* * *
“Good night, Catherine.” Luke turned at the door to his bedroom to look at her. “Sam told me you need to get some rest, too. Are you going to do it?”
“Sure.” Then, as he stood there looking at her, she made a face. “At least, I’m going to my room and take a shower. I’ll see after that if I can function efficiently. I’m feeling very frustrated, and I need to get a handle on this guy. It’s not enough just to protect the people I love. I’ve got to get rid of him.”
He smiled. “Like you got rid of Rakovac?”
“Exactly like that.” Though all the psychologists would have told her she shouldn’t have told a twelve-year-old child that she would kill this man who had threatened them. Too bad. She had tried to wrap Luke in cotton to heal him and make him forget when she had rescued him from his kidnapper, but she’d had to give it up. Luke had grown up with Rakovac, a monster who had abused him and tried to make him into a murderer and thief, too. He understood life and evil more than most adults and had told her that if she had not killed Rakovac, he would have done it. “Don’t worry. I’m going to keep you safe, Luke.”
“I’m not worried.” He grinned. “But I’m absolutely not going to let Sam come in and sleep in his sleeping bag in my room. And not any of those other guys, either.”
“Did Sam suggest that?” Catherine smiled, too. “It’s not a bad idea, but he should have known you wouldn’t go along with it. Don’t blame him. I made it pretty clear that I wanted everything that could be done to be done. So don’t be surprised if you find him out here in the hall when you come down to breakfast.”
“That’s okay.” He looked at her door across the hall. “Because then he could watch out for you, too.” He paused. “This Santos is a real bad guy?”
She nodded. “Sorry, Luke. I seem to have stacked the cards against you when I brought you into the world. Every time you turn around, you’re facing one of these ugly crooks I have to get rid of.” She tried to smile. “No PTA or Soccer Mom for you. Maybe the next reincarnation.”
“You’d do that if I wanted you to do it. But it would be boring. I like you better as a soldier or cop. CIA is kind of like both.” He opened his door. “I just have to get you to let me help you…”
And that was her greatest fear, she thought, as she watched the door close behind him. She could surround him with guards, but they would do no good if he slipped away from them. Only one solution. Just find Santos and get him out of their lives.
She turned and went into her own room. Take a shower. Get a short nap. Then back to work.
But first she’d try to call Cameron again to tell him to keep his damn hands off that shooter …
* * *
“Wake up, Catherine. I’m in a hurry and, dammit, you keep interfering.”
Cameron, she realized drowsily. A very impatient and annoyed Cameron.
She opened her eyes.
Not her bedroom, she realized. Cameron was playing his mind games and furnishing her with the setting of his choice. But it wasn’t a firelit library as he’d done with her before. There was a fire, but he appeared to be in some sort of cave. He had a cup in his hand, and she could see the steam rising from the black coffee. He was dressed in a black leather jacket and jeans and was leaning against the craggy stone wall. Dark hair, high cheekbones, wonderfully sensual lips, and blue eyes that appeared icy against his deep tan. Tall, lean, with possibly the most beautifully muscular body she had ever seen. Hell, he was beautiful, period.
And she had better stop thinking that because one of his more annoying psychic gifts was the ability to read minds if he chose. She didn’t want to give him any more ammunition than necessary when he was so angry with her.
“And you think I’d use it against you?” He frowned. “Maybe you’re right. I’m mad as hell that you didn’t tell me right away that there was a problem. You waited until Erin was forced to do it.”
“It was my problem. I was handling it. Venable sent an agent to get Erin.”
“I know all that. It didn’t work out too well, did it?”
“No,” she had to admit. “There was no time. It was the best I could do, being half a world away from her. Could you have done any better?”
“Maybe.” He grimaced. “Maybe not. I guess you did okay.”
“No, I didn’t do okay. She almost got killed. The best I could do wasn’t good enough. Do you think I don’t realize that?”
His gaze narrowed on her face. “And you’re feeling guilty and responsible.”
“Yes, about her and everyone else who is unlucky enough to be my friend.” She glared at him. “And get out of my mind. You promised me that you wouldn’t do that to me. Keep your word, dammit.”
He shrugged. “I’m out now. It’s always tempting. I did slip when I first joined you. I get reckless when I’m angry.” He suddenly smiled. “But only with you. Sometimes it frustrates me not to know which way you’re going to jump. Though I always hope it’s going to be into bed with me. You’re the exception to every rule, Catherine.”
Sensual and erotic memories were flooding back to her as she stared at him. She could feel the heat tingle through her body, tightening the muscles of her stomach, causing her breasts to swell. She could remember lying naked on his lap, his fingers moving inside—
“I’ve missed you, Catherine,” he said quietly. “I don’t remember ever missing a woman after I’d left her. But I missed you. I wanted to come back and show you how good we could be together.”
“Sexually?” she asked. “No argument. But life isn’t only sex, and we’re hardly compatible on any other level. I told you when you were running off to Copenhagen that I wasn’t going to go with you and be your mistress. I’m CIA. I have a job to do.” She looked him in the eye. “And that job might be to go after you and take you down someday. We don’t think alike, Cameron. You believe the world is trying to blow itself up and going to hell. You want to prepare a new civilization by hiring superbrains, stealing knowledge, and storing it away so that we’ll have something to go back to. Me? I believe you may be right, but I’m going to work my ass off to try to keep that blowup from happening. Don’t get in my way.”
“It might be impossible not to do that.” He tilted his head. “But we’re both warrior stock, Catherine. We’d probably enjoy that, too. The idea … stimulates me. But then, everything about you stimulates me. I’d wake up in the middle of the night and want you there beside me. Do you remember my mouth on—”
“It’s over,” she said curtly. “And the last thing I want to think about right now. I have more important concerns.”
“What can I say? I’m only a man, and there are no more important concerns than sex. Well, maybe long-term, but never on the current scale.” His smile faded. “Okay, let’s get down to it. Why did you phone me four times?”
“Why did you ignore me four times?”
“I don’t like cell phones. I was irritated with you, and I wasn’t ready to make contact.”
“You mean in your own special way, where you have all the advantages?” she asked sarcastically. “But you slipped up, that’s a very crude set you’ve created for me. Was it supposed to bring up thoughts of rough, tough cavemen?”
“No, I wasn’t in the mood to play games. I just brought you to where I am.”