Boiling Point (7 page)

“I thought we agreed that it would help us see what normal view can’t,” he said, exasperated.

“That’s why I loaded night vision,” she answered proudly. “Remind me to tell Sage that I love these new cameras. I can load just about any reading software and one system does it all. God, I love technology.”

The other thing he thought he’d convinced her to do last night—aside from some pretty spectacular positions—was the Plexiglas enclosed lab vault. He almost hated to ask her what the status was on that requisition order.

Cooper crunched his eyes closed, preparing for the worst. “Did you order the Plexiglas?”

“No,” she scoffed. “That’s an unnecessary charge. These cameras and the security ID badge system should take care of the break in problems. We’ve already updated all their exterior windows, blocked open access to the subterranean tunnels with secured entry panels, and put in a series of high-tech password encryption codes. We don’t need archaic vaults.”

“Yes, we do,” he snapped. “Sorry, that came out sharper than I intended.”

Fauna got off her stool and walked over to him. She wrapped her arms around his waist and rose up on her toes to kiss him. He loved her soft, full lips. Raised to his, her almost-closed eyes made him think of those moments of surrender just before she came.

Cooper bent to take her kiss. She caught his bottom lip with her teeth and tugged playfully. Cooper reached up and undid her tightly twisted hair, letting the ebony curls spill across her shoulders, then sank his hand into the strands to hold her head still as he delved inside her splendid mouth.

He could forget just about anything when they were together. Maybe he was pussy-whipped, but God, what a pussy.

“You aren’t changing the subject,” he warned gently when he finally broke away.

“There’s a supply closet we could go check out. Maybe it needs a camera in there.” She rocked her hips against his, smiling when her sweet pressure nudged his hardened cock.

“Minx,” he murmured, stealing another kiss from her swollen lips.

She smiled warmly. “I think you need an addiction warning label.”

“I think you’d better stop teasing me before I haul you onto the desk and have my way with you.”

“I really like that idea,” she confessed.

Footsteps clacked along the hallway. Cooper reluctantly stepped back from her, wishing he had a moment to taste her pretty pout one more time before someone saw them together. A lab tech walked in, moving over to the file drawers and one of the computer consoles, completely ignoring the two of them.

“We need the infrared and the Plexiglas.”

“You say that, but you won’t be more specific,” she reasoned.

“I know. You wouldn’t like it.”

“Why do I get the feeling that you’d have no trouble talking to Sage or Dill about why you want those things installed?”

“Because I wouldn’t. Which sounds bad, but saves you grief.”

Fauna sighed. “Don’t make this personal, Cooper. If we weren’t—” She glanced sharply over her shoulder, then leaned in to whisper. “If we weren’t sleeping together, you’d tell me because then I’d just be your boss. This is what I was afraid of.”

He had to admit, she was right. However, even before they’d slept together, he’d been intimately interested in her and he’d still have had a hard time telling her about elementals, because of her vocal dislike for the faery realm. Sex definitely complicated it, because now he knew what it was like to have her, and he had no intention of letting her go.

“You’re right, but you still won’t like it. Can we go with it for the moment until,” he nodded toward the tech, “we’re alone and I can explain?”

“I’ll upload the infrared software, but I’m not ordering Plexiglas until I know what this is about,” she said after a minute. “It’ll take the rest of the day to load and calibrate. Only one view can be live at a time. So while you’re considering the mysteries of infrared, would you care to tell me what sequencing you want?”

“Can we cycle through regular video, night vision, and infrared on each camera?” he asked.

“We’ll have to set up more monitors to read the data and writing the program for that kind of a cycle will take me some time.”

“I can help.”

Fauna reclaimed her stool.

Cooper dragged one over to sit with her. “Say two seconds per exposure.”

Fauna grunted. “Oh, is that all? Do you realize what kind of programming is involved for that? One camera running through all those cycles and views is gonna be hell.”

“If anyone can do it, sweetheart, you can.” He kissed her cheek.

Fauna tensed and widened her eyes with a nod to the tech.

“Forgot.”

“Don’t,” she warned.

“Yes, ma’am.”

“Bite me.”

Cooper gasped dramatically. “Here? Now? I thought we were being careful.”

Fauna held back a laugh, refusing to tear her gaze from the computer monitor. Too bad, because he was ready with the wiggling eyebrows. He’d love to see her bust out a laugh, watch her eyes dance with humor. She was a knockout to begin with, but when Fauna smiled, Lord have mercy, his brain headed straight to his cock.

Chapter Five

Fauna rubbed her eyes. The final lab tech had left the building, and Cooper was making sure the doors to the central secured areas were working properly. They’d done that every night to make sure there were no fluctuations in their programming, and that they had confirmed consistent performance.

