My smile grew. "You know, I could really get to like you."
His sudden grin was devilish. "Does that mean I get to dance with you sometime soon?"
"It just might." Once I'd gotten Rhoan out. Once I knew for sure Quinn was playing it straight
"Good." His gaze went back to the floor plans. "I can think of two reasons why they might want you and Rhoan. First because you both appear to have integrated your dual heritage very well."
I went back to pacing. It was better than sitting still. Or sitting close to a treat I wasn't able to sample just yet. "And the second?"
He looked at me. "Your almost identical looks."
That stopped me. "What?"
"All the clones so far have been the image of the guardian known as Henri Gautier."
"Apparently so."
"Meaning they come from the one source."
"The friend you thought was dead."
He nodded. "Well, the dhampire found in my plane looked nothing like Gautier, meaning he came from a totally different source material altogether."
"Yeah, so?"
"So what if they don't know, or believe, that dhampires can be born naturally? What if they think you and Rhoan are lab creations? Successful lab creations that they didn't create?"
I stared at him as the implications sank in
If that were true, my brother and I were in deep shit ness drifted in and out, as if I were caught in a fragmented dream. Voices swam around me. Lights as bright as the sun burned into my eyes. Something cut my arm, and pain seared deep. Farther down, cold touched my stomach, sliding around like ice. The pain in my arm eased. Then, for a while, there was nothing but darkness
When the fragments gradually returned, they formed a picture of rising pleasure. I drifted on silk, writhing and moaning, my skin on fire and every muscle screaming with pleasure. Hands stroked me. Heat filled me. Every inch of me quivered under the relentless assault, until I couldn't even breathe because the need for release was so strong
I woke, to discover it was no dream. Talon was on me, in me, and I had the oddest sensation that I'd just been betrayed in some basic way. But the thought quickly fled as the convulsions began, curling through me like a tidal wave and pushing me into rapture. He came with me, but still he pounded into me, as if determined to ensure that every last drop of his seed spilled into me
Eventually, he collapsed and rolled to one side. "You are amazing, little wolf."
I didn't feel amazing. I felt confused. Looking around revealed red walls instead of blue. Bedroom furniture rather than office. When had we moved there? I glanced at the clock on the bedside table, and saw it was close to eight-thirty. An hour and a half had passed and I couldn't remember any of it
"We're in your bedroom?"
He turned on his side and rested his hand on my belly. "We've also been in the living room, the games room, and even tried the kitchen, because you said you were hungry."
There was an ache behind my eyes and a bitter taste in my mouth. I frowned and rubbed my forehead. "This is going to sound strange, but I can't remember any of it."
He grinned. "I think the champagne went straight to your head. You were pretty damn wild for a while there."
He was rubbing my stomach, his gesture possessive more than sexual, and for some reason, it disturbed me
I grabbed his hand and threw it off me, and even that small movement had an ache rippling through my muscles. He obviously wasn't lying about the number of times we'd made love. But he was lying about something, I was sure of it
I flipped the silk sheet aside. "I need a shower, then I have to go."
"En suite's to the right." He paused until I found the right door, then added, "Come back later tonight."
I turned on the taps, then, once the water was steamy, stepped into the shower. "As I told you before, I promised to be with Misha tonight."
"So come back afterward."