Formula for Danger, page 9
part #6 of The Phoenix Agency Series
“And if they do? Maybe it’s got nothing to do with me.” She cleared her throat. “If you really want to get a reading on them, I have an idea.”
She sensed the sudden tension in his body. “Why do I think this is going to involve something I don’t like?”
JL drew in a breath and let it out slowly. “We haven’t discussed my ability to read auras since the night at the Romeos.”
“No, we haven’t. I’ve just been waiting for you to bring it up again.”
She nibbled her lip. “Does it freak you out?”
He gave a husky laugh. “Darlin’, very little freaks me out these days. But I am curious as to how it works.”
“Are you really sure you want me to tell you about it?” she pushed.
He slid a quick glance at her. “Why would I not? Your gift is part of who you are.”
Because not everyone believes it means anything.
But maybe, if she gave him chapter and verse, he might listen to her suggestion. She tightened her hands together in her lap. Then, recognizing her tension, she forced herself to relax. This was Cole, after all. Not—someone else.
“All living things have an aura,” she began. “The first time I realized I could see colors and electric static surrounding people, I did a lot of research. As a scientist, especially, I had a lot of questions about this weird thing happening to me.”
“I’ll bet you did.” He extended a hand and gently touched her knee, a reassuring caress.
“So. Humans generate a large magnetic energy field that can be sensed, felt, and even seen around the physical body. We all can tell when someone doesn’t feel good to us, like they are full of anger, or if they live in their heart and feel deeply.”
“Do their colors change?”
“Marginally.” She swallowed. “Everyone has their own aura, the field I mentioned, that tells me what kind of person they are. The color adjusts depending on what’s going on with them, but the main color is always there.”
“So, let me get this straight.” He turned off the highway into the driveway leading to his ranch house. “You can see me and tell what kind of person I am?”
“Yes.” JL sighed. “I hope you don’t think it’s too creepy. And it’s not visible all the time, by the way. Or with everyone I meet.”
He pulled into the three-car garage attached to the house, shut off the ignition, and turned in his seat. “So what do you see when you look at me?”
“A sexy cowboy?” she teased.
He laughed. “I damn sure hope so. But what’s my aura?”
“With you I see red.”
“Yeah?”
“Red is the color of strength, strong passion, and willpower. People with red auras also have energy and fire. A strong drive. Pretty well describes you.”
“I like the energy and fire part. I’d like to read up on this a lot more.” He started to get out of the truck but paused when she did not move. “Something else on your mind, darlin’?”
“Here’s what I’m thinking. And please, listen to me carefully. Don’t just give me an automatic no. I hope you’ll believe in me and I can talk you into this.”
She saw his hands tightened momentarily on the steering wheel. “Okay, lay it on me.”
“And you have to listen with an open mind,” she prodded.
“I’ll do my best, darlin’.”
“Okay. If I could meet personally with each of the people calling me, I could get a good read on them.”
The smile disappeared from his face, and he stared at her for a long moment.
“Hold that thought.” He jogged around to open her door and help her out of the cab. “Let’s head inside, get out of these clothes, I’ll fix us drinks, and then you can try to convince me why I should go along with this.”
As soon as they walked into the house, tension began to ebb from her body. She was still anxious about Cole’s questions, as well as what she planned to suggest, but this house always had a calming effect on her. Not that she didn’t love the home in which she’d grown up and currently lived in, at least part of the time. But something about Cole’s house soothed her. The wood floors always shone, as much with polish as with age, a testament to the diligence of his housekeeper. Light bloomed through the huge windows, casting an amber glow over the oak of the furniture and the bright colors of throws and pillows. Traces of Cole’s mother lingered everywhere, although she and his father had moved to Arizona two years before, leaving Cole with the ranch and a foreman and housekeeper worth their weight in gold.
In the huge master bedroom that had a view of the near pasture, JL changed into yoga pants and a cami; Cole changed into sweats and a T-shirt. She deliberately avoided the subject while she waited with barely leashed impatience while he poured a glass of wine for her and opened a bottle of beer for himself. They carried everything out to the deck where comfortable loungers faced the setting sun.
JL loved this view. At the end of a day spent with her lab equipment and bent over a microscope, she could kick back on the padded lounge, watch the horses taking a last run in the corral before being put up for the night, and sniff the heady aromas of fresh-cut grass and hay and of horses and cattle. Her work was intense, and she needed this time to unwind and let her brain unkink.
She took a sip of her wine, forcing herself to wait until Cole spoke again. She had to do this just right to convince him.
“So.” He shifted on his lounger. “Let’s back up a minute. Does everyone have an aura? And what does it look like?”
JL thought for a moment. “Yes, everyone does. It’s an energy field surrounding them that represents different traits and aspects of their personality. It’s made up of several different levels.” She gave a small laugh. “Which I can explain to you some time when you can’t fall asleep.”
“Can you see everyone’s?”
She shook her head. “No. For one thing, some people have stronger auras than others. For another, I don’t think my ability is that honed. I’ve never worked on it. So someone has to have very definite traits, good or bad, for me to see the shimmer of light around them.”
