Gena Showalter - Playing With Fire (tales of an extra ordinary girl)

“Once you learn how to use them,” he added, and there was that flash of guilt again, “you’ll be exactly what I need to ensure my little girl’s safety.”

“Fine,” I sighed. “I’ll work with you.”

He ran his tongue over his bottom lip, an action more sensual than he’d probably meant it to be. “Maybe I need to rethink working with you. You’re trouble, baby. A lot of it. And trouble I don’t need, especially from someone who’s this reluctant. It’d be real easy to knock you out, take you in and wash my hands of you.”

Eyes slitting, I squared my shoulders and straightened my back. “It’d be real easy to smoke you right now.” That was, if I could still summon fire. I was mad at him, but no flames were appearing. “You’re really starting to piss me off.”

“I’m trembling.”

“You need my skills, Rome. Once I figure out how to use them, that is.”

“I’m not so sure you’re trainable anymore,” he said flatly.

“So you’ve changed your mind in the last three seconds?” How’s that for a twist of the ironic? I now needed to convince my captor to allow me to accompany him. My fists tightened over the sheet, bunching the material. “You can’t do it on your own or you wouldn’t have asked me for help.”

“A moment of weakness, I assure you.” He shrugged, but the nonchalant movement couldn’t mask the hard, determined glint in his eyes.

“Liar. You were willing to help me escape rather than take me to your boss, and that goes against your orders. You need me. Desperately.”

Silence stretched between us. Sizzled. I didn’t allow myself the luxury of looking away and easing the tension. His intense eyes studied my features, gauging, measuring. Too bad my new powers didn’t include reading minds.

“I said it before, but I’ll say it again. You’re no good to either of us until you learn to use and control your powers.”

Duh! I tossed up one of my hands. The other remained locked on the sheet. “Just how am I supposed to learn? It’s not like I can peruse the classifieds for a superhero coach. It’s not like I have a lot of time, either. We’re kind of on the clock here.”

He covered his eyes with the crook of his arm. “I’ll practice with you, and we’ll just have to pray we don’t destroy the entire world in the process.”

Would he be a hands-on coach?

The stray thought drifted through my mind, and I frowned. Hello, my name is Belle Jamison and I have a potty brain. Geez. Wait. Rome ’s delectable mouth was moving. He hadn’t stopped talking. I hated when I lost track of a conversation.

“-we track down Dr. Roberts, we’ll have a better understanding of your abilities.”

Since finding the bastard doctor had been on my To Do list, I eagerly agreed to Rome ’s plan. “Do you have any idea where he is?”

“Not yet.” Pause. He shook his head, dislodging several dark locks of hair over his forehead. “God, I can’t believe I’m doing this. I should just set myself on fire right now and save you the trouble.” Another pause. “I once allowed myself to be taken captive so I could get inside a para-prison and help another agent break free. I was tortured unmercifully, but I have a feeling that will seem like a vacation compared to this.”

I didn’t like the thought of him imprisoned, beaten up, bleeding. Weird. “I’m not that bad,” I grumbled.

“Baby, you’re worse. Get dressed. I’ll be waiting in the car.”

I didn’t move. “Where are we going?”

His gaze raked over me, lingering on my breasts, the juncture of my thighs. Heat flared in his eyes, so scorching my skin nearly caught on fire. Breath seared in my throat. “We’ll be going to bed if you don’t get dressed,” he said, his voice laden with wicked intent.

Unbidden, my gaze traveled the path his had taken. I was completely covered, but the sheet was see-through. Even in the moonlight, my nipples were clearly outlined, as was the dark triangle of hair between my legs. I gasped. “You should have told me I was giving you a peep show!”

“What, and let you end it? Do I look stupid?” He turned away from me. “Hurry up. The sooner we’re out of here, the better.” His legs kicked over the side of the bed, and he stood.

Before I could blink, he strode to the door and opened and closed it without a single noise. Not a whoosh of air, not a squeak of a hinge. He was gone, as if he’d never been inside the room. I knew better, though. I still tingled. Still fought for breath.

I scrambled up, and my knees almost buckled. Would Rome always have that effect on me? Would my body always ache for him? Would every feminine part of me always weep for him?

I hurriedly dressed, my clothes damp and wrinkled from their washing. My shoes were still covered in ash. I would have loved a brush for my hair, but didn’t have one. Instead, I quickly finger-combed the dark tangles. So far Rome had only seen me at my worst, and I didn’t like that fact. If he found me attractive like this, how would he react if I wore full makeup, a slinky dress and stilettos?

Not that you want to attract him, right? one half of me said.

Shut up, dummy, the other half replied. If I wanted to take a train out of Denial and visit the harsh land of Reality, so be it. The man rocked my world, and I would dearly love to rock his. So there.

Not knowing what I’d find outside, I slowly opened the door and peeked. Six cars, several sedans, a truck and two SUVs occupied this section of the parking lot, barely visible in the darkness of the night. There were no towering streetlights here, only muted beams of moonlight. Where was Rome? Telling me which car belonged to him would have benefited us both.

I guess he’d been too distracted to think of it, I mused with a satisfied smile.

Several rooms down, a pair of car lights switched quickly on and off. Surprised, I squinted, narrowing my field of vision. Without the flash of lights, I would never have known the car was there. It was so dark it settled comfortably into the night, perfectly camouflaged. As I studied it and my eyes adjusted, I was able to make out two silhouettes through the tinted windows, one in the driver’s seat, one in the passenger seat. I couldn’t see actual faces, but was confident I was looking at Rome and Tanner.

I shut and locked the door behind me and moved toward the car, only then hearing the purr of its engine. The night air was cool and clean, and I breathed deeply-but the air froze in my throat as the passenger door opened and light flooded the inside of the car.

My feet froze, too. So did my hands-actually icing over.

Three men were inside the car, I realized, and none of them was Rome. For the second time that day, my gaze locked with Pretty Boy’s, who was climbing out of the open door and reaching for me. My hand flattened on the hood, and I pushed myself backward. In a mere heartbeat of time, the entire car glazed with ice.

I shook my head. I’d just frozen a car. An entire car. By touching it. Somehow it seemed more surreal than the other things I’d frozen.

Pretty Boy scowled. “This doesn’t have to be violent, Belle.” His voice was as unemotional as I remembered. His eyes were flat, not kind in the least as he stepped toward me. “Cooperate and I’ll make sure you’re kept unharmed.”

“You’re not CIA,” I blurted, stepping backward. Where was Rome? The cold was leaving me for some reason. I didn’t think I’d be able to turn Pretty Boy to ice if he jumped me.

“I am your only friend at the moment. Rome wants to kill you. I want to help you.”

“You’re lying.” Rome had had plenty of opportunities to hurt me, but he hadn’t. Not once. “You’re-” A solid wall of muscle slammed into my side, shoving oxygen from my lungs, and strong arms banded around me. I was jolted off my feet and carted away at an insanely swift pace. Rome ’s male scent enveloped me as surely as his arms. “You should have warned me,” I gasped.