Twice as Hot (7 page)

Out
of the corner of my eye, I saw Cody focus on my friend, who was looking
anywhere but at him. Why? Whatever was going on in her head, I’d find out
later.

I
blocked all of them from my mind, focusing on Lexis even though my next words
were not for her. “John. What’s it going to be? I talk to Rome, and everyone
walks out of this room alive. Or she does, and everyone says hello to
third-degree burns.”

“Or,”
Lexis gritted out, “Belle, who has worked for you for only a few months, goes
to lockup, where she belongs for threatening us. I’ve been with you for years.
I’ve proved myself and my capabilities over and over again, and I’ve never
questioned your leadership. More than that, Rome now responds to me.
Me.
”

One
more word, and she would be eating fire. I wasn’t even going to try to control
myself. Even now, steam curled from my mouth, wafting toward the ceiling.

There
was a long, protracted silence. Heavy, tension-filled. Lexis and I never turned
away from each other, not even to face John. Our gazes were linked by invisible
chains. We were panting. Ready to leap at each other.

“Belle,”
John said with resolve, “you’re up. I’m putting you in charge. Of the case, of
our new prisoners. Maybe your lack of objectivity will actually help. I’ve
never seen you so determined. Just don’t let me down.”

Maybe
he wasn’t a coward, after all.

Lexis
gasped.

“I
won’t,” I said, and now it was my turn to be smug. “You have my word.”

“Good.
But for the record, you need to go in there, forget this love nonsense and be
professional. Do your job. Be the agent I know you’re capable of being.”

Forget
this love “nonsense”? I knew John was married because Cody had once made a
reference to his wife, but wow. The poor woman, to be saddled with a husband
who eschewed love.

“But
if you fail,” John added, “I’m sending Lexis in and placing her in charge. That
means
she’ll
be your boss.”

“Not
gonna happen,” I said with a confidence I didn’t feel. Still. There was a
chance I’d say something to strike a memory match in Rome’s brain, and he would
tell Lexis to go fuck herself.

I
left the room smiling.

Rome
was prowling the length of the small interrogation room when I stepped inside.
Immediately I smelled the earthy fragrance that always emanated from him.
Immediately I reacted, my legs trembling, my blood heating.

Part
of me expected him to stride to me and mesh his lips against mine, his tongue
plundering deep, his hands all over me. That’s how it would have been if he’d
remembered me. But he spotted me, stopped and scowled.

“You,”
he said, and I could have sworn there was disgust in his voice.

Don’t
be hurt, don’t be hurt, don’t you freaking be hurt.
He couldn’t help it,
I assured myself. As John had said, his memories had most likely been wiped.
This in no way meant Lexis’s former prediction that I might not be Rome’s true
love was coming to fruition.

Oh,
ouch. I hadn’t considered that angle until now.

“Yeah.
It’s me.” I was surprised at how calm and assured I sounded. Maybe it was
because Rome was on his feet, looking healthy and as strong as ever. Big and
muscled, tanned and breathtakingly sexy.

The
walls were plain gray, and yet, for Rome, they were a complementary backdrop.
Even in his anger—what the hell had I done to make him mad?—his black-framed
eyes glowed like magical sapphires and promised untold sexual delight. His
teeth were sharp and white, ready to sink into me, to nip and nibble.

I
shivered.

His
nostrils flared. “Stop that. Now.”

“Stop
what?” I asked, confused. I hadn’t done anything.

“Whatever
it is you’re thinking. Stop.”

Was
he kidding? “Why? You have no idea what I’m thinking.”

“I
can guess. You want me, and I don’t like it. Yeah, I know we were engaged. I
don’t remember, but I’ve been told, seen pictures. That doesn’t mean anything
to me right now.”

Were
engaged, he’d said.
Don’t
be hurt!
“You’re awfully full of yourself, aren’t you?” My pride spoke for
me, and I was helpless to stop it. “Maybe I’m looking at you but thinking of
another man. One who actually remembers me.”

