Remember Jamie Baker (Jamie Baker #3)(75)

Ryan stepped so close to me that his breath tickled my cheek. “Caring,” he said softly. “Loyal. Passionate.”

I couldn’t stop the moisture from rolling down my cheeks. He was repeating the personality traits he’d written in my notebook. “Selfless. Thoughtful.” He tucked a strand of hair behind my ear. My eyes fluttered shut at the gentle touch. He wiped away my tears, but new ones leaked from my eyes. “Nurturing. Loving. Compassionate. Fierce. Brave. Strong.”

He tugged me into his arms and brushed his lips over my temple. “I know you, Jamie Baker. I know you better than anyone.”

His words undid me, tugged at a string in my heart until I was completely unraveled. He did know me, because he couldn’t have said anything more perfect. He couldn’t be any more perfect. In my dark, dismal, frightening, lonely life, he was a light so bright he was blinding. He burned me all the way to my soul.

A sob wracked my chest, and a new need washed over me so strongly my body shook. I threw my mouth on his so fast and so forcefully that he stumbled backward until he slammed against the wall. I tasted his surprise, but he caught up to my mood so quickly I was tempted to accuse him of having superspeed. His enthusiasm fueled me, stoking the flames inside me, causing me to lose all control.

I needed him. Needed the connection we shared, whether I remembered it or not. Ryan seemed to understand how vulnerable I was at the moment, and allowed me to maintain control of this kiss. All other times we’d kissed he’d started it, or taken charge, but he was more than content to follow my lead this time. I was grateful for that, and I was not gentle. Or shy.

I took what I needed, and he happily surrendered himself to me. My tongue plunged deep into his mouth, eager to taste him. My hands raked through his hair and explored all of the rippling muscles on his torso I’d longed to touch since the first time I saw him. The thin cotton T-shirt he wore that separated my fingers from his skin tortured me. I trembled with the need to rip it off his body. I was on fire, burning from the inside out.

My energy matched my mood. It burst from me in warm waves that washed over Ryan, making him gasp. A fierce shudder rocked him and he no longer remained subservient. With an almost primal growl, he picked me up, and when I wrapped my legs around his waist he whirled me around, slamming my back into the wall with enough force that we shook the entire hallway. My back dented the drywall, and the lights in the entire hallway surged to blinding limits, but we hardly noticed.

We didn’t snap from our spell until people came running to see what the commotion was. Their shocked gasps broke us apart, but for a moment all we could do was stand there staring at one another, shaking and gasping for breath. At the sound of a throat clearing, reality caught up with me and my jaw fell so far it nearly hit the ground. Had I really just done that?

Slowly, I dropped my legs to the floor and let go of my grip around Ryan’s neck. While my face flamed painfully hot, Ryan’s eyes crinkled with laughter. He shot me a wink and turned to face our audience.

Major Wilks, Johnny G, Shortstop, Smut, and quite a number of other random military personnel stood there, gaping at Ryan and me. There was so much shock in that hall we could have jumpstarted a heart with it. It was the major and my fellow ACEs that had me the most embarrassed. Smut was the first to break the silence, releasing a long, impressed whistle. His eyes flicked to Ryan. “You really weren’t kidding about that superkissing thing, were you?”

Ryan shook his head, laughing. “I really wasn’t.”

When I elbowed him, he grinned and slid his arm around my waist, puffing his chest up. He tried to swallow his grin when he turned his attention to his superior. “Sorry, Major. We accidentally got a bit carried away. Jamie doesn’t seem to have the control over her powers that she used to, and when she loses her grip on it, it’s a little…uh…overwhelming.”

Truth. Obvious truth. Ryan’s face was flushed, his eyes were bright, his hair was full of static, his voice was shaky, and his entire body was trembling from the excess of energy I’d pumped into him. He looked as if he were about to explode. In fact, he needed to be careful. If anyone startled him before he properly released the power I’d pumped into him, he was likely to blow something up.

Still, I wanted to kill him. Yeah, I’d completely lost control, but did he have to say it out loud like that? And, just FYI, he didn’t sound the least bit sorry. He didn’t even sound chagrined. He was loving this!

I wasn’t sorry about that kiss either, but I was completely mortified. It took more courage than I knew I had to meet Major Wilks’s waiting gaze. The man had some excellent composure. I’d give him that. He stood there with his arms folded over his chest and cocked an eyebrow at me. Cringing, I pointed to the wrecked wall. “I can pay for that.”

Smut, Johnny G, and Shortstop all tried their hardest to hold back laughter, but they couldn’t quite stifle the snorts and giggles. Most people present were still too shocked or too intimidated by me to do more than breathe, but the ACEs had already accepted me as one of their own, and they obviously found this situation highly amusing.

Major Wilks cleared his throat again. “I take it you’re feeling better?” he asked me.

“I—um…”

“I certainly am,” Ryan chirped.

His utter giddiness was too much for his team members to handle. They burst into roaring laughter, falling all over one another for dramatic effect. It was humiliating, but they were being so ridiculous I nearly cracked a smile. I wouldn’t admit it, but it felt good that they were willing to laugh at me. Everyone else seemed to be nervous around me, or flat out terrified. That had its advantages, but it was also lonely and exhausting.