“Not much. You?”
“No.” Colin hadn’t contacted me, and I hadn’t had time to do the research I wanted.
“Guess we’ll have to wait to crown the winner, hmm. Iwill beat you.” He paused and pushed out a breath. “You’re not the spoiled princess I thought you were,” he said. “Not at all.”
Another admission from him.Two in one day. This one weakened me as much as the other. “I was at one time,” I admitted. I traced my finger around his nipple. “Michael spoiled me rotten. Whatever I wanted, he bought me. If he didn’t buy it fast enough, I threw a tantrum the likes of which you’ve never seen.”
His breath fanned my cheek as he chuckled. “What about your parents? Do you remember them?”
“Not really.” Maybe I should keep my past to myself, but he’d shared with me. And for the first time, I had someone Icould talk to about my parents, people I had loved and still missed. I couldn’t with Michael. “I have a vague image of my mother’s face, pretty and golden, but that’s all. Sometimes, in the quiet of the night, I can still hear her voice singing me to sleep.”
“She sounds like a good mom.”
“She was. I wish I had a memento of her, something, anything, but the day after she and my dad died, our house was burned to the ground, destroying everything inside. Michael had moved me to a hotel, so I wasn’t hurt at least.”
“Why did they leave Raka and come here?”
“They wanted something better, I think. To escape the dictator who ruled them. I’ve always wanted to ask them, but…”
Lucius kissed the top of my head. I realized, then, that this kind of bonding was propelling us into another realm of awareness. A dangerous realm. We both knew the drawbacks of becoming sexually involved with an agent. But emotionally…did we have any clue about the ramifications?
I forced myself to get back to business. Keep it light; keep it casual. “Tell me what you and Parker argued about at the party, after I left.”
He rolled off me, then off the bed entirely. Cool air immediately ghosted over me. A muscle ticked in his jaw as he began strapping his weapons onto his bronze chest and thighs.
“Lucius?” As I watched him, I noticed the bite marks and scratches I’d left all over him. I liked it. I liked seeing my brand on him.
“Jonathan wants me to leave you alone for a while,” he said, the words rough and raw, “to give you a chance to settle in before I pursue you.”
What was wrong with him? “Why does he even care? I highly doubt he’s afraid of Claudia’s wrath.”
His shrugged, the action stiff. “Why else? I told you it might happen. He got a good look at you, and he wanted to f**k you himself.” Lucius ran his tongue over his teeth, his eyes glinting like pressurized steel, but he said nothing more on the subject.
“Will he continue to help you?” Luc appeared at the side of the bed, silently requesting reassurance. I patted the bed and she jumped up beside me, all the while watching Lucius warily. I ruffled her fur, and that seemed to be enough for her because she relaxed.
“I think so,” he answered. “Even if it’s merely to helphimself to you.” Lucius pushed out a long stream of air. “I know I told you before, but it bears mentioning again. You did good today.”
“I know. You roared your satisfaction.”
“I don’t mean the sex, smart-ass.”
I snorted and jerked upright. Stiffly I pulled on my ripped tank and shimmed into my panties. “All I did was turn you down. I didn’t do a damn thing to truly help this case.” I tried to keep the bitterness from my tone. “I haven’t since the day I started.”
He whipped around, leveling me with a hard stare. The fierce scowl he wore had enough power to kill anyone in its path. “Who got Sahara Rose to talk? Who got closer to EenLi than any other agent ever has? Who got us the lead about solar flares? Who got inside Jonathan’s room undetected and knew to look for a hidden door?” Before I could respond, he added, “You want so badly to prove yourself that you’re forgetting to stop and acknowledge what youhave done.”
His intense gaze held me immobile. Only Michael had ever praised me like that. It was astonishing—and wonderful—that Lucius kept doing so.
As if he hadn’t just rocked my entire world, he turned away and casually resumed dressing. “I put one of my men in this house,” he said. “He’ll let me know which parties you’re going to attend, so I can make sure I’m there.”
I forced my mind on his latest words. “Who is this man?”
“He’s now the main driver for Claudia. White hair, violet eyes. Six feet. A human pretending to be an Arcadian. Go to him if you need immediate assistance. Also, I left a cell unit in your bag. It’s programmed to dial my number the moment you open it.”
Expelling a breath, I shoved my hair out of my face. “You could have given it to me before I flew here. Why did you come here tonight, Lucius?”
He shrugged, didn’t turn to me.
“You risked a lot,” I persisted.
“I risked nothing.”
“You could have been spotted.”
“I wasn’t.”
“How can you be so sure?”
His motions clipped, he shoved a blade into the scabbard on his thigh. “Because I’m damn good at breaking and entering.”
“Well, I’m good at getting answers, and you haven’t answered me. Why did you come here? Tell me the real reason.” I wanted to hear him say it.
“Maybe I wanted to tell you to make sure Claudia Chow brings you to see Jonathan and me tomorrow. I want us all to have a heart-to-heart so you can rebuff me again.”
“You didn’t have to come here to tell me that.”
He bent over and jerked on his boots—I didn’t remember him ever removing them—giving me a glimpse of his taut, pant-clad ass. He straightened and paused; his fists clenched. “I wanted to see you. Is that a good enough reason to risk everything?” Without waiting for my answer, he stalked to the bay window and disappeared into the night.
More than enough, my mind foolishly supplied.
The thought made me stiffen. Made me panic. It hinted at deeper feelings, hinted at…caring. No. No, no, no. I dropped my head into my hands and forced myself to breathe. He was an agent and my partner. We’d had sex, but it couldn’t be more than that. I wouldn’t allow it to be more than that. Too much was at stake.