Twice as Hot (Tales of an Extraordinary Girl #2)(112)

Was he willing to work for me?

When the time had come for Rome and Sunny to leave, Rome hadn't kissed me goodbye. Hadn't said goodbye for that matter. Leaving had gone something like this: Sunny: "No! I'm staying." She'd been angry at that point, but had calmed herself down, the anger turning to sadness - and then tears. "I haven't seen you in a long time. I miss you. I don't want to go!

You've been gone for forever."

Me, hating myself: "I don't want you to go, either, but I have to go to...work." Sunny: "No, you don't. I heard Daddy say he's not going to marry you and that I had to stop asking to see you." Her chin had trembled. "You're leaving us, aren't you?" Me: "I love you, sweetheart. I would never leave you. Ever." Rome: "I'll bring you back tomorrow, sunshine. I swear. I explained to you last night that my mind was sick and I just didn't remember Belle. But now I do."

Sunny: "But you're not happy, you're not smiling and laughing like before." She'd then used her misting ability to disappear. We hadn't found her for twenty minutes, and both Rome and I had been beyond worried. Finally we'd discovered her inside the freaking dryer. I'd felt like a rat, and Rome had scooped her up and stalked out of the house, silent.

Remembering, I sighed.

"You okay?" Jean-Luc asked me. He sat across from me, and placed his hand over mine.

Slowly I withdrew it as I studied his face over the flickering candlelight. He was so handsome, so sweet, so giving (when he wasn't stealing, that is). Despite my confession that I'd never love him, despite the agents he'd known would surround us, he'd brought me to a lovely place with flowers and soft, romantic music.

With the threat of Dr. Roberts looming, John had instructed us to stay alert and not drink anything with alcohol, so Jean-Luc had ordered me a virgin strawberry margarita. His notebook had reminded him that my favorite fruit was strawberry.

"I just had a tough day," I said.

"Tell me about it." He propped his elbows on the table and leaned toward me, genuinely interested.

"I shouldn't." Unloading my Rome-problems on him would be cruel. But I desperately needed someone to talk to. And I couldn't talk to Sherridan. I wasn't yet immune to her voice. I couldn't talk to Tanner, either. Even now, he and Elaine were lost in their own little world, heads bent together, whispering.

So far, Elaine's sessions were going very well. The scientists at PSI had painted a translucent gell over her exposed skin - much as Rome had worn during our training session - which acted as a barrier. Like clothing. Tanner could now caress her cheek - and had, several times. Each time, Elaine leaned into him, her eyes closing in ecstasy.

"It would hurt you," I said, returning my attention to Jean-Luc, "and I don't want to hurt you." Now he sighed. "Rome, then."

I nodded.

"What's so special about him that - No. Never mind. Don't tell me." Jean-Luc followed the direction of my gaze, to Tanner and Elaine. "Some guard dogs, huh?"

I laughed with genuine humor. "Yeah. They're about as effective as Ginger and Lovey." He sighed again and toyed with the rim of his glass, finger stroking the edge. "That's how it should be, isn't it?"

"What?" Somehow, I'd lost the thread of the conversation.

"Love. That's how love should be."

Oh. I bit my lip, studied Tanner and Elaine again. There was a gentleness to Tanner's expression that I'd never seen before, even with Lexis, transforming him from young man to protective alpha. Seemed odd, that tenderness toward a woman could bring out such a Me-Killing-Machine aura, but it was there.

Tanner would protect her, would die for her.

They hadn't known each other long, but sometimes people just knew. That's how it had been with me and Rome. I had been enraptured by him from the very first, even though he'd been sent to destroy me.

Tanner caught my scrutiny and frowned over at me. "What?"

"I just love you, that's all," I said, my eyes misting. God, I was a freaking watering pot lately.

"That's because you secretly want to ride the Tanner Express." I barked out a laugh. Elaine gasped, not quite used to his sense of humor yet.

"That's the line he used to use to pick up girls," I told her. "Needless to say, he was an absolute failure." Slowly she smiled. "Did you really?"

His cheeks pinked a bit. "It wasn't my best line, but it did the job."

"Did not," I said, laughter increasing in volume. "Girls ran from you, fast as they could."

"I'm not running," Elaine said in a throaty whisper.

Just like that, the two were lost in their own world again.

My smile faded. I tossed my napkin on the table and pushed back my chair. "I need to run to the ladies'

room." Compose myself, I didn't add.

Jean-Luc stood with me. I clomped off. How could I let him down without hurting him? I maneuvered around tables and people, past the kitchen and its hot, steamy air and into the bathroom.

The door slammed behind me, locking before anyone else - namely a female agent/guard - could enter.

"Finally," I heard.

I spun, gasping. There was Dr. Roberts, tall and thin with a comb-over he needed to shave. Thick glasses I hadn't seen him wear in our previous brief encounter. He was very studious-looking. Oh, and he had a gun pointed to my chest.