“Fuck
this. John,” he shouted. He even banged a fist into the two-way mirror,
rattling the walls. “Get her out of here.”

My
jaw clenched, but I managed to say, “Sit down, Agent Masters.”
Remember me.
Please.
“John asked me to speak with you and he’s our boss, so we’ll speak.
Whether you like it or not. The sooner we get started, the sooner we can part.”

Sadly,
that propelled him into instant motion. He stomped to the table and sat, then
waved his hand for me to do the same.

Pretending
indifference, I tossed my notebook and pen on the surface. Eyes narrowed on
him, I smoothed my jeans and sat across from him. “This interview isn’t about
us. It’s about what happened to you that night at the warehouse. Have you
remembered anything since waking up?” I asked, getting down to business. Surely
something
would trigger his memory as I hoped.

Ever
the stubborn male, he said, “I’ve already answered that question. Several
times.”

“Not
for me.”

For
a long while, he simply peered over at me, expression blank. I shifted left,
right, realized I appeared nervous (I was) and commanded my body to still. Then
Rome surprised me by saying, “I broke into the laboratory with a fellow agent
and helped neutralize the eighteen on-duty guards—a few with a syringe full of
night-night cocktail, a few with sleeper holds and a few with gunshots. Then we
freed the prisoners.”

When
he offered no more, I arched a brow. “That’s it?”

“Yes.”

Nothing
new. “Well, then, you can just start over. This time, break it down for me
minute by minute.”

He
scowled again, but did what I’d asked. I learned how he’d taken the guards by
surprise, tracking them through the vents and dropping onto them without them
ever being aware. I learned how he’d copied data from the computer system,
though the disks he’d stored that data on were now missing, gone like his
memories. But I learned nothing that would help me.

“Okay,
then.” I tried another avenue. “What do you remember doing
before
that
last mission?”

“Talking
to John.”

“Before
that? And think hard.” Because he’d been with me.

He
propped his elbows on the table and leaned forward. There was a wicked glint in
his eyes, one I knew well. He was about to provoke my fury. Before, that would
have excited me because I would have known we’d make love for hours afterward.
Now…“I kissed my daughter goodbye and left my wife sleeping in bed. Very, very
satisfied.”

A
blazing mound of dirt suddenly and unexpectedly appeared in the palm of my
hand. Rage and jealousy, all blended into one fiery ball. I wanted to jerk my
hand under the table so he wouldn’t see, but I didn’t. It was better he learned
what happened when people upset me.

“You’re
not married,” I said stiffly. “You’re divorced.”

“I
know that,” he growled. “I left my ex-wife satisfied, then. But it’s only a
matter of time before she agrees to marry me again.” His focus never strayed
from the fiery mound of dirt, and before I could start sobbing over his claim,
he added, “Impressive.”

“Thank
you.” So badly I wanted to remind him of all the (naughty) things we’d done
together, but this conversation was being recorded. Others were listening. My
colleagues did not need to know the things I allowed—okay, begged—Rome to do to
me. Then again, maybe Lexis needed to hear all about it. “Now why don’t you
tell me why you’re so angry with me?” I tossed the crackling mound from hand to
hand in a mesmerizing rhythm. “If you have no memory of me, you would treat me
as a stranger. Polite, but distant. Instead, you treat me as an enemy. Why?”

One
of his brows arched, a slash of black topping a barely tolerant expression. “Is
that an official question?”

“Why
not? I’m the official in this meeting, and I asked it.”

“You’re
not going to like the answer.” His gaze returned to the scorching dirt. “And I
definitely won’t like the consequences.”

“Tell
me anyway.”

