Twice as Hot (51 page)

The
ice was already forming in my hand. The moment it solidified completely, I
launched it. The intruder ducked and the ball slammed into the wall, the door,
freezing them.

And
locking me inside with the depraved man. Dr. Roberts again? “I’m armed and I’m
dangerous, motherfucker!”

“Good
reflexes and good timing. You’ve already improved. The potty mouth needs to go,
though.”

I
blinked. Stilled. Gulped. “Rome?”

“The
one and only.”

“You
bastard!” I summoned another ball of ice and tossed it, too. Once again he
ducked. Wait. What was I doing?
Way to win him back,
I thought, willing
the ice to leave me. “Don’t scare me like that again! I thought you were a
scrim.”

He
rose. He was standing at the end of the bed. Moonlight seeped from the window
and illuminated his strong body. He was dressed in black, his hair damp as if
he’d just taken a shower.

A
knock sounded at my door. “Belle?” Tanner called.

“I’m
okay. Just having—”

“We’re
fine,” Rome said.

There
was a chuckle. “Way to go, Cat Man. Carry on, you two. I’m about to.” Then,
silence.

“What
are you doing here?” I didn’t bother trying to cover my nakedness. No, I lay
back on the pillow, a seductive goddess—I hoped.

For
a moment, his expression was so primitive I thought he was going to pound his
chest King Kong–style. “We’ve got some air to clear,” he said, and his voice
sounded thick. Raw. “I heard what you said to Jean-Luc.”

First,
surprise rocked me. Then embarrassment. “So you
were
there?”

He
nodded. “I told you I would be.”

“But
I thought…you seemed…If I’m remembering correctly, you then said you weren’t
going. And when you left with Sunny, you made it seem like you were done with
me.”

“As
if.” He reached behind his neck and pulled his shirt up and off. “You want to
stand on your own, and I was trying to let you. I was trying not to interfere
with what you felt you had to do. Even though it was killing me.” Next he
unsnapped his pants. “But I couldn’t stay away and found myself plugging into
the audio feed.”

Sweet
heaven. I licked my lips, nervous and excited and trembling. “That’s wonderful.
I’m glad. But first, I have to tell you something. Dr. Roberts was at the
restaurant. He—”

“I
know. I heard that, too. We all did. There were recorders all over the place.
I’m surprised you didn’t know.”

Damn,
but I still had a lot to learn. “Why didn’t you guys rush in and take him?”

“Oh,
John wanted to, but I threw a fit and he backed down. I didn’t want Roberts to
panic and hurt you. More than that, I think John liked what he had to say about
neutralizing powers. John wants to confiscate whatever new formula the good
doctor creates.

“Now,
enough shop talk. Let’s get back to the subject of you and me.” His gaze roved
over me, hot and hungry.

“Wait,”
I said, holding up a hand.

His
head fell back and he groaned. “Not again.”

“I
won’t lie to you. I was thinking about ending things with you.”

Every
muscle in his body froze, his eyes narrowing on me.

“But
only because I worried we couldn’t make it,” I admitted softly. “And only for a
little while. Once my senses returned, I knew you were worth fighting for no
matter what.”

“Why
would you think we couldn’t make it?” He relaxed, and slid back into motion.
The pants tumbled down his legs. He stepped out of them.

As
usual, he wasn’t wearing underwear.

As
I drank in that long, hard, thick length, moisture flooded my mouth. “Because I
was changing, becoming a different person, and I wasn’t sure you could love who
I would be.”

“And
who’s that?” He climbed atop the bed, but remained on his knees. “Who are you
now?”

A
tremor moved through me. I wanted to tug him on top of me, but resisted. This
was too important. “An agent. A very powerful agent who will one day be able to
kick your ass. A very powerful agent who will maybe might kinda sorta one day
want children.”

“And
all of that is what’s been making you so distant with me?”

“That,
and you seemed to be pulling away from me.”

