Twice as Hot (Tales of an Extraordinary Girl #2)(87)

"I'm going to kill that f*cking Memory Man," he said, slamming his hands beside my head and cracking the tile. He was so big, overwhelming the space around me until all I saw, all I breathed was him. Just then, there was no Belle without Rome.

Had there ever been?

"That he stole memories of us, together, like that..."

Licking my lips, I released the bar and grabbed Rome by the back of the neck. I jerked him into me, needing him, desperate all over again. He willingly, eagerly accepted my kiss, his chest rubbing against mine. Our teeth banded together, our hands grasped at each other's body, feeling, learning, pleasuring. I could touch him forever, but it wouldn't be enough.

Steam wafted around us, forming a cloud. I was in a dream, a fairy tale. A nighttime fantasy come to sizzling life. I could feel him poised at my core, waiting, ready.

"Are you on the pill?" His voice was deep, raw. Savage.

The question was a reminder of what was different between us, and I felt a pang. "Yes." There was no time to wallow. The moment the word left my mouth, he was inside me, all the way to the hilt, pounding deep and hard and so much a part of me I would have died without him. But I arched, taking him even deeper, hungry for more.

Over and over he pounded inside, withdrew, pounded hard. He was grunting, and I was swallowing the sounds, savoring the taste of him, propelling higher and higher, reaching for another climax.

"Feels so good," he rasped. "Too good."

In the end, we reached it together. He roared, shuddering inside me. I screamed, clawing at his back.

"Belle," he said, panting, his voice broken. Then he stilled, his muscles jerking.

"Yes?" Mine sounded equally savaged.

His head dropped to my shoulder. "Catch me."

Of all the thingsI expected Rome to do after making love to me, fainting wasn't one of them. I barely managed to catch him before he smacked into the tub. Slowly, I eased him down. But he was heavy - freakishly heavy, actually, with all that muscle mass - and I struggled to lay him back without hurting him.

Shaking, still trying to catch my breath, I leaned forward and switched off the water. Instantly cool air began to lick at my damp skin, making me shiver. I climbed out and grabbed a towel, then dabbed us both dry. Concern wasn't something I could allow myself right now because with concern came fear, so I told myself Rome was still recovering from captivity and the drugs The Multiplier had given him.

Didn't take long until he was moaning, his eyelashes fluttering open. Total deja vu.

Relief speared me. I hovered over him, one hand beside his head, my body propped on the rim of the porcelain, my wet hair spilling onto his chest. "Seriously, Rome. How many times am I going to have to wake your lazy ass up today?"

A moment passed before he oriented himself. When he realized where he was, his cheeks reddened and he muttered, "Shit. I blacked out."

"Yep." I settled back on my haunches.

"Too much too fast, after that cocktail. I knew better."

So I'd been right. My relief intensified in a rush, sending a violent tremor through me. That tremor drew Rome's gaze. I'm sure it was my hardened nipples that held his attention, though. He licked his lips, sat up slowly.

"At least I reached the finish line before going down like a *." He scrubbed a hand down his face, smoothing away the moisture.

A soft chuckle escaped me. "So true." A good thing, too. It might be a while before we had a chance to do this again. He needed to be completely healed, and the Desert Gall case had to be closed. "Now, tell me the fall knocked some memories back inside that thick skull, and I'll consider this a gold star day." He snorted. "I wish."

My grin slowly faded. Oh, well. Would Jean-Luc decide to return them? Of course he would, I told myself then. The real question was whether or not he'd do it without being tortured. Even though I didn't want to torture him, still liked him more than I should - I mean, the guy thought I deserved to be treated like a goddess, and who could fault him for that kind of logic? - I would do whatever was necessary. I hoped. God, I was a mess.

Rome rested his elbows on the tub. A drop of water trickled from his eyelashes, almost like a tear.

"More than anything, I want to know the things I've done to that beautiful body." His voice was hard, angry now. Not with me, I knew, but with Jean-Luc.

One of our phones beeped, and we both stiffened.

No longer could we pretend we were the only two people in the world. Trying to push his sweet words from my mind, I rose and stalked to mine. Nothing. I strode around the room, searching for his. The beeping grew louder as I approached the desk. And then there it was, underneath his wallet. Frowning, I flipped it open and gasped. Not a call. A picture. There, on the screen, was a photo of Desert Gal - as pretty as she'd been before, damn her - and Cody.

They were in the lobby of this motel. I recognized the giant fake plant beside the reception counter.

"Rome," I called. "We've got company."

He was inside the room a second later, snatching up his clothes, dressing despite his weakness.

I did the same. How had they tracked us down yet again? Jean-Luc? Surely not. Cody, with another mysterious "plan"? Again, surely not. He didn't know our location. But why was he here, rather than guarding Sherridan and Lexis? Could Reese, Desert Gal's former informant, be the culprit? No, wait. He was currently indisposed.