Twice as Hot (Tales of an Extraordinary Girl #2)(94)

I ran my tongue across the roof of my mouth, my mind racing with options. "What if I traded for them?" Both Jean-Luc and Rome gaped at me. Rome opened his mouth, to yell at me, I'm sure, but Jean-Luc beat him to it.

"Yes." He nodded, his shoulders squared, his arms behind his back. "Yes, I'll trade you for them." Okay, wow. Easier than I'd anticipated. Maybe Rome hadn't been wrong to do this, after all. I, too, squared my shoulders. "What do you want?"

"You."

Rome snarled low in his throat, pushing against my arm.

"Stop," I told him, and surprisingly he did. "You can't have me," I told Jean-Luc, "not the way you mean. But in exchange for Rome's memories I will give you...three dates." That was Cody's magic number, not too little, not too much. "Anything beyond that, you'll have to earn by proving we're meant to be together."

Not that he could. But as I spoke, I realized I might be setting myself up for failure with Rome...setting myself up to prove Lexis's prediction that I'd marry Jean-Luc true. I paled, but didn't take back my words. This was too important. "Oh, and one more thing. You'll have to do all of this without the memories. You hand them over first, or no dates. If you can't win me on your own..." Rome hissed through his teeth. "What are you doing, Belle?" Jean-Luc's hands fisted, but he said, "Fine. I'll date you without the memories."

"Who knows? Maybe you'll stop loving me the moment you lose them. You may not even want to go on one date."

"I'll still want you," Jean-Luc assured me. "I'll still want the dates." I nodded, though inside I was trembling violently. "Then three dates it is."

"Are you still engaged?" he asked, eyes falling to my hand.

"Nope," I said, and I couldn't hide the wistfulness in my tone. The ring was still there. I needed to take it off soon. "Not officially."

"Belle." It was another warning from Rome.

I continued, "I lied - there's still one more thing. Since we're all a happy family now, willing to help each other, we'd like your help stopping Desert Bitch." Once I'd thought having him at PSI would be a nightmare. No longer. We needed all the help we could get.

Jean-Luc didn't need time to think. "Yes," he said, nodding. "For you, anything."

"Keep the f*cking memories," Rome suddenly shouted. "You're not dating her. Or joining our team." I think he meant to shove me aside and leap at Jean-Luc, maybe even rip out his throat, but I jumped in front of him, eyeing him imploringly. "This has to be done, Rome. For you. For us." I only hoped it didn't prove to be our undoing.

Jean-Luc wrapped his fingers around my forearms and gently moved me off to the side. That enraged Rome all the more, animal sounds once again emerging from his throat. The moment I was out of the way, the two men leaped at each other in a tangle of limbs. Fists swung, teeth snapped, legs kicked.

I inched toward the wall, watching as Rome's skin began to be replaced by black fur, his animal taking over. I needed fear, needed to freeze them before they killed each other. Killed each other - yes, good.

That image brought a storm of ice inside me that melted the rage that had been boiling.

But just as an ice ball formed in my hand, Jean-Luc disappeared. I froze in place, too shocked to move.

Rome froze, too, half man, half cat.

"Jean-Luc?" I called. I knew where he was. I knew what he was doing, but some part of me was afraid this wouldn't work.

But suddenly Jean-Luc stepped from Rome's body. Rome collapsed onto the ground, laboring for breath. Jean-Luc, too, was panting. He looked to me, sweat running from his face.

"It's done," he said. And then he, too, collapsed.

We placed themin separate rooms, across the hall from each other, both tied to their beds, and I divided my time between them, checking on them, waiting. Their vitals were good, so I wasn't worried. I was just impatient. Again. My entire life now seemed to revolve around Rome waking up.

Finally, about an hour later, Rome regained consciousness.

"Belle!" His roar nearly shook the entire building. "Belle!" Currently I was in the hall, between the two rooms. Hearing him (who hadn't?), I rushed forward, my heart drumming erratically. My gaze landed on him the moment I hit the doorway. His eyes were bright, wild, his lips pulled back from his sharp, gleaming teeth. He was struggling against his bonds, about to rip free. All the while he shouted my name.

But when he spotted me, he stilled. "Belle," he said, and it was as though his beast was speaking for him, all guttural and tormented, no longer in a frenzy but ready to pounce. "Set me free. Now." Slowly I approached the bed. I was trembling. Did he remember me? Did he love me again? Took me several tries, a spring of blasted tears screwing with my vision, but I finally loosened the bonds. He jerked me into his arms a second later, crushing me against him.

"Oh, God, baby. I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry for what I've put you through. Can you ever forgive me? I love you. I love you so much, I would die without you. I can't believe I treated you that way. Oh, God, baby. I'm sorry."

He did. He remembered. My tears spilled free as I hugged him back with every ounce of strength I possessed. "I can't believe you're back. You're really back."