A
frown curved his lips into a half-moon. “If I seemed upset at the gym today, it
was only because I was worried you would outgrow me. That you wouldn’t need me
anymore. But I realized that’s okay. You
don’t
need me. You’re stronger
than I am, and I like that. I’m proud of it. Of you. That was never clearer
than when Dr. Roberts offered to free you from your powers but you weren’t sure
you wanted him to. I didn’t want you to accept, either. They’re a part of who
you are. Part of the girl I love. A girl who’s brave and sarcastic, loyal and
determined.”

“I—I—”
Couldn’t form any intelligent words.

“I’m
not done, Wonder Girl,” he chided. “I wanted to strangle Lexis when I got my
memories back and realized what she’d done to keep us apart. I wanted to beat
myself for listening to her, even for a minute. I wanted to kill Jean-Luc, with
my memories and without, for looking at you as if you belonged to him. And he’s
lucky the dates are over. I planned to hunt him down tomorrow and put a bullet
in his leg to keep him away. No one keeps us apart. Not even you. Not even me.

“I
love who you are, yesterday, now, tomorrow, always. You’re complicated and
yeah, powerful, but that doesn’t change the core of you. You’re strong, and did
I already mention brave? You’re loving, giving and sexy as hell. You speak your
mind, you never back down and you make my heart stop every time I look at you.
I would be lost without you. And yes, I want kids with you, no matter how
they’ll turn out. One day. Right now, I just want you all to myself.”

His
speech was a dream come true. Wondrous, amazing, surreal. Everything I’d ever
wanted to hear and more. Once he’d stung my feminine pride. Now he’d utterly
soothed it. The tears I’d expected tonight poured free, as if a dam had broken.
But they were tears of joy. “I will never outgrow you. I will always need you.
But I want to be clear. I’m it for you? The one and only?” I didn’t mean for
the questions to squeak out, but they did.

He
nodded. “My one and only. Now, enough talking. We’ve got some reuniting to do.”

He
was on top of me in the next instant. I wrapped my legs around him as he fed me
a kiss, his tongue plunging deep. My hands were all over him, and his were all
over me.

It
was heaven, the possession I’d craved all these many days.

“I
love you,” he said, nipping at my lips, my ears, kissing down my neck.

“I
love you so much.”

“We’re
getting married.”

“Yes.”

“Soon.”

“As
soon as possible.”

“And
you’ll take my name.” He swirled his tongue around one of my nipples, then the
other.

“I’m
still undecided. I mean, you once called a pet Bone Crusher, so clearly you
aren’t good with names. But why don’t you convince me of the merits of your
plan?” I tangled my hands in his hair, ran my thighs up his sides. How could a
man with so many hard muscles feel like velvet?

“Give
me an hour. Maybe neither one of us will even remember our names, so it’ll be a
moot point.” Kneading my breasts, he turned the hot, wet attentions of his
tongue to my navel, swirling. I moaned at the heady bliss. And then he was
licking between my legs, flicking my clitoris and driving me mad.

“Rome,”
I shouted as I came, my muscles spasming, my back shooting off the mattress, my
nails digging into his scalp. “I—I still remember.”

“Hang
on.” He surged up, impaling me deep. Another climax hit me instantly, hurtling
me over the edge again and again and again. I chanted his name, only then
realizing there wasn’t a fire desperate to escape me.

I
truly had control of my powers.

“Woman,”
Rome grunted, pounding deep, hard, fast, and then roaring a sound of utter
satisfaction.

When
the last of our tremors subsided, we didn’t move. I couldn’t. Not because
Rome’s weight pinned me down—though it did—but because for the first time in
weeks, I was utterly satisfied. Happy beyond measure. And I didn’t want it to
end.

“How
embarrassing.” He kissed the inside of my neck. “I only lasted five minutes.
And I was the first to forget. Again.”

“Well,
I can top that, Cat Man. I only lasted three.”

He
laughed. “See, this is why I love you. You’re the biggest smart-ass I know.”

