Someone was arguing, and though she couldn’t make out exact words, she heard Ty’s British accent added to the mix. Swiftly, she jumped out of bed, dressed, and followed the voices to the Belladonna library.
Collette, Barrett, and Justine were there, but they were quietly sitting in various chairs. Peter stood grim-faced next to the table that held the intercom box.
Ty stood in the center of the room. He wore a crisp button-down shirt and slacks and a blank expression. When he saw her, heat flooded his expression, but he quickly banked it and looked away.
Carly’s voice filled the room, setting Ana’s teeth on edge, but she forced herself to walk into the room and take a seat.
“—screwed up time and again, Ty. If you can’t control yourself now, what the hell are you going to do if Miguel decides he wants a little piece of Ana before he’ll let you into Salvation’s Crossing? Are you going to forget why you’re really there and rip him apart, too?”
What a wonderful feeling. Ana was topic A and she hadn’t been invited.
So much for girls sticking together.
Ty glanced at Ana again, and this time his gaze was as cold as ice. “She’s not going to give Miguel anything,” he said quietly.
“Can you guarantee that?” Carly scoffed. “You know he wants her. And that’s why we’re bringing her in—”
“He might want her but he’s not going to have her. I know that with absolute certainty.”
“But …”
As Carly’s voice drifted off, Ana took the chance to think.
Ty couldn’t lie, and Carly had to know that. Which meant she now knew that something had changed between Ana and Ty. That Ty meant what he said—he wasn’t going to let Ana sleep with a man even if that was the only way to get them what they needed.
Ana smiled at him but he looked away again, as if he was afraid he’d revealed too much of himself. To others? Or to her as well?
The atmosphere in the room was strained and heavy. No one was talking but him.
“All we have to do is convince Miguel that Ana and I are lovers,” Ty insisted. “Once I’m inside—well, I’m a goddamn vampire, for Christ’s sake. If I can’t get the information we need, no one can.”
He strode toward Ana and held out his hand.
What he’d just told everyone communicated that Ty now thought of Ana as his, but he wasn’t taking any chances. He was making sure there was no room for doubt.
With only a slight hint of hesitation, she reached out and took his hand. Only then did she see his body relax slightly. In front of everyone, they walked out of the room. Together.
As soon as they were back in his room, however, Ana tugged her hand out of his.
He watched her warily. Then frowned.
Had he read her mind? Or was she simply that easy for him to predict?
“Don’t,” he warned.
“Don’t what?”
“Don’t tell me you’re still going to do whatever you need to do to get Miguel to do what we want him to do.”
He was normally so articulate, so unflappable, that she smiled at the convoluted statement. He didn’t smile back.
She got it. Of course she didn’t want to sleep with Miguel. And she was overjoyed that Ty didn’t want her to, either. But if she had to … “Ty, you said it yourself. An agent has to be willing to do whatever it takes to get a mission done.”
“You’re not an agent. Not really.”
Where had that come from? Apparently Ty was two different vampires in public and in private. She’d had to inadvertently eavesdrop on him and their colleagues to find that out. She was reminded of how little she really knew about this man. This vampire. And although the sex had been amazing between them last night, that didn’t mean that in the cold light of day anything had changed.
She crossed her arms over her chest and tilted out her hip with attitude. “Oh? Then what have I been doing here for the past two weeks? Providing naughty entertainment? That’s Justine’s game.”
“Cheap shot. She has nothing to do with this.” He gestured toward his bed. “In case you’ve forgotten, things changed for us last night.”
He was right. Things had changed drastically. Being with him had been the best experience of her life. She wanted more. She wished the world would disappear and they could ride off into the sunset together. But they couldn’t. He’d brought her here for a reason. Her past. She’d come for another reason. Her future. Her future with Gloria. She couldn’t let her growing feelings for him get in the way of that future. She was human, he was vampire. He was going to live forever. She’d once more be left behind.
Unless she left him first.
With that thought strengthening her resolve, she forced herself to say, “Why? Because we had sex? We were due, Ty. I wanted you, and though I can’t believe how lucky I am that it’s true, you wanted me.”
He groaned. Strode up to her and cupped her face. “Ana. I’m the lucky one. Don’t you get that by now? In your arms, I’m a man. You make me feel the way I did before I was turned.”
She reached up and patted his cheek. “I’m so glad. So, so glad. But you brought me here to work, not to fool around. Maybe it’s best if we both remember that.”
“Ana—”
She interrupted him. “And I do have my own agenda. Sneaking into Salvation’s Crossing isn’t just about getting you and the FBI what you want. It’s about saving my sister, remember?”
His mouth flattened and his expression hardened. “I remember. But how far are you willing to go? Would you seduce Miguel, let him touch you just like you let Louis touch you when I’m giving you a way out? I’m trying to tell you I’ll take care of things for you.”
“Who asked you to? Carly?” The sneer on his face when he mentioned Louis touching her irked her. He didn’t get to tell her what to do just because he’d gotten between her legs. “Gloria doesn’t know you from Adam. Why would she trust you?”
Ty didn’t seem to have an answer for that.
“Yeah. So don’t tell me what I can and cannot do,” she insisted. “Whatever it takes. That’s the Belladonna way, right?”
His head inclined in an almost invisible nod.
“You taught me that.”
“Don’t remind me,” he growled softly.
“Let’s keep our priorities straight and get back to work. We had one night together, Ty. Sure, it felt great. Sure, it was fun. I certainly wouldn’t object to having more. But did you really think because you made me come I’d just let you take over? Trust something as important as my sister to a man I barely know—to a vampire?” She hadn’t meant it as an insult, not exactly, but that’s obviously how he took it.
His face darkened and he stepped away from her. “Right. So in the end, that’s all I am to you. A means to your sister. A vampire.”
“You are those things, Ty. I can’t let a—a good fuck—get in the way of my ultimate goal. And neither can you.”
He stared at her for several seconds, his expression blank. Even so, she couldn’t shake the feeling that her words had hurt him. Understandable, since they’d hurt her to say them. But she had to be realistic. Practical. It’s what had kept her going all these years. She couldn’t pretend Ty was her prince come to rescue her from some lonely tower. If life had taught her anything, it was that she had to depend on herself to get the important things done.
Still, something compelled her to reach out her hand to him. “I’m sorry, Ty, I—”
He stepped back before she could touch him. “I guess there’s nothing more to say right now. You want to do things your way, then you can do without the physical pleasure I gave you last night.”
“Okay. If that’s what you think is best,” she whispered, even as her heart felt like it was being squeezed in a vise. But she couldn’t back down. She’d had him. She’d enjoyed him. But there were limits. When it came to Gloria, that was where she drew a big, thick line.