Marie Harte - Fallon's Flame

And now look at him.

“Shit.”

“You said it.” Jules didn't look happy. He stopped them farther down the hallway, away from prying eyes and ears. “What the hell was that 'mine' crap?”

“I don't know. I just didn't like you so close to Olivia.” Instead of chastising him, as Fallon expected, Jules rubbed his chin, his gaze thoughtful.

“Really?”

“Hell, Jules. Lately I find it hard to think. Sharpe has us off the shots. She's playing with our minds. And then we have the heat right as our new guest arrives. Sue me if I'm a little off-kilter.” He tried to play it off, but the truth was Olivia shook him. The minute they'd made eye contact, something inside him shifted. But God forbid he told Jules any more. He had no intention of being put under a magnifying glass. This next mission sounded important. The team needed him, whether they knew it or not.

“Off-kilter, hmm? Okay, Fallon. Get yourself together and join us for dinner. Five minutes.”

“Five minutes. Got it.”

Five minutes later, he still didn't have it. Eschewing dinner for a much needed getaway, he left the mansion and gave his beast free rein. Time enough for an ass chewing when he returned.

And maybe in his absence, he'd figure out why Olivia Lynn bothered him so damned much.

“What's up?” Tersch asked, stopping Jules before they rejoined the others. “I know that calculating gleam.”

“Wow. I didn't think you knew any words more than two syllables long.”

“Ass. Come on, Jules. Is Fallon okay?”

Jules wondered. “We all know the shots weren't working like they used to, even before Sharpe took us off them. But I have to admit, I'm satisfied from our workout earlier.”

“Yeah. Didn't realize Fallon was such a stud.”

“Me either.” It didn't make sense. Fallon was dependable. Always ready with a smile or joke, the easygoing male was a cohesive member of the team. Hayashi had a tendency to drift into his own little world. Tersch could get lost in bouts of anger or depression. And Jules knew he sometimes overlooked the immediate needs of the team in favor of the bigger picture. But Fallon could be counted on to hold everyone together. The communicator effectively spoke without speaking.

His possessive attitude toward Olivia reminded Jules of another group of Circs and the way they'd acted around their females. Yet hadn't the admiral and Doc exhausted the search for more female Circs? Nothing about Olivia smelled Circ. Beautiful, sexy, and psychically gifted, yes, but other than that, she wasn't so much different from Ava.

“Jules?” Tersch asked again.

“Fallon's fine. Don't worry. I'll talk with Sharpe and iron things out.”

“Better you than me. I still don't like that woman.”

Jules smiled. “That's because she won't take any of your shit. Just like Ava.”

“You'd think a woman that fine would have the sense to appreciate a Norse god like myself.”

Jules laughed, his mood lightened by Tersch's familiar arrogance. “Well said. Any woman who can resist you must have something wrong with her.”

“Yeah,” he grumbled. “Must be something in the water around here.”

“Must be.”

Olivia didn't react to Tersch or him the way she'd reacted to Fallon. He'd watch her with Hayashi tonight to see how she acted around him. As team leader, he couldn't afford to let her affect his team in a negative way. But if what he suspected might be true… The possibility would mean a brighter future for them all.

“So, Olivia, do you come from a large family?” Kisho asked as they sat around the table.

Kisho, Gunnar, and Jules sat across the table from her, while Ava and Mrs. Sharpe sat on either side of her. Melissa and Jack had retired to their cottage for the night. Jesse remained conspicuously absent, much to Mrs. Sharpe's voiced irritation.

“My parents died when I was young. I grew up with my aunt and uncle and a bevy of cousins. All boys, so I know how to deal with you people,” she warned, pointing her fork in Gunnar's direction.

He grinned and continued to eat the mountain of food on his plate. Pot roast, roasted potatoes, cooked beets, and green beans filled her belly, but she hadn't made close to a dent in her plate as compared to the men around her. Ava also consumed a vast amount of food for such a small woman.

“Yeah, well, we all know women are nothing but trouble. Sad but true,” he said before Ava could contradict him.

Mrs. Sharpe favored him with a patronizing grin. “Ah, the innocence of youth.” Jules snorted. “True. Tersch has the mentality of a four-year-old, but you can't be that old, Mrs. Sharpe.”

She shrugged prettily, maintaining that air of mystery Olivia was coming to associate with the woman. “We do what we can, Jules. A woman's secrets should never be revealed.” The way she tilted her head tugged again at Olivia's memory. “Have we met before, Mrs.

Sharpe?”

The table quieted.

“No, I don't believe we have,” the older woman said softly, her gaze intent. “Why do you ask?”

Olivia wished she could remember. “No reason. Déjà vu, I guess.”

“No such thing,” Ava cut in. “Just repressed memory is all. Ask Kisho about it.” She turned to Kisho, who regarded her with a soberness in keeping with his quiet at the table.

“One thing you'll find the longer you're here is that there are forces at work in the world we cannot begin to understand.”

“Here we go. I hate when he goes all Zen on us,” Gunnar muttered.

Kisho ignored him. “Many of us here have a special ability. I can see glimpses of potential tomorrows.”

Olivia stared at him, wide-eyed, but didn't discount him. Truth felt like a warm blanket, much like what she felt from him now. “Isn't that dangerous? If you know too much, you could directly influence something you weren't meant to.”

Mrs. Sharpe beamed. “I told you she'd understand.”

“You don't discount the possibility of prognostication?” Kisho asked.

“No. I spent a lot of time in the jungles of Brazil in my youth. My family is dedicated to preserving the rain forest, and you wouldn't believe half the stuff that lives in there—things regular people would call impossible.”

“Like what?” Jules interrupted.

“Like plants that heal. Like animals that shouldn't exist but do. There are rumors of mystics living deep in the heart of the Amazon. It sounds like a fantasy, but when I was little, my aunt filled my head with stories.” She smiled. “I can't convince myself it was all fiction.”

“Sometimes the unexplained is more fun,” Ava agreed. “And sometimes it's a pain in the ass. Like the mystery of why men can't quite find the hamper two feet from their dirty clothes.

Or why there are always five million soda cans littering the counters, when the recycle bin is just under the sink. Or why—”

“Ava helps around the house,” Mrs. Sharpe explained with a hint of a smile. “Not that I can fault her. Those are mysteries that used to keep me up late at night.” Hinting that the woman used to be married, maybe? Or that now that she had Ava to help, she didn't need to worry about such matters anymore?

“But that aside, I had hoped we could talk tonight about your upcoming trip to Brazil.” She glared at the seat next to her, the one Fallon should have filled. “Jules, you can catch him up, after I talk to him.”

Jules sighed and nodded.

“Gentlemen, Olivia, in two weeks, the five of you will be traveling into the heavily touristed area of Trindade in the Brazilian state of Bahia.”

“But if it's tourist heavy, why do you need me? If your contact is there, he'll probably speak English,” Olivia said.