Twice as Hot (Tales of an Extraordinary Girl #2)(33)

In the beginning, I'd worried that exposure to my blood would make Reese turn out like me. I think perhaps John had hoped for such a thing - two powerful element-wielders for the price of one - and that was the real reason he'd had Reese perform the tests on me. But the agent had never sickened like I had when first infected. He'd never shot uncontrollable fire beams out of his eyes or accidentally frozen PSI headquarters so that the entire operation had to be moved. And as unstable as the powers were at first, he would have done something.

"Yeah," I said, "but we weren't caught up in passion. What if she bites you back? What if - ?"

"Wouldn't matter. I'm not a virus. No one can catch what I've got. Besides, I would never allow anything bad to happen to her. Or you," he added fiercely. "I hope you know that." I settled more deeply against the bed pad. Unlike Cody, Reese didn't strike me as a player, therefore he might just be acceptable. "Before I give you my seal of approval, I have some questions for you." While I admired his zeal, the BF in me needed to know more. "Have you ever cheated on a girl?"

"No," he said, and this time he was offended.

I wished Tanner, my lie detector, were here. How was Tanner, anyway? He'd been bleeding, but on his feet, yet John had insisted on a CAT scan. "Are you looking for a long-term relationship or just a friend with benefits?" Either way, Reese was a much better choice than Cody, I decided. To my knowledge, he didn't have a river of broken hearts running behind him.

Reese eyed me for a long, silent moment. "Are you her dad or something, and I just didn't know it?"

"Think of me as her guardian angel. Her very powerful, fry-you-like-battered-shrimp guardian angel. So answer the question before I give you an eight-hundred-degree suntan." He rolled his eyes but said, "I'm looking for a date. To get to know her, see if we're compatible.

Anything that happens afterward is private, suntan or not. If you'd like, we could even make it a double date. Sherridan and me, you and Cody. I, uh, hear you two are a couple now. That true?"

"No, it's not true," I grumbled. Exactly how had such a rumor gotten around so quickly? I studied him.

You can trust me not to hurt you, those green eyes said. But could I? I no longer trusted my instincts when it came to men. Damn, but I wished I'd paid more attention to office gossip. I might have learned why Reese and his girlfriend, someone he'd been with for over a year, had broken things off last month.

A sigh slipped from me. "Feel free to ask her out," I said, "but know that if you make her cry, I really will ash you."

He shuddered, though there was an amused glint in his eyes. "First time I've ever been issued a threat like that and known it could actually happen." His gaze flicked to my wrist. "So...are you ready?" Reluctantly I nodded.

Slowly he raised my hand to his mouth. His warm tongue laved my pulse point, massaging the skin.

Nothing sexual about it, but I found myself wondering if he perhaps lingered a little too long. Then I tensed slightly, expecting the coming sting. It arrived a second later, his sharp teeth sinking into my vein, his mouth giving a gentle suction.

"How'd you become a vampire, anyway?" I asked, though I knew he couldn't talk with a mouth full of, well, me. "Experiments, I bet. Blink once if I'm right, twice if I'm wrong." He blinked once.

That's how Rome had acquired his abilities. That's how I had acquired my ability. Tanner and Lexis were the only legitimate superheroes in the bunch (though I hated to think of Lexis as either super or heroic), having been born with their gifts.

Even Rome's daughter, who could mist through walls and come out the other side, was the product of science. Lexis hadn't known she was pregnant when she'd signed up to "enhance" her already powerful intuition.

"Enjoying yourself?" a hard voice suddenly asked.

My attention whipped to the now-open door, where Rome towered like an ancient god, glaring over at me. He'd dressed in another black T-shirt and matching pants. Between him and Tanner, can you blame me for having decorated our house in the brightest possible color scheme? His hair was combed, his face clean. Always a supernaturally fast healer, he had no injuries that I could see.

"Yes," I said defensively. Had he just come from seeing Lexis? Had she showered with him? Bitch, I thought again. I'd probably think it a thousand times more. "So?" Reese pulled his teeth from me and straightened. There was an odd sheen in his eyes, a sheen of some dark emotion I'd never seen him project before. Anger, maybe? Then he leaned his head back, eyelids closing as though he was savoring the flow of my blood through his veins. He wasn't, I knew. He was processing, scanning my blood as John wished.

"Reese," Rome said.

Reese's lids cracked open. "Can't a guy work in peace? Jeez. But fine, whatever. I know my cue to leave. I'll step into the hall and analyze the blood out there."

"Stay," I commanded, just to be contrary.

"Leave or die," Rome said.

Reese winked at me and stood, covertly patting my arm. "I'm certainly raking in the death threats today.

At serious risk to my health, I just have to say your blood gets sweeter every time I taste it." With his free hand, he kissed the tips of his fingers. Then he turned on his heel and marched past a grim-faced Rome.