Playing With Fire (28 page)

I’d told Sherridan about my superpowers—had to prove it to her, actually, by blow-drying her hair at fifty paces—and she’d been ecstatic. “Think of the men you can freeze in place and we can fondle!” she’d said. “I’ll need to stock up on riding crops.”

That woman and her riding crops…I swear.

Brittan and Sunny had returned from their temporary safe house, and Sunny no longer called me “Stranger.” I was now “Daddy’s friend.” Warmed my heart every time the little angel said it. Maybe one day she’d call me Belle. Or…I didn’t dare think the other word I wanted her to call me. The
M
word.

Lexis had taken a leave of absence from PSI to spend more time with her daughter, and, I was sure, to get ready to go into hiding with Rome. I wanted to cry just thinking about it.

From his hospital bed, Rome moaned.

“Stupid man,” I chastised him. He had saved my life by almost giving up his own. Since I’d frozen his wounds, though, we were even, so I could call him names if I wanted.

He blinked at me, those crystalline eyes filled with tenderness. Bandages were wrapped around his chest. IV tubes and electrodes protruded from him. Monitors beeped.

“Belle,” he said groggily. “My sweet Homicidal Tendencies Wench.”

“Hey, Cat Man,” I said with a slow grin, suddenly so happy I could barely breathe. He was alive and on the mend. “How are you feeling?”

“Like shit.”

I chuckled. “You’re alive. That’s all that matters.”

“Thanks to you.” Gingerly, he reached out and our fingers intertwined. “Did you get him?” he asked.

I didn’t have to ask to know he spoke of Vincent. “We got him, sweetie. We got him.” I’d helped kill the bastard, and was glad of it. Anyone who threatened Rome’s life deserved a painful death.

“Thank you for taking those bullets for me, you big stupid-head,” I said. Tears suddenly burned my eyes. “You saved my life, but you also pissed me off. I would rather have taken them myself.”

“I’d never let anyone hurt you. Ever.”

I leaned over and kissed him softly on the lips. My chest ached then, and my stomach knotted. “You need to hurry up and get better. It’s time to get you and Sunny to safety.”

With a trembling arm, he reached out and caressed my cheek. “What’s wrong?”

“I guess now is as good a time as any to tell you that John fired you.”

His brow puckered and disbelief flashed over his face. “What? Why would he do that?”

“I’m, uh, sort of taking your place.” I looked away.

“What!”

“You, Sunny and Lexis can leave now. You can be a family. An average, normal family. But you’ll probably have to take Tanner with you, since he and Lexis are seeing each other now.” I forced a happy tone.

“Tanner and Lexis are…
dating?
” He flicked a glance to the ceiling. Praying for divine intervention? “And you, without consulting me, signed up to work with John. You did this so that I would leave the agency.”

O-kay. He’d sounded incredulous about the dating thing, but he’d sounded pissed as hell about the other. He should be slobbering all over me in thanks.

“Yes. On both counts.”

Silence.

“I’m not going to address my ex-wife’s romance with a teenager right now. The shock might kill me. What I want to know is why you want me gone so badly,” he finally said, his voice quiet.

“I don’t want you gone.” I faced him. “I just, well, this is what you wanted. This is what your daughter needs. And by taking your place at PSI, I’m fulfilling my end of our bargain. You helped me, I helped you.”

He reached up to pinch the bridge of his nose, but grimaced when he moved his arm, and quickly stilled. “I can’t believe you. You’re completely unpredictable and you’re a huge pain in my ass.”

“Gee. Thanks. That’s just the reaction I hoped for.” Tears once again filled my eyes. “Don’t you know this is hard for me? I don’t want to lose you.”

“Then don’t,” he said, his tone now raw. “Come with us.”

My eyes widened. With those words, he’d just offered me everything I’d wanted. Him. A life together. As a family. “I can’t.” It was the most difficult thing I’d ever had to say. “If I go back on my word, John will expect you to work for him. He’ll probably send Cody to hunt us both down.”

“Damn it, Belle. I never planned to fall in love with you.” Rome reached up and wiped away my tears. “But you snuck past my defenses.”

“What?” I demanded. That was the first I’d heard of love.

