Space Wrangler (12 page)

“Yes, I am aware.”

Leaning back in his chair, he closed his eyes, imagining TJ pawing at Alexia, and Alexia pretending to love it. Or worse, actually loving it. “Maybe we should just leave tonight.”

“That makes no sense.” Sensie's tone grew solicitous. “I never thought I'd see you in love—”

“This isn't love. It's some kind of perverse hard-on that won't quit. I just need to power through and remind myself I don't want, or need, a girlfriend. Especially one who's not available anyway. TJ's probably making his move right now, and that's what she wants.”

“Although ironically, it is the biggest mistake she can make if she wants access to the Sea-Mont sentient.”

He sat up, surprised by the observation. “Support that.”

“I have spent a portion of my downtime analyzing what we know of TJ Seaton, and I have determined that he hungers for what he doesn't have. Despite being a multi-millionaire and a celebrated businessman, he is empty and alone because he can't have the one thing he craves, which is his father's affection. It is unattainable. There was a time when the Montoyas filled the void, but one by one, he lost them. First Roberto, then Trent, and then Alexia. If he can possess her again, he believes it will fill the emptiness, but it will not. Still, for the moment, it gives her amazing leverage.”

“That makes sense,” he agreed reluctantly. “So what's the problem?”

“The problem is, once she gives herself to him, he will realize it isn't enough. He may love her—even marry her—but she will never again have this kind of power over him. The power to convince him to share his sentient with her.”

“Fuck, that almost sounds plausible.”

“I believe it is accurate. She must tread carefully—”

“Yeah, I get it.” He jumped to his feet. “Shut down for the night, Sensie, but keep those shields raised. I'll be back before dawn and we can head out.”

“You plan to spend the night with Alexia?”

“Nope. I just want to warn her, then I'll spend the night with a blonde in a dark wig.” He chuckled again at the thought, finding it oddly arousing. “Thanks for the great advice, Sensie. You're the best girl a guy could ever have.”

Chapter Eight

Alexia's fears that her date with TJ would end in either a huge fight or a punishing sexual encounter disappeared as soon as she walked through the penthouse door and caught the aroma of her second-favorite childhood dish—pizza. Pleased, she complimented him, and he made a lighthearted joke about her dress, observing that they had both brought their A-game to this party.

After that, they reminisced again. So many stories about Trent, and to her profound amazement, every word out of TJ's mouth was so loving, so innocent—almost childlike—she felt like an unscrupulous bitch for ever doubting him.

Now as she finished her second slice of pepperoni-laden ecstasy, she patted his hand and insisted, “This feels like old times. Is that really possible? After all we've been through?”

“I think it is,” he murmured. “Thank God you were crazy enough to brave the sinkhole and make it happen.” Seeming nervous for the first time, he asked, “Shall we move to the living room? Or do you want dessert right away? It's pineapple upside-down cake.”

“Death by gluttony? It's not going to work, sir.” She stood, then took his hands and pulled him to his feet. “That couch looks pretty comfortable, don't you think? We've talked so much about Trent, but now—well, maybe it's time to concentrate on
us
.”

“I'd like that.” He followed her to the plush sofa and once she had settled down, he moved to the wet bar. “It's vodka and cranberry juice with seltzer, right?”

“Cointreau actually. But vodka sounds fine too.”

“Cointreau?” He scowled. “How could I forget that? I wanted everything to be perfect.”

“It is, trust me. Come and sit, please?”

He brought two glasses—hers tall and bubbly, his a snifter with an inch of brandy. Then he sat a full foot away and offered a toast. “To picking up where we left off.”

“That sounds good.”

They each took a sip, and she forced herself to appreciate how handsome he was. Broad shoulders, thick wavy hair the color of honey, cobalt-blue eyes—wasn't it time to resurrect that teenaged crush? She could almost picture him and Trent outside the house, shooting hoops. TJ would take his shirt off, his muscles would flex, and Alexia would collapse onto the window seat in her bedroom, drooling.

“You haven't said much about your trip to Destry,” he said gently. “Didn't the Titans impress you?”

“They were amazing. I get chills just thinking about it.”

“And what about Rick? Did he give you chills too?”

“Pardon?”

“You were with him all day. He's quite a guy, right? And like I said yesterday, I know
you've
gotten pretty loose.” His blue eyes clouded. “It's fine, Alexia. Just be honest with me. If we're going to start fresh, we'll need some ground rules. One of which is, it's just me. No other men, starting tonight. I'm not good at sharing.”

“I was with Rick all day,” she agreed. “In a ship built for
one
. He's the captain. Sensie's the crew. And I was mostly a nuisance. But they treated me well, and I loved seeing Destry, so—well, end of story.”

