Remember Jamie Baker (Jamie Baker #3)(72)
Ryan lifted his hands in surrender, and as he tried to talk me down from my temper tantrum, several of the ACEs used the distraction to fire tranquilizers at me.
And this is why superreflexes rock.
I heard the guns fire and was more than able to move faster than the darts. I not only dodged them: I caught them and made every man who’d fired at me join their team leader in dreamland. Their guns all ended up in tranq gun heaven, too.
“Stop shooting at me!” I roared. “You guys are seriously starting to piss me off, and bad things happen when I get really angry.”
“Calm down, Angel,” Major Wilks said. He, Ryan, Abiodun, Tex, and Eyes were the only men still standing. “We don’t want to hurt you. We just need to figure out what that man did to you.”
“By shooting me with tranquilizers? I should roast you! You can forget about me working with you. I’m done. Out. You got that? I’m leaving. You guys are never going to see me again. And if you manage to track me down someday, good luck to you. This is your one pass. I won’t be so nice next time.”
A small sting hit my neck. I knew what that meant; it meant I was the biggest idiot on the planet. It looked like I needed to add that word to my personality traits list after all. I couldn’t believe I’d been caught monologueing. Well, sort of. I’d been delivering threats instead of divulging evil plans, but, you know, still wasting time when I should have been running, so, same difference. Curse my freaking temper! At least Teddy wasn’t here to witness my stupidity. Ryan was, though, and as I gasped and blinked slowly, he gave me a sorrowful smile. “It’s going to be okay, babe. You’re just going to sleep it off.”
“Sorry, Angel,” Tyson whispered as my head fogged over.
I’d been so distracted I never heard him approach. I’d forgotten about him because I couldn’t see him, and when he popped back into sight right behind me, I reacted instinctively, blasting him with a full dose of electricity. It may have even been an actual lightning bolt, because I was more amped up than I’d ever been. I barely had time to watch him fly backward from the force of my blow before the lights went out and I joined the unconscious ACEs on the ground.
. . . . .
When I woke up, I figured I’d have a raging headache, but I felt surprisingly relaxed. I wasn’t locked in a cage or strapped to a gurney, either. I was lying on a beautiful sandy-white beach backed by a thick tropical rainforest, and I was looking at the most amazing crystal-clear ocean I’d ever seen. The sun was hot on my skin, and a slight breeze was keeping me just cool enough to feel absolutely perfect.
I couldn’t remember the last time I felt so at peace. There wasn’t a soul on this beach with me except for the one person I’d want to share this moment with. I smiled, trying to decide what was more gorgeous: this private exotic beach, or my companion.
Ryan lay sprawled next to me on a large blanket in a pair of swim shorts. He was propped up on his elbow, staring out at the waves as they crashed on the shore just a few yards in front of us. He seemed lost in thought, but a small smile played on his lips.
Sucking in a huge breath of fresh ocean air, I pushed my body into a stretch and moaned with pleasure. The sound startled Ryan from his thoughts. When he grinned, my heart fluttered. “Feel better?” he asked.
I didn’t question how we got here or why. I didn’t care. “So much better. Thank you for bringing me here.”
“Me?” Ryan quirked a brow at me. “I’m not the one with superspeed.”
“You know what I mean.” After rolling my eyes, I shook my head and let out a soft sigh. “Do you always know exactly what I need?”
Ryan shook his head, chuckling. “Not always. Today was easy, though. A little peace and quiet always calms you down.”
I lifted myself up onto my elbows and gazed out at the view around me. It was definitely peaceful and quiet, but I suspected that’s not what had calmed me down. Feeling bold, I told Ryan as much. “I don’t think it’s the place so much as the company.”
Surprise flashed in Ryan’s eyes, but he quickly flashed me a cocky grin. “I thought I had the opposite effect on you.”
To prove his point, he dragged a finger over my shoulder and down my arm. His soft touch on my sun-baked skin sent a chill through me. My heart started pounding in my chest and my breath quickened.
Ryan only smiled in response to my physical reaction. There was no need for him to point out the obvious. He started trailing his finger along the strap of my swimsuit. It was a cute white one-piece with pink polka dots that had been sitting in my closet in the desert, untouched since the moment my memory began. I’d always loved it, but I’d never had occasion to wear it until now. It was questionably low-cut and only held in place by a thin strap that tied behind my neck. This was the strap Ryan was fiddling with. He was concentrating very hard on the thin material, as if he were contemplating untying the bow on the back of my neck. The thought thrilled me unlike anything ever had before.
Ryan, guessing the direction of my thoughts, scooted closer to me, closing the small gap between us. His hands continued their heavenly torture, moving slowly over every part of exposed skin they could find. Well, I thought, if he can do it, so can I.
Dozens of times I’d imagined what it would feel like to run my fingers up his rippled stomach, and finally I turned that fantasy to reality. Shyly, I reached out to feel his smooth skin and soft baby-fine blond hair. He sucked in a sharp breath when my fingers made contact. His hand clasped over mine, stilling my exploration of his body, and his eyes flashed to mine, searing me with heat. “Jamie,” he rasped, voice huskier than it had ever been.