I jolted upright, sputtering, unable to form a proper response.

“Careful, baby, or you’ll torch the place like Lexis predicted.”

He was right and I knew it, but that didn’t make it any less frustrating. Truly, if I didn’t stay in a constant “happy place” I would unleash a holy terror-or two. How unfair was that? “Everyone deserves a chance to express their emotions, Rome,” I said softly.

“I know.” Gently he kissed the base of my neck. “I know.”

Exhaling, tingling, I returned to my reclining position. I would address the jealousy thing when I had a response that sounded believable.

“Maybe we should get you a stress ball,” he said pensively.

I snorted. “What kind of ball are we talking? Asbestos? Or did you have something else in mind?”

Warm breath brushed my skin, and I felt his lips stretch into a grin. “You’re a pervert at heart. I don’t think I want your hands near my balls right now.”

The tingling inside me intensified, spreading, growing, stretching from one corner of my body to the other. My mouth watered for a taste of him. My nipples beaded, begging for attention. I closed my eyes, only to see a picture of us in my mind. Me, head thrown back, legs open. Him, gliding his fingers down my stomach, through the fine hair at my pubis and into the wet heat of me.

Don’t forget why you’re here. Questions first. Sex later. Lots of sex. Dirty sex. “Like I said, I, um, have some questions for you, and I want answers.” I traced a fingertip over the bumps and planes of his wrist, wanting so badly to guide him to a more intimate caress. “Let’s start with your last name. What is it?”

“Masters.”

“Are you kidding me?”

“No.”

I laughed. What a perfect name for him. “Do you expect everyone to obey your every command, Mr. Masters?”

Slowly he grinned. “Always.”

Okay, now for the harder questions. “Why did you and Lexis separate?” He gripped my hips and jerked me against his erection. He moaned. I gasped. Good. So good. “And how long have things been over?”

His fingers spread over my belly again, and my muscles quivered. I bit my lip to keep from crying out in utter bliss. “Why does it matter?” he asked.

“Why are you so secretive?” I countered. Unable to stop myself, I arched my back, grinding my butt into his erection once more.

He sucked in a breath. “The less people know about me, the safer it is. For them. For me.”

“In case you’ve forgotten, I’m a superhero.” Up, down, a slow glide. I clutched his knees and continued my bold dance against him. God, he felt good. Big, hard and thick. “I can protect us both.” Or kill us both, but that didn’t bear mentioning.

“Superhero, hmm?” Reaching around me, he palmed me exactly where I needed him. I nearly shouted at the intense surge of pleasure. “Should I call you the Amazing Matchstick? Sparkie? The Blazing Saddle?”

“Do it, and I’ll go four elements on your ass.”

His thumb stroked me once, twice. Ohmygod. If I didn’t pull away I would come. I would come right then, right there. Just erupt into a thousand satisfied pieces, and that would be the end of our conversation. I’d be too sated to talk, too replete to care what he did afterward.

“I can’t do this. Not yet.” Stupid girl that I am, I leapt off him and threw myself on the other side of the couch. I was panting. Weak. Empty. Questions first. Dirty playtime second, remember? I didn’t look at him. A long while passed before I caught my breath, and only then did I twist toward him, careful to keep a safe distance between us.

His expression was harsh and dark and utterly captivating. Taut lines pulled at his eyes and mouth. I squashed the urge to throw myself back into his arms and offer comfort. “How long have you and Lexis been broken up?”

He watched me for a long while, then he said, “This information is important to you?”

I nodded.

“A year.” As he spoke, he crossed his arms over his chest. “We’ve been apart a year.”

“Why did you break up with her?”

“I didn’t.” His brow furrowed. “What makes you ask that?”

All my muscles stiffened, and not in a good way. I gripped the red velvet couch arm until my knuckles turned white. “So she broke up with you?”

“Yes.”

Okay, I so did not like that fact. Did he have secret feelings for her, as I’d suspected a little while ago-feelings he might not have admitted to himself? She obviously had feelings for him. Why had she dumped him? Did he want her back? They’d shared their lives, had planned to share their futures. At one time he’d loved her enough to contemplate eternity with her.

“Is that all you wanted to know?” he asked.

About Lexis-yes. The woman had once possessed everything I suddenly wanted. Rome ’s adoration. Exclusivity. A future with him. The torrent of jealousy coursing through me proved too strong to deny this time. “Will you tell me about Sunny?” I asked softly. I was treading in dangerous waters, but I refused to stop myself now.

He pushed a hand through his hair and several strands tumbled onto his forehead. “I don’t want to talk about her, Belle.”

“I know, but do it anyway. Please.”

Several minutes ticked by in absolute silence.

“Let’s start with something small,” I said. “How old is she?”

“Four,” was the reluctant reply. “She’s four.”

I’d guessed correctly. “She looks like an angel.”

“She is. Looks like an angel, acts like a devil, though.” A warm chuckle rumbled from his chest as a memory clicked into place.

“Devil? How?”

“Hide and go seek is her favorite game. She’ll torment me for hours, misting from one shadow to another, laughing at me all the while.”

“Misting?” I blinked. “What does that mean?”

He stiffened, shattering the illusion of relaxation. “Never mind. Forget I said anything.” His voice returned to its earlier gruffness.

I shook my head. “You are so secretive.”

“The world I live in is a dangerous place. I told you that. The less you know, the better.”

“I disagree. I’m part of your world now. The more I know, the safer I’ll be. I have a right to understand what I’m up against, just like I have a right to know who you are, who my enemies are, and how I can get your boss off my case.”

Rome pinned me with a stare, a stare I couldn’t escape. “John’s not a bad guy. Not really. Just cautious.”

“If he’s such a good person, why don’t you tell him our plan to find Dr. Roberts? Why don’t you let him help you hide Sunny?”

“I said he wasn’t bad. I didn’t say he was an altruist. He loves Sunny like an uncle and would never hurt her, but if he ever found out about her abilities… He still wouldn’t hurt her, but I don’t want him to draft her. Most of all, I can’t take a chance of Vincent finding out about her and developing an interest in her. That’s where the true danger lies.”

I began to understand what he was really telling me, and it shocked me how easily I accepted it. “When you said she misted into the shadows, you meant it literally, didn’t you? She can actually become mist and travel to another location.”

“Yes.” He nodded stiffly. “Sunny can mist through solid objects, and that’s a dangerous ability to have. If she were to accidentally materialize inside a wall, she would be killed.”

“Was she born with the ability?”

He nodded again. “We didn’t know Lexis was pregnant when we both volunteered for some… experiments to enhance our DNA. Unfortunately, those experiments affected Sunny more than me and Lexis.”

Poor kid. I sympathized. “Neither of us asked for our abilities, but we got them anyway,” I said with a sigh, and Rome looked away from me. My nose crinkled as I said, “What drove the two of you to volunteer for testing?”

“Lexis and I met on the job. We both signed up at PSI at the same time, about eleven years ago. We hit it off from the beginning, dated, got married, and neither of us liked the danger the other was in. When John mentioned that he’d found a way to make us invincible, we decided to go for it so we could stop worrying about each other. It was screwing with our heads, and we were getting sloppy. But in the end, they didn’t make us invincible. Just stronger.”