The
sound of a woman’s blissful cries suddenly seeped through the walls, blending
with the sound of our ragged breathing, and my laughter joined Rome’s. “Bet
Tanner lasts longer than both of us combined.”

Rome
gave another laugh, but the laughter soon faded. He cupped my face, forcing my
gaze to remain locked with his. “You meant what you said? About marrying me?”

“Absolutely.”
I hugged him tight. “You’re mine, Rome Jamison, and I’m never letting you go.”

“Rome
Jamison. I like the sound of that.”

“So
do I.” I rose up and straddled his waist. “Now, let’s try to set a new record
for us. Let’s try to last ten minutes.”

I
woke up bright and early ,
 whistling under my breath as I made coffee
for myself and Rome, the puppies playing around my feet. Rome was currently in
the shower, where I’d left him after another round of hot and steamy loving.

We
were together again, and we were going to get married, though I had no idea
when. Both of us wanted it to be soon, but I had nothing planned and all of my
appointments were canceled.

A
dark slash in my periphery captured my attention and I turned, expecting Rome.
Or Tanner—who had stayed awake
laaaaate
last night. I knew because the
sounds he and Elaine had made had never ceased. I now knew beyond any doubt
that Tanner had lost his virginity. Never would I be able to blot the many “Oh,
Tanner, oh, yes, like that” pleas from my mind.

But
instead of Rome or Tanner, I saw a familiar figure with white hair and
silver-violet eyes tiptoeing toward the living room and the front door. I
followed, brow scrunched in confusion. “Cody?”

He
stopped in his tracks, muttering, “Shit.” Slowly he turned and faced me. A pair
of shoes dangled from his hands. His shirt was wrinkled and his jeans
unsnapped—as if he’d dressed in a hurry. He smiled sheepishly. “Well, this is
awkward.”

“Isn’t
it, though?” I asked, hands on my hips.

“So,
uh, hey, Belle. How are you?”

“Enough
pleasantries. What are you doing here?”

He
shifted uncomfortably, shrugged. “Came to see Sherridan.”

“Why?”
The question lashed from me, sparks of anger lighting. “I don’t think she wants
to see you.”

“Uh,
you’d be wrong about that.”

What
the hell? “You said you weren’t interested in her anymore. You said you didn’t
like high-maintenance women.”

“Well,
I lied. Or changed my mind. I’m not sure which. She looked at me with those
baby blues while Desert Gal had her caged and I sort of forgot how to think.
I’m not going to hurt her, though. You have my word.”

“Are
you guys a…couple?” I gasped out the word.

His
cheeks reddened, then paled. “No. Yes. I don’t know. For now.”

I
ran my tongue over my teeth, my hands clenching at my sides. Then someone
sidled up to me, strong arms banding around my waist. Soft lips pressed into my
temple, and I breathed deeply of soap and wild beast.

“Hey,
baby,” Rome said to me. “You look pretty. Jeans and a button-up. My favorite.
Except when you’re naked. Or wearing a dress. Or a towel. Actually, whatever
you wear, I love. Have we already covered that?” He paused, but not long enough
for me to answer. “Hey, man,” he said to Cody. “See things went well last
night.”

Cody
smiled smugly. “You could say that. Thanks for letting me in.”

I
whipped around, facing Rome with narrowed eyes. “You knew he was here?”

“Well,
yeah. I heard him sneaking in. Since your guard dogs refused to budge from
their beds, I decided to check on things.” He gave me another kiss, this one on
the lips, and padded to the kitchen. He was wearing pants, but no shirt, and as
usual his chest and back were sun-kissed, slightly scarred and utterly
kissable.

I
followed him, watching as he grabbed a mug and filled it with the coffee I had
made him, the traitor. I tried not to soften as he pet the girls. They didn’t
bark or snarl at him as I’d originally envisioned. Now that I liked him and
wanted him around, they did, too. Or maybe he’d romanced them as he’d done to
me, now that he was no longer jealous of them. Yes, he’d admitted that he’d
been jealous of the smiles I’d given my babies. “Why didn’t you tell me?”