Whatever Cooper’s hang up was about the infrared camera setup, she’d done it. It had seemed really important to him. He knew the expense and the time consumption of installing and working through the programming glitches. She didn’t think he was wrong, just that it seemed like overkill.

She supposed she could have loaded infrared instead of night vision, but she’d spent the previous day working on that and it was already in the system. She just hoped it didn’t jam the hard drives and compromise another security portal until they could reroute everything to the onsite mainframe.

On the other hand, she also didn’t think of Cooper as frivolous. Everything he did was measured and careful. He moved economically, he worked economically, he made love economically, doing all the right things to get the job done. Her belly warmed at the last thought.

Exactly the right things, in all the right places, with perfect technique, never detracting from the moment with distracting touches or kisses, but intensely focused on her maximum pleasure. God, she could really use some more of that right now.

As if on cue, Cooper entered the central room, a smile on his face.

“You’re thinking about sex,” her murmured huskily.

Fauna felt her cheeks heat. “How do you do that? It’s like you read minds or something.”

“Nope. No faery mind reading abilities here, just noticing the way your cheeks are flushed and the twinkle in your eyes.”

“Am I that readable?” she mourned.

“To me.” He walked up behind her and folded her in his arms.

Fauna held onto his forearms and leaned back against his stomach. “Everything check out?”

“Yep.” Cooper nuzzled her hair.

She tipped her head back, bumping it on his firm chest. Cooper kissed the spot between her eyebrows. “So let’s discuss this infrared thing.”

Cooper’s smile faltered. “You don’t want to take care of that sexual craving of yours first?”

“Nice try. I’m not getting distracted from the answers this time. Just tell me what the concern is. Pretend I’m Sage.”

“Sorry, can’t. I have absolutely no compunction to fuck Sage,” he joked.

“Then pretend I’m Dill?” She laughed at the look of alarm on his face.

“Gotta say no to that, too. You’re the only Harper I want to see naked and writhing.”

Her belly tightened, and she swatted a hand back to smack his thigh. “Just talk to me, already.”

Cooper blew out a breath and sat on the stool next to her, facing Fauna instead of the computer screen she’d been working on.

“We aren’t just protecting against human threats. We need to look at all the possible threats and contain them,” he explained.

“Faeries? What do faeries want with cloning technology? Most of the time they are hung up on pranks and peripheral stuff.”

“Possibly faeries, I don’t know. I
do
know that we need to look at the other realms as having a possible interest in this study.”

“What other realms?” Fauna asked, her brow furrowed with apparent confusion.

“Well, the guy a couple of nights ago was an elemental.”

“A what? Is that like that air, water, earth, and fire thing?”

“Yes,” he answered.

Fauna cocked her head, her eyes darting between his. “I don’t understand. I thought the elements referred to categories as a way our ancestors explained what they didn’t understand. If it’s stormy, you must’ve pissed off the air elements. If a volcano blows up, gee, I guess the earth is annoyed with how you’re taking care of it.”

“Not exactly. Elements are categories. Elementals are considered mythical beings like faeries would be. They fall into the same categories, but are called by their proper names usually. Fire elementals are salamanders. Gnomes belong to the earth grouping. Undines belong to the water family, and sylphs to the air.”

“I think if elementals existed, I’d know. I mean, I’m half faery. That’s a ticket to all things otherworldly.”

“Technically, it’s the same worlds, just the unseen, unrecognized portions of it. I’m surprised you
don’t
know about them.”

“But you think the guy we saw sneaking into the building, like any other breaking and entering robber, is magical?” she scoffed. Suddenly she smiled brightly. “Is that because you couldn’t catch him? You think he must be magical because he escaped you? Don’t worry, I won’t tell anyone.”

He laughed at her light teasing. “No, I know he’s an elemental. I don’t know which genus though.”

“Wouldn’t gnomes be short and gnomey? Sylphs see-through? Salamanders scaly? Your reasoning is a little thin.”

“They only look different than humans when their energy is tapped out and they need to recuperate,” he replied seriously.

“So what did you really want to talk to me about?” she asked, folding her hands in her lap. She smiled at him, having enjoyed the little joke. He always kept her on her toes. She liked that about him.

Cooper shifted his weight. She thought she saw his jaw tighten and she decided to pay a little closer attention to what he wasn’t saying.

“We need the Plexiglas inner vault for the main laboratory. It’s a lot of coverage, but it’s absolutely critical to have it, or bulletproof glass, with an automated lockdown sequence in the event of an intrusion,” he said, looking into her eyes solemnly.

“Okay, I’ll play along. What magical properties does Plexiglas or bulletproof glass have on an elemental?”

“It blocks. It doesn’t conduct heat. It holds earth and water. It’s a barrier to air.”