“Let me try. Give it to me, and I’ll make you come,” he promised. He carried me until the cool bark of a tree pressed against my back. His erection slid up and down, the fabric of my jeans adding to the delicious friction.

“ Rome… ” His name was ripped from my throat, hoarse and needy. A plea.

“I was watching you earlier, when you made it rain, and you looked so sad my chest actually clenched. I wanted so desperately to take your sadness away, and suddenly I was. Trust me on this. Let me try.” He shoved against me, hitting directly, and I was lost. “I think I can do it again.”

It had worked once, and he was right: it could work again. Gradually, I allowed myself to relax my guard. The heat and flames I’d tried so diligently to control rushed from me as if floodgates had been opened. They swept over Rome, who groaned. Instead of burning him, however, the flames were absorbed into him.

Had I not been so distracted by his seduction, I would have jerked in shock. As it was, I could only tighten my hold on him. His tongue moved against mine more frantically. His hips arched more deliberately. My head fell back. I simply didn’t have the strength to hold it up. He bit at my neck, nipping the flesh, then licking the sting.

“See?” he said, his voice as hoarse as mine had been. Tension bracketed his eyes, but it was aroused tension. Aroused pleasure-pain. “We did it. I’d hoped I could filter the flames, take the most violent of the heat, and it worked.”

“I don’t understand how you’re able to do that,” I managed to moan as I squeezed and kneaded his back. Time slipped out of reality. Here, now, I had Rome and I had pleasure and I hadn’t started a fire. Nothing else mattered.

“If I hadn’t learned to cage the animal inside me, it would have overtaken me. I would be only animal. I thought, hoped, I could cage your fire, and so I have. One day you’ll do it on your own, but until then… ”

I kissed him again. Our teeth scraped together as our bodies strained and arched. He palmed my breast, pinched the nipple.

“Speaking of one day, we’re going to do this naked,” he breathed.

“Yes.”

“In a bed.”

“Yes.”

“One day you’ll be mine.”

His hand dived inside my pants, past-nope, no panties, because this naughty, pleasure-giving thief had hidden them-and into the wet heart of me. Instant contact, exactly where I needed him most. His fingers buried deep, pounding, pounding. “Yes.”

I jumped over the sweet edge and screamed. Stars winked behind my eyes. My whole body tensed, relaxed, tensed, spasming as intense pleasure rocked me.

I held on to Rome, afraid to let go lest I fly away to the heavens. Images raced through my mind. Images of Rome naked and inside me, his cock replacing his fingers as he claimed me from behind, then took me from every position possible. Images of-

“Viper?” a familiar voice called. “What’s wrong? Are you okay? Hold on a minute, I’m on my way out. You better not have hurt her, Rome, or there will be serious hell to pay.”

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

WHILE I BATTLED A plethora of desires (namely, to kill Tanner, strip Rome, scream, cry, beg for more of his loving) Rome pulled his fingers from me, then moved away from me entirely. His expression was taut-no longer in a good way-and pained as he readjusted his pants.

Trembling, I righted my clothing, unable to draw in a steady breath. “I finished, but what about you?” I whispered. My gaze flicked to his swollen fly. “You’re-”

“Fine. I’m fine. Nothing we can’t take care of later.” But his gaze lingered on my hardened nipples, dipped to the apex of my thighs, caressing. A hot, wistful gleam appeared in his eyes. Then he did something unexpected and wholly erotic. He licked his fingers-the fingers that had been buried inside of me.

His eyelids closed in surrender. I almost came again, the action was so arousing. Almost wicked. Definitely naughty.

Tanner raced around a tree and spotted us. “Belle?”

“I’m good,” I said, my cheeks reddening. “Nothing’s wrong.”

He ground to a halt and studied me, studied Rome ’s back. “Oh. Oh. You guys were having sex. Gross. Just gross. Cat sex. I’m going back inside. Try to keep your mind on the objective, you two. Jeez, am I the only one here with a work ethic?” He turned on his heel and marched back to the cabin.

Rome looked at me, and we both burst into laughter. “That kid,” he said.

“I know.”

“Now that I know what you taste like, we can get back to work.” He spun away from me, his shoulders stiff. It was only then, with distance between us, that I realized the extent of what had just happened. I studied him, searching for signs of damage. There were no red marks, no blisters. It had worked. Ohmygod, it had really worked! Rome had actually taken my fire into himself and completely tamed it. He’d kept it from raging, kept it from hurting anything-or anyone.

We could be together.

We could make slow, languid love. We could enjoy hard, fast, raunchy sex. All without the fear of consequences. Just the thought was enough to reawaken my desire. Soon I’d have him inside me. Completely.

A shiver of delight coasted up my spine as I prepared for our next practice session. I’d get to start a fire, just not the kind I wanted. Not yet.

Without stopping for a lunch break, we spent the next two hours creating flames, rain, snow and wind whirls. I actually did a good job. Rome stood at a distance, filtering my emotions. Without Tanner, he didn’t know how much to filter, but that wasn’t what he needed to work on. He had to practice filtering without becoming aroused.

With every distraction, I had to start over-but overall, I made progress. Hopefully, in a few more weeks (probably months, sigh) I’d be able to create the desired results instantly, even with distractions all around. Even when Rome was aroused.

What frightened me, though, was that as I improved I began to enjoy my abilities. Wielding and controlling such power was heady. Intoxicating, like an addictive drug. A wild adrenaline rush. I started to picture the things I could do once I truly mastered these powers. If someone pissed me off, I could burn off his hair. If someone threatened me, I could ice her home. Who wouldn’t enjoy dishing out that kind of revenge?

I mean, a few weeks ago, I’d borrowed Sherridan’s car for a job interview. Ten minutes into my drive, I’d been pulled over by the most egotistical, I’m-above-the-law cop ever allowed on the force. Officer Ken Parton was his name. As if I’d ever forget.

I hadn’t driven in a long (long) time, so of course my license had expired. Guess what? He arrested me. Yep, the stupid prick cuffed me and hauled me down to the station as if I were a hardened criminal. He booked me and everything. (Maybe my comment about his Dolly man-boobs pushed him over the edge. Who knew?)

So yeah, I now have a record. All because one jerk-off got his jollies from intimidating women. Am I bitter? Hell, yes. If I’d had these powers then I could have drowned that miserable bastard in a hailstorm, could have frozen his balls to his thigh, could have twirled him in a violent tornado.

Note to self: look up Officer Parton when I return to the city.

“What the hell are you thinking about?” Rome said.

I blinked and shook my head, scattering the dark thoughts to the back corner of my mind. However, that failed to extinguish the small fire kindling at my feet. I stomped on the embers. Black plumes curled upward and slithered around me. I coughed, only then realizing what I’d been doing. Planning to hurt someone. The officer deserved it, sure, but that didn’t make it right.

Damn. This was what Rome had feared would happen to me. That I’d grow to love my powers and be unable to give them up. Wasn’t that what he had said? People killed for power. People craved it, became monsters for it.