows how to roll out the red
carpet. Told me where to find you.”

So
he’d left me here to sleep while he’d gone off to work. Someone needed a
spanking in a big way. “Know where I can find
him?
” I would not be left
out. I was going to help with this case, damn it!

“He’s
interrogating Memory Man, I think. I can’t believe you guys caught him. Good
going!” Tanner gave my back a slap of approval.

“What!”
I threw my legs over the mattress and stood. “Jean-Luc is here? No one told me.
Damn it, someone should have told me. Where are they?”

“Belle.”

Rome’s
deep voice suddenly filled the room.

Fury
leaping inside my chest, desperate to escape, I looked around and found him
standing in the doorway. I fisted my hands on my hips. “How long have you had
him?”

A
muscle ticked under his eye, a clear sign he didn’t want to answer. “Moment he
left us alone last night, I had agents on him. First I wasn’t sure who he was,
so I was being cautious and merely had them knock him out. When you finally
admitted his identity, I had his ass thrown in a cage. Then, since I knew we
would be here eventually, I had him brought here, as well.”

Right
away, then. “He helped you!”

“Wait
a second,” Tanner said, clearly confused. “We
like
Memory Man now?”

“Yes,”
I shouted as Rome said, “Hell, no.”

Rome
continued, “He’s not leaving until he returns my memories.”

I
turned to Tanner. “Take me to him. Please.”

“Like
I know where he is,” Tanner said, holding up his free hand, palm out.

“I’ll
find him on my own, then.” I stomped down the hall to the bathroom, brushed my
teeth and back-to-normal-color hair and stomped back to the bedroom. Tanner and
Elaine were exactly as I’d left them, watching me wide-eyed.

Rome
was where I’d left him, too, but he was studying me through narrowed eyes, his
arms crossed over his chest. Stubborn man.

“Be
ready to roll in half an hour,” I told them. “Now that the gang’s all here,
we’ll be going to get Sherridan and Lexis.”

Took
me half of that time, Rome on my tail and silent, unhelpful, but I finally
found Jean-Luc in an underground holding facility. I studied him through the
small window in the door. He lay on a stiff, uncomfortable-looking cot, the
room’s only furniture.

“Do
you…care about him?” Rome asked at my side.

I
ran a fingertip over the glass, leaving a smudge. “He’s not a bad guy. Just
confused and lonely.”

“And
you’re too damn softhearted.”

I
gazed up at him through the dark spikes of my lashes. “That’s a bad thing?”

“When
you’re wanting to release hardened criminals, yes.”

Hardened
criminals? Ha! “First, I was making progress with him. By doing this to him,
you just ruined everything I’d already achieved. Second, I wasn’t wrong about
Elaine, now was I? Third, Jean-Luc has saved my life and helped me on several
occasions. He makes me feel loved. Not like I’m excess baggage to be left in
bed, sleeping the day away while other agents do my work for me.”

“You’re
mad about that? I did you a favor, letting you rest.”

“Or
maybe you just didn’t want to deal with me.” I didn’t give him time to respond.
“Unlock this goddamn door,” I shouted.

A
guard came running, but stopped and waited for Rome’s permission. Rome looked
at me, teeth clenched, then gave a stiff nod. The door swung open a few seconds
later, and I stalked inside.

“Belle.”
An unfazed Jean-Luc popped to his feet and smiled. “I knew you’d come.” That
smile faded, though, as his gaze collided with Rome’s.

“Do
not approach her,” Rome growled.

I
elbowed him in the stomach. “I’d like to apologize for what you’ve been through
at PSI’s hands. I didn’t know or it wouldn’t have happened.” God, I was so mad.
So damn mad. The fire was raging inside me, an inferno. Rome’s actions might
have set me back
months.
Took a lot of mental grasping, but I managed to
keep every flame inside me. “But I think you know why PSI felt they had to
capture you. Will you return Rome’s memories?”

“No.”

See!
Before, I’d at least had him thinking about it.

Rome
stiffened.

“Will
you return them if I torture you?” I asked. “Because I might not have wanted
you locked up, but I’m totally prepared to do what’s necessary.” There was no
way out of this now. This was the road Rome had thrown us on, so this was the
road I had to take.

Jean-Luc
laughed with genuine humor. “No. There’s no torture you can think of that
hasn’t already been done at some point in my past. If I haven’t broken yet,
it’s not going to happen.”

Rome
moved toward him, menace in every step, but I threw out my arm. A puny block,
but he stopped.

I
ran my tongue across the roof of my mouth, my mind racing with options. “What
if I traded for them?”

Both
Jean-Luc and Rome gaped at me. Rome opened his mouth, to yell at me, I’m sure,
but Jean-Luc beat him to it.