“He rescued you from Dad's storm troopers—”

“So did you.” She set her drink on an end table and moved closer. “I came here for you, TJ. You're all I've ever wanted. If Trent hadn't disappeared—”

“But he did, and we've got to accept that. That's one of the ground rules if we're really going to make this work.”

“Is there a ground rule against kissing?” she asked with a teasing smile. “Just one little kiss? To see if we've still got it?”

“I want more than a kiss,” he growled. Then he backed her against the cushions and slid his hand under her skirt. “And so do you, right?”

She gulped and nodded. “Let's just do things in order this time, okay? We didn't kiss last time, and I always regretted that.”

His body shuddered, as though controlling a burst of lust, then he covered her mouth with his own, the hint of brandy making it seem even warmer.

She had dreamed of this moment as a kid, fantasized about it as a teenager, and mourned it as a college student. Now his tongue was in her mouth, probing her greedily, and it felt so wrong.

Not wrong like it had felt with George Rendem-Sayers—
that
had been disgusting and repulsive.

This felt deceitful. On
her
part, not his. So she wriggled free enough to tell him, “I want this, I swear it. But we need to go slow, because—”

“Because I had Trent declared dead? Yeah, I know.” His hand moved under her skirt again, forcing itself between her thighs. “I'll make it up to you, I promise.”

“TJ—”

“Give me this,” he growled, “and I'll give you the goddammed sentient. That's what you want, isn't it?”

“Yes,” she groaned. “But not this way.” She gasped as his fingers inched higher, but she didn't push his hand away. She was too confused—horrified but also upset with herself. She hadn't thought this through.

And now he was unzipping his pants, and so without thinking, she moved her own hand to cover his hard, exposed erection, giving it a long, promising stroke. Then she smiled up at him shyly and said, “Hi.”

His expression softened. “Hi.” Withdrawing his hand from under her dress, he used it to cover hers, encouraging her to stroke him more firmly. “That feels pretty good.”

Relief flooded through her. “I don't want to manipulate you with sex. I want you to give me computer access because you love me. Because you loved my family. My brother. Can't this—this lovemaking—be separate from that? Something we do because we love each other?”

His breath grew ragged. “I'll give you the computer in exchange for sex.
Lots
of sex. And yeah, love too. Just go with it, baby.”

“TJ…” She could feel his excitement burgeoning, and knew she needed to make a decision. Once he came—outside or inside her—there was no going back. They would have a new deal, stranger even than the contract that robbed her of parity in the corporation.

But she'd have Prototype #4. Her last chance at finding Trent. Wasn't that what this whole trip was about?

“We need to talk,” she insisted half-heartedly.

“Yeah, well, I want
this
first.”

A burst of knocking at the front door startled them both.

“What the fuck?” TJ muttered.

“Hey TJ!” Rick's voice called out, accompanied by more pounding. “Open up!”

“Son of a
bitch.
” Glaring at Alexia, he muttered, “Just stay quiet.”

But Rick persisted. “TJ? Is Alexia in there? I need to talk to her.”

Oh Lord
…

She shrank from TJ's livid expression. “I'm so sorry. But he sounds upset, doesn't he? Shouldn't we see what he wants?”

“I
know
what he wants. To
fuck
you.”

“No, no. It can't be that. He had all day to try, right? And he didn't.”

“Fine.” TJ jumped to his feet. “Stay put. I'll get rid of him.”

She watched as he fastened his pants and strode to the door. The idea that Rick Gage had suddenly come unglued and wanted a relationship was preposterous, wasn't it? More likely, he was playing hero again, trying to save her from TJ's evil clutches without considering how that might impact her plans.

“What the fuck do you want?” TJ demanded as soon as he opened the door.

“Sorry for just showing up,” Rick said calmly. “I need to talk to Alexia. About her brother. And since I'm leaving at dawn, it couldn't wait.”

To TJ's credit, the mention of Trent mollified him. “Her brother?”

Rick stepped into the room, not glancing in Alexia's direction. “Yeah. It'll just take a minute, I promise.”

“Hi, Rick,” she called out from the couch before standing and walking over to join them. Hopefully TJ would notice how unconcerned she was about being seen in a compromising position with him.

“Hey, Alexia. Sorry for the interruption.” The wrangler glanced at her rumpled dress, then explained. “Sensie has a new theory about Trent's disappearance. And since I'm leaving tomorrow—”

“A new theory?” TJ interrupted. “How's that even possible? Our sentients came up dry, and she's just a clone.”

“It's not possible,” Alexia soothed him, suspecting Rick's story was just a cover. “But we should hear him out, right? When it comes to Trent, I leave no stone unturned, even a clone stone.”