“I love you, okay? I suspected I was falling for you when you passed out after the fire. I mean, I’d never been so worried about a woman in my entire life, not even Lexis. But I knew it for sure when you saw me transform into a cat—”

“Jaguar,” I corrected.

“Whatever,” he said. “The point is, you didn’t give a shit.”

“That’s the sweetest thing I’ve ever heard,” I said, covering my eyes with my hand. But I didn’t want to hear those words. Not now. Not when I couldn’t take what he was offering. Still. I owed him the truth. “I love you, too.” The admission was hoarse, broken and unstoppable. “I love you so much.”

“I don’t know why you’re upset. It’s not like I’m going to leave you here to fend for yourself.”

My mouth fell open. “What?”

“You’ve got yourself a partner, baby. Get used to it. No way in hell I’m leaving you to your own devices. You need a keeper.”

“But…but…”

“Vincent’s dead, and he was the biggest threat to Sunny. Besides, you’ll help me keep her safe from the rest of the world,” he said. “And if anyone can ground her in normalcy, it’s you.” His tone was dry, but overflowing with affection.

Ohmygod, ohmygod, ohmygod.
He wanted to stay with me, was going to stay with me. All of my dreams were coming true.
What if you’re not the woman for him? Lexis wasn’t.
The thought drifted through my mind, but I quickly squashed it. I couldn’t predict what the future would bring, but I knew that I loved him. I now knew that he loved me, too.

“What if I told you Tanner will be working with us, too?” I asked.

Rome said, “I’d still want to stay with you. One big happy family.”

Tears of joy cascaded down my cheeks and I climbed onto the bed and lay beside him. Careful of his injuries, I buried my face in the hollow of his neck. “I love you so much,” I said again.

“I love you, too. God help me.” He sighed. “Did you already agree to a specific mission?”

I traced a figure eight over his chest. “John
did
mention that there’s a scrim named Desert Gal who needs neutralizing.”

“You’ve learned to talk the talk, I see.”

“Yep. I’ve even learned to neutralize parasters.”

He regarded me as if I were crazy. “Parasters?”

“Haven’t you heard? It’s the new, hip word for paranormal disasters.”

Rome shook his head, but wrapped his arm around my waist and held me tight. “What have I gotten myself into?”

“Heaven,” I said, and he laughed. “We need a name for our partnership,” I added. “Maybe we could call ourselves the Wonder Cats.”

He snorted, a sound that was followed by a grimace of pain. “Don’t make me laugh anymore.”

“Don’t let me go,” I whispered, suddenly serious.

“Never.” He kissed my temple. “One thing’s for sure. Life is going to be interesting. But we’ll have each other.”

Yes, we’d have each other. A girl—even Wonder Girl—couldn’t ask for more than that. I could hardly wait to see what life brought us next.

OBJECTIVE:

To kick major scrim ass; save the world from parasters; mentor my smart-mouthed sidekick, Tanner; track down the elusive Dr. Roberts; and, um, learn to control the flying dirt balls that keep mysteriously hitting any woman who checks out Rome.

EXPERIENCE:

•Many hours of (hot and heavy) practice with Rome, aka “Cat Man”

•Totally successful elimination of the evil scrim Pretty Boy

•Roasting marshmallows with my bare hands (and eyes)

•Watering the flowers at my dad’s assisted living center (without a hose)

•Orchestrating a snowball fight in the middle of summer (Tanner so got his ass kicked!)

EDUCATION:

•The School of Rome

•Awarded straight A’s and aced all “extra credit” assignments

INTERESTS:

Long walks on the beach (with Rome), sunsets (watching them with Rome), romance novels (acting out the love scenes with Rome), cold winter nights (snuggling with Rome), Rome in kilts/uniforms/calendars (or nothing at all), and massages (given by Rome).

REFERENCES:

“If you’re looking for trouble, Belle is the girl for you. P.S.—Hurt her and I’ll kill you.”

—Mr. Rome Masters, aka “Cat Man”

“Need a gal who can fry the bad guys but still give your hair the perfect blowout? Wonder Girl’s the one for you!”

—Miss Sherridan Smith, best friend

“You’ll never find a sweeter, harder-working gal than my baby Belle.”

—David Jamison, father

“Once you get to know her, she’s not a stranger.”

