Chapter Thirty-One
Thirty-One
“I did not see that coming,” Luke said. “I never thought to verify the Harpers in the genealogical records at the Foundation. Didn’t think it was necessary. Our families have always kept an eye on each other.”
“You wouldn’t have found anything in the official records.
No one outside the family knows the truth about Bea.
She’s a Harper. To her and the rest of us that’s all that matters.
You know, if Wells, Inc. had taken stronger security measures to protect those old Kaleidoscopes and the documents, none of us would be in this mess. ”
“Are you going to bring this up on a regular basis?”
“Probably.”
“Let’s go back to the inn. You can continue the lecture on the way.”
“Okay,” she said. “But before we leave this place I want to try something.”
“What?”
“Humans have always found ways to connect with the forces of nature. One of the techniques is with music. I may never have another opportunity to experience vortex energy like this.”
She unzipped a pocket and took out the chimes and the mallet. Luke and Bruce watched, very intent, as she went still and prepared herself. When she was ready she tapped one of the metal bars.
The clear, bell-like note went out into the world. She listened, waiting for the tone to fade. But for a time it grew stronger. The clarity became crystalline-sharp. The purity was exhilarating and almost painfully intense. There was nothing fragile or delicate about it.
The note began to resonate with the currents of the vortex. A shock of desire ignited all her senses. Luke’s eyes heated. With a soul-deep groan he reached for her. In that moment she knew she had been waiting for him for a very long time. She threw herself into his arms.
His mouth came down on hers in a dark, primal kiss. Without warning they were locked in the embrace. Their need for each other could not be denied. It was elemental, vital, a force of nature.
Luke’s hands were inside her trench coat and under her T-shirt, tightening around the bare skin of her waist, gliding upward to find her breasts.
She slipped her hands inside his leather jacket.
Her fingers brushed the small case that held his auto-injector.
And then she was tugging the black pullover out of the waistband of his trousers.
He broke free of her mouth and worked his way to the curve of her throat.
“I could come just thinking about how good you feel,” he rasped.
He shifted his hands to her hips and pulled her lower body tight against his fierce erection.
She flattened her palms against the muscles of his chest. “You’re not afraid of me.”
“You’re wrong.” He took the edge of her ear between his teeth and nipped lightly. “I’m afraid of losing you.”
“You won’t. Not today. I’m not going anywhere.”
He sucked in a harsh breath, unfastened her jeans, slid one hand inside her panties, and cupped her with his palm.
“Wet,” he said. “Soaking wet. For me. I need to be inside you.”
“Yes. Yes.”
She moved against his hand, seeking more. No failed experiment had ever brought her to this level of desire. Everything inside her ached for the joining.
Somewhere a wolf howled, an ancient song that needed no words.
Not a wolf, she thought. Bruce.
She was vaguely aware that the note she had struck on the chimes was no longer resonating. It had disappeared into the dawn but she was still clinging to Luke and he was using his hand, bringing her to the edge of a very high cliff.
She went over so quickly and so intensely, she could no longer stand. She gripped his shoulders in a desperate effort to keep from falling.
“I won’t let you go,” he vowed.
He held her close, one finger sliding inside her as the tension in her lower body continued to release in waves.
“Yes,” he said into her hair. “Just like that. But next time I’ll be inside.”
She half collapsed against him.
Slowly, reluctantly, he withdrew his hand and held it close to his mouth and nose. He inhaled deeply. “You make me so hungry.”
Reality slammed back with the force of the fast-rising sun.
She held her breath, waiting for him to say, My turn. He had every right. She owed him an orgasm. She did not want to be in debt to a Wells, not for anything—especially not sex.
But he released her and absently wiped his hand on his pants. “Let’s go back to the compound.”
Right. He wanted to find a bed for the second act. That made sense. He probably assumed that they would be having sex on a regular basis for however long they were together.
She had to make him understand that the kiss was a mistake. It was, wasn’t it?
Maybe she should apologize? Hey, I accidentally tapped into the forces of the vortex when I fooled around with my chimes and we both got a rush didn’t sound quite right.
“I’ve got a plan for taking a look around the gallery tonight,” Luke said.
Talk about whiplash. He was working on a plan to search the gallery while she was still trying to catch her breath and deal with the fallout of the kiss.
He had evidently decided to put the scorching embrace behind them and act as though it had never happened. That was the smart thing to do. The mature thing. The sensible thing.
It was also the logical thing to do, because the incident had been a complete aberration. Their senses had been influenced by the powerful natural forces in the vicinity. She understood that, and apparently Luke did, too. He was moving on. She needed to do the same.
They were halfway back to the compound when she could not stand the suspense any longer.
“Just to be clear,” she said, “what happened back there when I made the mistake of running my little experiment with the chimes wasn’t real.”
“Felt real.”
“Well, maybe it felt real, but it was artificially induced, if you see what I mean. For a brief time our senses were overcome by the heavy energy in the area. It could happen to anyone.”
“Maybe, but it happened to us.”
“You’re going to be difficult about this, aren’t you?”
“Just trying to take a logical view of the situation. Connecting dots.”
“Don’t get the wrong idea,” she said. She took a deep breath and forged on. “Our relationship has not changed in any fundamental way. We hardly know each other, for heaven’s sake.”
“Don’t worry, I’m not going to crawl over the pillow wall tonight. I just told you, I’ve got other plans.”
It would be ridiculous to take that personally. Absolutely ridiculous. But the air suddenly went out of her sails.
She reminded herself that she was dealing with a man who knew how to focus. She needed to follow his example.
When they reached the sculpture garden she glanced briefly at the Maze Gallery. Even in the clear light of the desert morning, the windows were dark.
“I assume we’re going into the gallery tonight,” she said, aiming for a professional tone.
“You are not going in,” Luke said. “You and Bruce will stay in the honeymoon suite while I take a look around the gallery.”
“Going in alone is a bad idea. You may need backup.”
“It will be easier for me to get in and out if I don’t have to worry about you and Bruce. He has many talents, but as far as I know, he wasn’t trained for professional-grade B and E work.”
“But I am. I’m a Harper, remember? It’s a truth known to every Wells that in my family we start training for illegal B and E work in the cradle.”
“I’ve heard that,” he said. “And I do admire talent of any kind. However, in this case I think you will be most useful if you remain in the suite with Bruce and make it look like I’m in there with you.
Hang the privacy sign on the door. Everyone will assume we’re doing interesting things in our private spa. ”
“Are you telling me that you are good enough to slip out of the room without anyone noticing?”
He smiled. “The first rule in the security business is figuring out how the bad guys operate. Then you come up with ways to stop them. So yes, I’ve learned a few tricks of the trade.”
“What do we do the rest of the day?”
“We mingle. Attend the workshop lectures. Chat with the other guests. Most of all we make sure we attend the Meet the Artist event this afternoon and the aurora show in the sculpture garden this evening.”
“Mingling is a good idea. It will give me an opportunity to see if I can spot Vincent Grant.”
“Yes, it will. I have a few questions for him.”