Nightbred(69)

“I hope you still feel that way after we do this.” She climbed onto the deck and went below.

Jamys followed. “You know where Stryker is.”

“His operation is about a mile from here.” She wouldn’t look at him. “I need to shower and change, and then we’ll have to put together an outfit for you.”

Sensing she needed some time alone, Jamys went up on deck, and waited until she called his name.

As soon as Jamys entered the cabin, he saw a glittering dark column. It was Christian, standing with her back to him, her slender body wrapped in shimmering black ribbons. She had woven her hair into an intricate braid, and a spray of long, gold-tipped scarlet feathers hugged the right side of her head.

She turned, an altar goddess carved from jet and ivory, and the dusky allure of her darkened eyes dueled with the luscious red pout of her lips. Both won his soul.

“Say something.”

Speak? Jamys could barely think. He lifted his hand to touch an inch of silken skin bared by the bewitching material. Naked, in his bed, covered by nothing but moonlight and shadows, she would look like this. “Magic.”

“It’s the dress and the makeup.” Pleasure glowed briefly in her eyes before she turned away. “It should get us into the party.” She offered him a jacket made of gleaming black leather and too many zippers. “I found this in his trunk. It should fit.”

He didn’t want any other eyes on her but his. “Forget this Stryker. We can be in Paradise in an hour. Let me take you there.”

“I want to.” And she did, he could hear it in her voice. “I think if it was just you and me, I would. But we have to find these emeralds. Not for Tremayne, and not for the council. We’ve got to do it for the right reasons. To keep everyone safe.”

“Very well. We will talk to Stryker together. If what he knows leads us to the gems, we will decide then what to do with them.” He stepped closer. “But when this quest is finished, Christian, I am taking you away with me.”

“You don’t take a tresora away with you,” Chris said slowly. “I know, because I’ve memorized all the rules. You do something like that with a girlfriend, or a lover, or a sygkenis.”

“I am not your master, and you are not my servant,” Jamys said quietly. “We were friends, and we always will be, but now I want more. I want you as my woman, and my lover. I want to give you my heart, Christian. I want yours to be mine.”

“You don’t know what you’re asking.” Her mouth tightened. “It’ll change everything between us.”

“Will it?” He touched her cheek. “We have slept in the same bed. We have kissed, and touched, and given pleasure to each other. Are we not lovers now?”

“Don’t play with me, Jamys,” she whispered. “This isn’t my job we’re talking about. I’ve only got one heart, and it’s already been broken a bunch of times.”

“I will never hurt you.” He folded her into his arms. “You can trust me.”

She trembled, her face hot against his neck, and then she nodded. “All right.”

* * *

Tall, wide gates protected the entrance to Sundown Estates, but as Jamys reached for the door handle to get out and open them, Christian retracted the window and pressed some numbers on a small keypad.

“I got the code from an old friend,” she said as the gate swung inward and she drove through to a small shack. “I might need your help with this guy.”

The uniformed guard had a gun on his belt and a clipboard in his hand, and bent over to give them an unfriendly look. “Help you, ma’am?”

“We’re here to have anonymous sex with a lot of people,” Christian told him. “Can you point us in the direction to the latest orgy?”

“I’m sorry, ma’am, but you have the wrong place.” The guard straightened as Jamys got out of the car, and looked over the roof at him. “Sir, I have to ask you to get back in the vehicle.”

“Yes, of course.” He walked around the car. “I merely wish to change places with my lady friend. She is a terrible driver.” He held out his hand. “Enjoy the remainder of your evening.”

The guard hesitated before taking his hand. The moment he did he went still.

“You wish to tell me where Stryker is,” Jamys said.

“Seven-five-one Albatross Avenue.” The guard smiled at Christian. “Your lady sure is pretty.”

“She is beautiful,” Jamys corrected. “You want to return to your station and forget about this conversation.” So that Christian couldn’t hear, he added one last mental command. When you see our car drive out of the complex, you will telephone the police and report to them Stryker and his activities here.