—Sunny Masters, friend and one day, perhaps, stepdaughter

“I predict she’ll do great things. Just don’t leave home without a raincoat, a fire extinguisher and moist towelettes.”

—Lexis Masters, aka “Know It All”

“I’ve never met a nicer, more wonderful woman—with such great cleavage!”

—Tanner Bradshaw, aka “Mr. Sensitivity”

If you’ve enjoyed Gena Showalter’s
PLAYING WITH FIRE
don’t miss the author’s next enthralling
paranormal romance
THE NYMPH KING
available February 2007 from HQN Books
Turn the page for a sneak preview!

“I
SHOULD HAVE KNOWN
you’d act this way,” Shaye’s mom snapped. With an angry flip of her wrist, she tossed a dark, shoulder-length tress over her shoulder and glared out at the water. “All I’ve ever wanted was a nice, normal daughter. Instead I’m stuck with you. You won’t be happy until you’ve ruined my wedding.”

“Which one?” Shaye asked drily, pushing aside her hurt. She didn’t like emotions. They were messy. She much preferred the icy numbness she usually surrounded herself with. That numbness had saved her during childhood, sweeping her away from depression and desolation and into a life of satisfaction, if not contentment.

“All of them, damn it.” Tamera didn’t face her, but continued to stare out at the pristine water. Another splash sounded, this one closer. “You’re jealous of me, and because of that you’ve never wanted me to be happy. Every time I’m close, you do something to hurt me.”

“Don’t blame me for your misery.”

“Connor and I wanted this day to be perf—” Her eyes widened, glazed with instant lust, and her words cut to an abrupt halt. “Perfect,” she sighed. “Hmm. So perfect.”

The way her voice dropped to a husky purr, as if she wanted to peel off her dress and dance naked in the moonlight, had Shaye blinking in confusion. “What’s with you?”

“Man.” There was a hypnotized quality to her words, an entrancement that left her unable to elaborate. “My man.”

“What the hell are you talking about?” Shaye dragged her gaze to the ocean. She sucked in a shocked breath. “Holy—”

There, rising from the water like primitive sea gods, were six gloriously tall and muscled barbarians. The moon settled reverently behind them, enveloping them in a golden halo. Each carried a sword, an honest to God, I’ll-slice-you-into-a-million-pieces sword, but she couldn’t seem to make herself care. They also carried scuba-clad men under their arms and draped over their backs. Again, she couldn’t make herself care.

The warriors were shirtless, and all of them possessed sinewy washboard abs, skin so tanned it resembled liquid gold poured over steel, and faces any male supermodel would have envied. Only better. So much better.

Unbelievable…surreal…magnificent.

Shaye gulped, and her heart skipped a beat. Heated air snagged in her lungs, burning and licking her with white-hot flames. All six of the warriors were staring at her as if she’d make a tasty meal, no silverware required. Strangely enough, she wanted to splay herself on a table, naked, offering her body as the dinner buffet. All you can eat. For free.

She moistened her lips, her mouth watering, her skin tingling, her stomach clenching.
I’m turned on. Why the hell am I turned on?
More importantly, why wasn’t she running?

Closer and closer they came. So close she could see the silvery water droplets sliding down their hairless chests and gathering in their sexy navels. The water slid lower, lower still….

Snap out of this, dummy,
she thought dazedly. Her gaze snagged on the one in the middle, and for a moment she forgot to move. Forgot to breathe.
Dangerous,
her mind supplied.
Lethal.
He was taller than the rest, his dark blond hair hanging in a wet tangle around his wickedly mesmerizing features. His eyes…oh, Lord. His eyes. They were blue-green, neither color blending with the other but standing alone, and so erotically seductive she felt the pull of his gaze all the way to her bones. Her nipples hardened, and an ache throbbed between her legs.

There was something wild about him, something untamed and savage, a deceptively calm glint in his expression that said he did whatever the hell he pleased, whenever the hell he wanted. And as she stared at him, he stared at her. He studied her face, a fleck of searing arousal flittering into those magnificent eyes of his, deepening and mixing the blue-green to a smoldering turquoise, followed quickly by a glint of anger.

Anger? Was he mad? At her?

Either way, he cocked his finger at her, summoning her to him.