“When did they leave?” she wondered aloud.
“Five or ten minutes after we started,” Armando replied. He hadn’t attempted to come closer to her again. “You weren’t paying attention. I like that. And if you don’t leave very soon, I’m going to have to seduce you. Then Alice in Wonderland is going to be all grown up by the time I’m done with you.”
“Armando, you’re a jerk. A really sexy jerk at the moment but still a jerk,” Helen told him.
“And turning you on, nonetheless. What a pity about honor and all that. I really need to learn to overcome that problem.” He sighed again. “Better go, Hell. We’ll talk again when you’ve slept this off.”
Sleep this off? He had to be kidding, right? Sleep was the furthest thing from her mind right now. “Okay, since you won’t tell me what your reckoning, or whatever that term you used, is, at least tell me how you deal with it. Besides going to Dr. Kirkland. I really don’t feel like telling him I’m in this state.”
“Kiss me and I’ll tell you what I do.”
He truly was a bastard. “You’re trying to make me lose control,” she accused. “I thought you were being honorable.”
“It’s good to know the new anointed toy has weaknesses,” Armando whispered. He took a few steps toward her. “Besides, I’m constantly fighting this honor thing. Most inconvenient. One kiss and I’ll tell you my secret.”
“Tell me now and I’ll kiss you,” Helen said. Never trust jerks. “That way, I’ll know you’ve kept the bargain.”
“Okay, I’ll play along. My secret is simple.” His hands came up and trapped her face between them. He kissed her softly once, his tongue tracing a fiery path from her lips to her neck. Helen bit her lips to stop the moan that threatened to escape, as she fought to pay attention to his words. He was speaking deliberately softly, playing with her senses. He bit her earlobe as he whispered, “It’s illusion, remember? When I feel my pain, I go back to the source of my illusion. Where’s yours, Helen? Where do you go where you can sort of disappear for a while, where you can get your satisfaction by tricking your brain?”
The CAVE. She had to go to the CAVE and…
“Are you him?” she asked, closing her eyes, wanting the heat to go on.
“I can be him if you want me to.” His lips were close to hers again and tempting, very tempting.
She shook her head. Hades would have had her stripped naked here by now without any qualms. He had no honor. Armando Chang wasn’t Hades.
This time Armando’s kiss was firmer, more demanding. She couldn’t help herself. She kissed him back. Each stroke of his tongue sent trills of pleasure down her spine. She didn’t object when he pulled her closer again, his hands roaming her back freely, pulling her shirt out of her pants.
Okay, so the man had limited honor. For some reason, he’d changed his mind and was now intending to continue with his earlier seduction. His hands touched her bare skin and she almost screamed at the heat enveloping her. Hands—Hades touching her—now isnotthe time to think about Hades’ hands, girl. It was too late. Heat and desire, all mixed up with the memory of Hades’ hands in her pants, giving her what she needed. She wanted to take her clothes off. She had to leave before…
The sound of the door opening interrupted her wildly careening thoughts. The light came on. Releasing her lips, Armando lifted his head.
“Ah, I wondered how long it’d take before you decided enough was enough,” he said mildly. Helen peered dazedly around Armando. Jed—Number Nine—stood at the doorway. She put a hand to her back and pulled her shirt down. That man seemed bent on appearing when she wasn’t looking her best.
“What are you doing, Armando?” Jed asked quietly.
Armando’s hands dropped to his sides. “Pretending to be the Prince of Darkness,” he glibly replied. “Showing Agent Roston here a thing or two. Making you appear. I’ve been very busy, as you can tell.”
“Don’t you have somewhere to go, Agent Roston?” Jed asked politely. “I need to talk to Armando privately.”
She would have stayed if she hadn’t felt that any moment now she would lose control of her legs and she would end up in a pile at this man’s feet again. That was all she needed.
“I was just going,” she informed him and disentangled herself from Armando. Limping past, she couldn’t resist bringing up the same subject from their last meeting. “Want to time me to my next destination?”
Jed’s silver gaze stabbed hers. “It’s easy to find you,” he said, looking back at Armando, who had flopped down lazily onto one of the seats, “when you’re so easily distracted.”
Ouch. Hell glanced back. Armando smiled and shrugged. Had he really been trying to distract her? From what? She looked back at Jed. Or whom? At the moment, she was too muddled to try to figure this out. She had better go before she decided to do what was an inexplicable temptation at the moment. She wanted to walk over to Jed and mess up that perfectly combed hair and twist that errant lock across his forehead around her finger. She had to clench her hand to stop herself.
“Still distracted, aren’t you?”
Helen blinked. “About what?”
“How long has it been since you slept, Miss Roston?” Jed asked softly. “Forty-eight, fifty-some hours? Your mind is showing signs of exhaustion and your body is catching up. I suggest you return to your quarters and get Dr. Kirkland to help you to get ready for bed, like a good little girl.”
“Oh, she’s ready to go to bed,” Armando said.
Helen ignored Armando’s chuckle. “The operation is finished and I can do what I like,” she told him. Good little girl? Who did he think he was? Had it really been that long since she had slept?
