Twice as Hot (Tales of an Extraordinary Girl #2)(89)

Who knew I'd ever be pro-memory loss?

"What if someone's waiting for us on the ground?" I asked.

"They probably are. That's why we're going up."

Up? Dear God. Though I was trying valiantly to numb my emotions, I couldn't stop a wave of fear from crashing through me, chilling me inside and out. Ice branched from my fingers, making the ledge I was holding, as well as the one my feet were braced upon, slick.

"Calm down, Belle," Rome commanded.

"So easy to say, so hard to do." I could fall. He could fall. We could die. Oh, God, oh, God, oh, God.

Faster and faster the frost spread from me.

"You're going to get us both killed."

"Not helping!"

Even as I spoke, I felt his mind probing mine, snatching up my emotions, dulling them slightly. Without Tanner, he didn't know how much to filter. The fact that he was filtering anything at all, though, thrilled me despite the circumstances.

He moved behind me, his body heat enveloping me. Warm breath trekked over my neck, caressing, lifting my hair and dancing it over my skin. "Move with me." He crept to the right, and I followed. He reached up and hefted himself a few inches higher, and I followed. "I've got you. That's my girl." That's right. I was. Up, up we continued to move, but soon my arms and legs were burning from the strain. I held on tight, though, Rome's big, hard body anchoring me despite the small patches of ice I'd created.

"I want to get us into a shadowed corner on the roof, all right? Then I'll take care of the rest. You won't have to do anything but hang on. And just so you know, no one's on the ground watching us. I checked.

We're fine. We're safe." He kept up the steady chatter in hopes of distracting me, I knew. "You're breathing too hard. Tell me about the wedding you've been planning."

"I'm not planning it anymore," I said. "It's been canceled." With the words, my remaining fear began to fade, tendrils of anger and hurt taking their places. One more emotion and I'd have the cocktail needed for wind. Great.

I had to get myself under control or I'd blow us from the building.

Okay, that caused the fear to intensify. At least I had my filter back.

"Why's it canceled?"

"Are you kidding? You don't even remember me, much less want to marry me."

"I could get my memory back at any time." As he spoke, he continued to climb, dragging me up with him. Finally we were there at the top and throwing our legs over that last ledge, sweet shadows enveloping us.

Safe now, I wondered what was happening inside our room. Surely Desert Slut and Cody - and however many people they'd brought with them - had reached it by now.

"What does your dress look like?" He was jiggling behind me. What the hell was he doing? "You must've bought one by now."

"I did, but I accidentally burned it."

"Got mad, did you?"

"Yeah. You kept calling me Homicidal Tendencies Wench and I BBQed all the clothes in your closet.

The flames leaped onto my dress."

"God, I bet that was hot."

Hot. "Ha-ha. Very funny. Anyway, I had planned to buy another one, but... Anyway, the first one was gorgeous. A Grecian cut with thin straps, a beautiful cream color and a flowing skirt. I was going to look like a goddess."

"You already do. Were we writing our own vows?" Rome slapped a hand beside mine, a weird-looking circle-thing clutched between his fingers. It was black, about two inches thick and as big as my palm.

I knew he was asking me these questions to distract me, but man, they hurt. "Yes, we were." I changed the subject. "What's that you're holding?"

"You'll see." He stretched his arm toward the neighboring building's roof, pressed the pad of his thumb into the center of the circle, and a silver arrow shot out and up, moving so swiftly I caught only the barest glimpse of a blur. "What were your vows?"

The arrow must have caught in something, because Rome's arms jerked and I saw a thin silver wire was secured inside the circle. Clearly, we were going to propel. Fabulous.

"I don't want to talk about the vows."

"Turn around and face me," Rome said. "Wrap your arms around me."

"There you go, kidding again." He wanted me to slide through the air, a massive drop below me and no net to catch me if I fell? Yeah, right.

"Do it. Now." No longer did he sound like my sweet protector. Now he was total commando.

"Fine, but only because you asked nicely. Jerk," I muttered. Slowly, shaking, I did as he'd demanded.

When I faced him, I found my nose buried in the hollow of his neck. Sadly, I could still see what he was doing.

He pulled hand holders from the circle, cutting it into two pieces. "Ready?"

"As I'll ever be," I said on a sigh.

A moment later, my feet were jolted off the ledge and I was soaring, soaring...I wrapped my legs around Rome's waist for added security, and my eyelids squeezed shut. Having the wind in my hair was enough. I didn't need to see my progress.

The entire trip from one roof to another lasted about five seconds, but it seemed an eternity until we stopped. Rome used another device to hoist us to solid ground. I lay down, trying to catch my breath.