“You see that with me.”
JL nodded. “I do. And I saw it with all the Phoenix men, too.”
Fortunately what she’d seen was positive. The one time she’d seen a black aura, no one had listened, and the results had been devastating. She had really tried to shut down her so-called gift then. Or keep her mouth shut. Isolating herself from personal relations had been another choice, only with Cole she hadn’t been able to distance herself, no matter how much she tried.
She knew how badly he wanted to make things more permanent; he was really good about giving her the space she needed to get there. How could she explain her fear to him? Or live through what happened the last time?
If I can convince him to let me do this, maybe I can move forward. Make people believe in me. Not like the last time.
“JL?”
“What?” She shook herself, aware her mind had drifted.
“You still with me, darlin’? I asked you how accurate these auras are.”
She took another swallow of wine while formulating her answer. “Pretty accurate, although they can be affected by a person’s health or personal circumstances. And sometimes the aura changes shape, if it interacts with another person’s.”
“Pretty complicated,” he mused.
“Yes and no. And if I’m going to read someone, I need to take some time beforehand to make sure I can focus properly.” She cleared her throat. “But I think I could get a handle on these people if I can see them, speak to them face-to-face.”
“Absolutely not.” He swung his legs over the side of the lounger and sat looking at her. “Out of the question.”
“Just hear me out. Please?” She’d given this a lot of thought, knowing his first answer would be, ‘Hell, no.’ But since meeting the Phoenix wives and learning what they had done and continued to do with their abilities, she’d done a lot of soul searching. The last time she’d attempted to use her gift for good, it had blown up in her face. But this was a different time, a different place. A different man. And it was a chance for her to redeem herself in her own eyes.
He tilted his beer bottle and took a swig. “I’ll listen,” he said in a tight voice, “but I can’t promise I’ll agree.”
Be calm, she cautioned herself. The last thing she wanted was an argument with him. But she was also determined. “Cole, I could just do this myself. You know that, right?”
The muscles in his face tightened. “Yes. You could. But that would be a big problem. You could compromise your safety, and—”
“And piss you off,” she finished for him.
“Yes.”
“Which is why I’m not doing that. So let me explain.” She took another swallow of wine for fortification. “If I can just see each of them, I can read their aura. Get an idea of the kind of people on my case.”
Cole shook his head. “Absolutely not.”
“Because you don’t believe something like that works?”
“Not at all. Each of the Phoenix women has a special gift, and they’ve used them in cases before very successfully. That’s why they are focusing now on getting the Psi Department up and running.”
“Then why—”
He held up a hand. “Because I just don’t trust any of these people.”
JL shifted until she faced him directly, their knees almost touching.
“What do you think they’ll do? We’ll be in a public place, and you’ll be right there with me. If nothing else, at least you can get a feel for them through personal contact. You’re very good at reading people.”
And I can see whether any of them are a danger to you as well as me.
“I’d better be, with my line of work,” he joked.
“On the other hand, if any of them have a black aura, or fields even tinged with black, we’ll get an idea of how dangerous they really are.”
“I still don’t like the idea of you being anywhere near these people,” he repeated. “You know that.”
She set her wine glass down and took one of his hands in both of hers. “I do. And your concern makes me feel secure enough to move forward with this. Because I know you’ll be right there, ready to protect me if necessary. But I’m pretty sure none of them would try anything in a public place.”
“Say I agree to move forward.” He frowned. “How would you want to do this?”
“Everyone wants to take me out to lunches and dinners. Why don’t I let them do it? Only it will be both of us.”
She made herself wait patiently while he processed the idea. He believed in her gift, a major step. Maybe this time, when she got a reading, someone—Cole—would believe her. That would go a long way toward helping her heal. She let out a sigh when he nodded.
“Okay, but I pick the time and place.”
“That’s a given.” She curved her lips in a tiny smile and held out her glass. “How about some more wine to seal the deal?”
JL stepped out of the shower and slid open the glass door. She extended her arm to reach for a towel and instead connected with a hard male body.
Cole stared at her with fire blazing in his dark eyes. Just that look set her body to trembling with anticipation.
“Allow me.” His voice was low, rough with need. “You’ve had a very tense day. And I think I know just how to get rid of all that stress. Just put yourself in my hands.”
With anticipation curling low in her belly, she stepped out onto the thick bath mat and stood there on suddenly shaky legs as Cole patted her dry with slow strokes of the big fluffy towel. The slight abrasive feel of it as he stroked it over her breasts made her nipples harden and swell and her breasts ache.
He patted her shoulders and her neck, pausing to lick the drops from the hollow of her throat. The rough surface of his tongue against her skin made every nerve sit up and scream, Take me. He moved the towel along the line of her hips and legs but left her stomach and every inch of her sex still damp as he turned her around.
The same smooth, gentle movements blotted water from her back and coasted over the curve of her ass and down the back of her legs. Then he turned her back to face him, knelt before her, and nudged her thighs apart. When he drew the towel across the lips of her pussy, lust surged through her so strongly she had to grip his shoulders to keep her balance. The internal muscles of her sex quivered in response as her body reacted to his touch.