A
muscle ticked in his jaw. “I read your file and it wasn’t pretty. My wife told
me—”

“Uh,
we’ve already established that she’s your ex-wife.” And if he called her by
that title one more time, something bad was going to happen. I didn’t need Miss
Know-It-All to verify that, either. Already the flaming dirt ball in my hand
was snapping, smoke billowing through it as it prepared to welcome another
stream of fire. A fire that would not be so easily contained.

Careful.
Any more smoke, and
I would soon be coughing for hours, since pollutants were my Achilles’ heel.
Apparently, so were gorgeous cat men.

“Wife,
ex-wife. It’s just semantics,” he said. “Lexis told me you were trouble, that
you burned down her entire building. Do you deny it?”

One
point in his favor: he referred to the building as hers, not theirs. Some of
the flames flickered, then died. “No, I don’t deny it. I was trying to save
your life.” I’m sure Lexis had left that part out, though. Bitch. “Did she also
tell you that we made out on her couch?” So much for keeping our private life
private. “You had your tongue down my throat and your hands…oh, about right
here.” I cupped my breast with my free hand. The girls weren’t big, but they
were perky and I knew Rome loved them.

His
pupils dilated and he licked his lips, but he said nothing.

My
cheeks were red as I released myself. It had been worth a shot. “Your ex may
not like me, but your daughter does. Are you aware of that?”

He
nodded stiffly. “I’ve talked to her, yes, and she asked about you.”

“What’d
you tell her?”

“That
you were busy and would call her later,” he said through gritted teeth.

Finally!
Progress. “Clearly, you’re missing a big chunk of your life. Maybe, just maybe,
I was a
good
part of it.”

“Like
I told you a little while ago, Weather Wench, I don’t deny that. That doesn’t
mean I want you to be a part of it now.”

“That
doesn’t mean you should go running back to your ex, either. And just a word of
warning.” Glaring, I tossed the ball into the air, caught it. Several grains of
dirt scattered over the tabletop between us. “If you go near Lexis again,
you’ll soon find her wearing one of these. And my name is not Weather Wench.
Call me that again and
you’ll
be wearing one of these.”

Rather
than upset him, my boast seemed to amuse him. His lips twitched.

That
twitch looked good on him; maybe because it was so Rome. The old Rome. My
stomach quivered in delight. Could he be losing his animosity toward me? I
decided to push a little more. What could it hurt?

With
a backward-forward swing of my wrist, I launched the ball over his shoulder. It
crashed into the far wall, instantly covering the entire surface in steaming
mud.

At
the whoosh of air, Rome’s head had whipped around to survey the damage. When he
faced me again, shock and admiration bathed his features.

More.
Push more.
“After that,” I said, “I’ll seek comfort from your friend Cody. You remember
him, right? Dressed, he’s sexy as hell. Undressed, I’m sure he’s every woman’s
downfall.” Okay, now I was lying. Only one man could tempt me to fall, and that
was Rome.
But what if Rome goes back to Lexis?
Bile rose in my throat.
Just
finish this.
“I hear he’s an amazing lover, that he won’t let his partner
leave until she’s so sated she can’t even speak. It’s been a while since I had
that kind of experience.” Low blow—and untrue—but he deserved it.

If
Cody was listening, he was probably patting himself on the back and smiling
smugly.

Rome’s
nostrils did that flare thing again.

Was
he…could he be jealous at the thought of me with another man? Even though he
didn’t remember me? Please, please, please.

“Do
it,” he said, his voice low, gravelly. “Go to him.”

O-kay.
Maybe not. I tried not to wallow in crushing disappointment. “I will,” I lied.
Damn him. “You’ll see.”

He
leaned back in his seat and rubbed two fingers over his jaw. “Answer a few
questions for me first.”

“Sure.
Unlike you, some agents are actually happy to help a coworker in need.” My
heart skipped a beat. What did he want to know?

“I
brought you into PSI, correct?”

“Yes.”
He’d done a whole lot more to me, but whatever.

“Because
you ingested some sort of chemical, you now control the four elements. Earth,
wind, fire and water.”