She did, because with him she could. She told him of finding the child, of the vague figures in the smoke. Of what she'd heard, and what she'd seen.
"You think it was your mother."
"I don't know. I have to get up. I have to move." She rubbed her hands over her arms when he released her. "Maybe I was—what do they call it? Projecting or transposing. What the hell. I'd been thinking of Monica Rowan, what kind of woman would have turned her kids over to a man like James Rowan. Like I said before, it reminded me."
"We don't know that she did."
"Well, he had them, anyway, just like my father had me. It's probably all it was. I've never had any memory of her. I've got nothing of her."
"You've remembered other things," he pointed out, and rose to warm her arms himself. "This could be one of them. Eve, talk to Mira."
"I'm not ready for that." She pulled back immediately. "I'm not ready. I'll know when I am. If I am."
"It eats at you." And at him, when he saw her suffering like this.
"No, it doesn't drive my life. It just gets in the way of it sometimes. Remembering her, if there's anything to remember, isn't going to bring me any peace, Roarke. To me, she's as dead as he is."
And that, Roarke thought as he watched Eve turn back to her machine, wasn't nearly dead enough.
"You need some sleep."
"Not yet. I can do another hour."
"Fine." He walked to her and had her up and over his shoulder before she could blink.
"Hey!"
"An hour should be just about right," he decided. "You rushed me earlier."
"We're not having sex."
"Okay, I'll have sex. You can just lie there." He rolled onto the bed with her.
There was something miraculous about th
e way his body fit to hers. But she wasn't going to pay any attention to that little miracle. "What part of no didn't you get?"
"You didn't say no." He lowered his head to nuzzle her cheek. "You said you weren't having sex, which is entirely different. If you'd said no…" His fingers busily unbuttoned her shirt. "I would, of course, respect that."
"Okay, listen up."
Before she could speak, his mouth was on hers, soft, seductive. And wonderfully sly. His hands were already sliding, slipping, searching over her. She didn't quite choke back the moan.
"Fine." She gave up and sighed when his lips laid a hot trail down her throat. "Be an animal."
"Thank you, darling. I'd love to."
He took every bit of the hour, while the machines hummed away. He pleased her, and himself, knowing when her body went lax with release under his, she would tumble mindlessly into sleep.
And for a night, at least, there would be no more dreams.
• • •
It was dark in the room when she awoke, with just the lights from the console and screens flickering. Blinking, her brain still musty, she sat up and saw Roarke at the controls.
"What time is it?" She didn't remember she was naked until she swung her legs from the bed.
"Just six. You have some matches here, Lieutenant. They're on disc and hard copy."