Cole locked his gaze with hers, visually holding her captive as he rubbed the towel back and forth across her sensitive skin. The beat of her pulse accelerated, her heart rate ratcheting up.
“Cole.” The word came out as little more than a whisper.
“What is it?” But his question was muffled with his mouth now pressed to the curls covering her mound, his breath tickling her, the soft whisper of it making her weak.
He dropped the towel but stayed on his knees, parting the lips of her pussy with his fingers and taking a slow lick of her slit. He swirled his tongue over the hot nub of her clit, teasing, tantalizing. Lightning seared her to the soles of her feet, her breath hitched, and she pressed her fingers into the hard muscles of his shoulders.
Take me to bed.
“Soon.” His words were muffled, his mouth still against her flesh.
Oh God. Had she said it out loud?
With a gentle nip at her distended clit, he rose, lifting her with him and tossing the towel aside.
“You smell incredible.” He pressed his nose to the soft flesh of her stomach. “I could lick you all over. In fact”—he yanked the covers back on the bed and settled her on the sheets—“I might just do that.”
“You have too many clothes on,” she pointed out.
“I plan to remedy the situation right now. Spread your legs, JL. Let me see that sweet little pussy while I strip.”
Everything always clenched when he said things like that. And, lately, he’d been saying them more and more. Controlling the situation. She wondered fleetingly whether a new side of him had emerged, one he might have kept a lid on while their relationship developed.
“Now,” he commanded.
The rich voice slid through her and jolted her into awareness. Obediently, she opened her legs, staring up at him from lowered lids. Her breathing hitched as he stripped off his T-shirt and jeans, and kicked his boxer briefs to the side. She never failed to salivate at the sight of him, all those hard muscles and taut planes of his body. His cock rose thick and proud from the dark nest of curls surrounding it, the head swollen.
She reached out to him, eager to close her fingers around that thick shaft. Feel the velvet of the skin and the hard core of steel it covered. Touch the smoothness of the plum-colored head. Put her lips around it and draw him deep into her mouth.
His gaze dropped to her hand, and he took a step back.
“Not tonight.” He blew out a breath. “Do I want you to touch me? Suck my cock? Lick my body the way I do yours? Of course I do.”
“Then . . .”
“Strange as it might seem to you, I get more pleasure using my mouth and hands on every inch of you and watching you react. Feeling the way you respond to everything I do to you.” He leaned over her, caressing her cheek. “One of these days I’m going to show you just how high I can take you and how long I can keep you there before I finally let you come.”
Desire swirled low on her belly at his words.
“Tonight is for you. To relax you. To empty that busy mind of everything except how you feel. How I make you feel.” He looked his fill of the entire length of her body. “Touch yourself,” he commanded, his rich baritone sending shivers through her body.
JL eased one hand down her body until she reached the top of her mound. She had discovered Cole became immensely aroused watching her do this, and, unexpectedly, it turned her on as well. Her pussy was already drenched when her fingers slid along the slick surface, wet with her juices and her hot need, and she stroked herself, avoiding her clit for the moment, just brushing lightly over her sensitive skin.
“Tell me how it feels,” he demanded. “Do you like to touch yourself? Can you feel your fingers sliding so smoothly in and out of yourself?”
Her breathing hitched. “W-when you watch me, I do.”
“Describe it.”
Describe it? I can barely think.
“Now, JL.” His voice became whipcord sharp.
“I . . .” She swallowed. “I can feel how wet I am. I pretend these are your fingers on me. In me. And the muscles inside my pussy tighten with need. A pulse beats deep inside me, hard and strong, and I want to come. But—”
“But you want to wait for me to tell you. Give the command. Right?”
“Yes. Yes, I do.” She moved her fingers faster now, desperate to reach the elusive pinnacle and push herself over it.
Cole knelt on the bed between her feet, eyes blazing with hunger as he watched the movement of her hand. It still amazed her how much it aroused her to stimulate herself while he watched. She’d never thought of herself as an exhibitionist. Until now.
“That’s it,” he growled. “Stroke that sweet little sex. Open those lips so I can see it all. Jesus, JL. I could come just from watching you.”
Her pulse rate escalated as the movement of her fingers sped up. She circled her clit the way he liked, brushing the top, then pinching it lightly before rubbing it again. With each touch, each stroke, the pulsing in her body grew stronger and more intense. When she slid two fingers inside her hot, wet channel, she couldn’t hold back the little moan escaping her lips.
“Good, good,” Cole encouraged, his eyes devouring her. “Just like that. Bend your knees and open yourself more. Let me see everything. Oh, yeah. Pretend that’s my cock inside you. Look at me, darlin’. Keep your eyes on me.”
She teased her clit with one hand while she slipped her fingers in and out of her body faster and faster. Pressing her heels into the mattress, she lifted her hips and rocked into her hand. And all the while she never took her gaze from Cole’s, from those hot dark eyes and the savage hunger blazing in them.
