But the message in his light eyes wasn’t as simple. He was giving her that look again, the one that somehow managed to make her feel naked. His gaze swept lower and settled on her jeans.
Helen breathed in sharply. Dammit, he was right. Every time he looked at her there, she started to think about his hand. And his hand was connected to how he’d stimulated her, not just in the elevator, but during their virtual reality sessions. He knew he could affect her this way, especially now. She wanted to hitch up her jeans and run away.
“I think it’s a little too late to gain my full trust,” she said tightly, refusing to shift her stance. Her eyes challenged him as she pulled her hand out of his. “Information is nice. Knowing all the details of what’s going on is helpful. But that won’t make me any more agreeable to the trigger.”
He lifted his gaze. “But it’ll reinforce it.”
Her eyes widened. “What will?”
“The information. The details. You want to know what’s going on, you said. So I’m going to show it to you with fair warning. Knowledge will reinforce that trigger.”
She frowned. “How so?”
His debriefing couldn’t possibly do that. She didn’t like the way he smiled, like the Cheshire Cat who knew too much and not sharing.
“You can’t have it both ways, Elena. You want answers, you’ll have to stay with me. Spending more time with me means giving me the opportunity to strengthen that trigger. By staying now, you’re consciously giving me permission to reinforce it.”
“I’m not going to play your mind games,” Helen told him grimly. He’d called herElena.“What if I choose to leave now?”
He nodded. “Of course you can leave. We can have our appointment later.”
“Then why are you telling me this?”
“Because I want you to trust me.”
“That’s the most ridiculous way to get it!”
His direct gaze was unsettling, as if he could see right inside her. She had never felt so self-conscious with any male before.
“Is it?” he asked softly. “There’s no reason for me lie to you now. If I can’t tell you, I’ll just say so. That way, you’ll always know where you stand with me.”
“Right,” she drawled sarcastically, wrapping her arms across her chest. “If you think I’m going to take your word about anything you tell right now, there’s a bridge I have for sale.”
“I don’t expect immediate capitulation,” he told her.
“There, you see? Capitulation is not a word that would make me trustful of you, Mr. McNeil.”
His eyes gleamed with sudden amusement. He’d known she’d jump all over that word, dammit. Instead of answering, he moved from her. She watched his back, frustrated.
It would feel damn good to throw his bait in his face and walk out of—she looked around again—and sighed. He knew damn well she wouldn’t. This was the Bat Cave, for heaven’s sakes. He knew she was dying to see everything he could show her. Questions hung in the air between them.
Yes, she was now connected to him in ways she couldn’t explain to anyone. Yes, he was manipulating her deliberately, getting behind her defenses and planning God only knew what else about her operative status. Yes, she was turned on by him; there was no denyingthat. And finally, yes, she was really his supersoldier-spy.
Hell couldn’t say no to him. “Where do you want me to sit?” she asked quietly.
He walked to the space behind the oddly shaped table in the middle of the room. “If you sit there,” he said, pointing to a small desk she hadn’t noticed, “you’ll be able to see most of the screens I’m using. I’ll turn on the monitor to your right. There are several earphones connected to the module. Use the one blinking each time I switch.”
“Each time you switch?” she asked, nonplussed.
“Each time I switch channel,” he explained. “You’ll see what I mean when it’s happening. And Elena, no interruptions, please. You can question later.”
She resisted the urge to stick a tongue out at him. Barely. She turned to the desk he’d pointed to.
“Yes, Master,” she replied, affecting a lisp, shuffling her feet in imitation of Marty Feldman’s famous role of Igor as she limped toward the desk.
Jed didn’t see her act since his back was toward her. She watched him fiddling with the control panels from where she sat. Her turn to study him. Her turn to figure out what made him tick.
“Dude, I thought you’d never turn on the voice control so I could speak,” Eight Ball’s “voice” suddenly filled the room. “You guys are no fun.”