“It's a parallel universe theory,” Rick told her.

She nodded, understanding the oblique reference. Sensie didn't believe in parallel universes, so this was indeed a smokescreen. But for what? A gallant rescue? A burst of romantic zeal?

TJ spoke up again. “Sounds like another dead end, but let's hear it.”

“I'd rather discuss it with Alexia first. Then she can fill you in.”

“Just spit it out, Gage.”

Alexia stepped between them. “Please, TJ? I want to hear this. And he said it'll just take a minute. After that…” She gave him a promising smile. “Maybe we can have that dessert you mentioned.”

TJ shot a triumphant look in Rick's direction and said, “Fine. Have your private moment. I'll go look for some Cointreau. I'm sure there's a bottle downstairs.”

“Thanks.” She brushed her lips across his. “I promise I'll make it up to you.”

“Just make it quick,” he advised dryly. Then he took a key card from the display next to the wet bar and walked out of the room and down the hall.

Grabbing Rick's arm, she pulled him in the other direction, opened the sliding glass door and led him onto the balcony. Then she faced him breathlessly, slipping her hands behind his neck. “I can't believe you came here to stop me.”

“Not to stop you. Just to slow you down.”

“Hmm?”

“Do you
want
me to stop you?”

“Not that
again.” She tried to laugh, but he looked so heroic and so very,
very
hot, she could only manage a breathless sound. One that sounded like a plea for him to kiss her again. So she added quickly, “You couldn't stop me if you tried. It just seemed so noble for you to burst in like this.”

“I'm not trying to be noble.”

“Well congratulations. You're not.”

He chuckled. “Sensie has a theory—”

“Oh my God, she actually
has
something? About Trent?”

“No, it's about you and TJ.” He pulled her close. “Sorry, Lexie. I didn't mean to get your hopes up. This is something else. But I figured you'd want to know. Before it was too late.”

She exhaled, relieved but completely confused. And because of that, she lingered against his muscular chest for a long moment before pulling back. “Maybe you should just tell me.”

He nodded, his green eyes blazing. “She ran a profile on TJ. Of his psychological makeup. And came up with this theory that you've got enormous leverage right now. But once you sleep with him, it goes away.”

“So I shouldn't sleep with him?” She studied his face, confused again. “What's the point of leverage if you can't use it? And FYI, he basically promised he'd give me access to Prototype Number Four if I give him what he wants.”

“Right. And what he wants is to fill the void left by his father's neglect. Or something like that.
Gee
zus, I wish Sensie could talk to you directly.” He straightened his shoulders. “Remember George Rendem-Sayers? Once he got what he wanted, he basically refused to help.”

She rolled her eyes. “Yes, I remember. But
he's
an ass. TJ's a wonderful guy. If he says he'll let me use the sentient, I believe him.”

“Fine.” Rick's expression hardened. “I'm just delivering a message.”

“From Sensie? That's so sweet.” She stroked his jaw in apology. “I'm listening, you know. And maybe she's right. My feelings are such a mess.”

“That's her point.
Yours
are a mess, and so are TJ's. He wanted love as a kid and didn't get it. I can't imagine what that was like. But Sensie's point is, romantic love can't fill that gap. And let's face it, sex can't fill
any
thing for very long. So once you give him what he thinks he needs, and he still feels empty…”

“Right. I think I get it.” She sighed. “How bizarre. He made me an offer—sex for sentient. And I think he meant it at the moment. But Sensie's so smart. She knows he still has to face David—the very person he craves affection from.”

“Exactly.”

“Sheesh, what a mess. No wonder you and Trent prefer bio-girls.”

“We don't prefer them,” he reminded her stubbornly. “But sometimes they're the healthiest alternative.”

She nodded. “I'm grateful, you know. To you
and
to Sensie. Can you thank her for me? Tell her I'll think about everything she said.”

“What exactly
did
she say?” TJ demanded from the balcony's threshold. “Do you actually think Rick's clone has a viable theory about Trent?”

Alexia turned to face him, depressed by the bottle of Cointreau in his hand and the expression of tentative hope on his face. He was trying so hard to please her, and she was being such an ingrate. “It's probably nothing,” she murmured. “But Rick's computer thinks we should analyze the concept of parallel universes differently. As parallel
planes
within the same, all-encompassing universe.”

“
That's
the big emergency?” He chuckled. “
My
computer—an
actual
sentient—has been saying that for years.” Dropping the attitude, he motioned toward the living room. “Let's just forget about clones and have some of this fruity stuff. What do you say, Rick? Ready to drink a girl's drink?”