"Can't they?” His voice was distant, distracted, as he ran a finger lightly down her cheek and neck. She licked her lips. It was hard to concentrate with him touching her so gently. Lord, all she wanted to do was fall into bed with this man—but she couldn't. The time and the place were all wrong. Damn it, they were wrong. A man who couldn't love and a woman afraid to love—what hope would there ever be for them?
Michael's hand stilled near her breast. She glanced up quickly, but he avoided her gaze and stepped away. It didn't matter. She knew his thoughts. Knew he wouldn't touch her like that again.
"I'm sorry,” he said softly.
She nodded. It was as much her fault as his. She should have pulled away the minute he'd touched her. She walked across to Jake's desk and raised a hand. There had to be something here that held enough of Jake's vibes to enable her to track him.
She found it within a few minutes—an old fob watch lost among the junk in his bottom draw.
"It has his imprint?” Michael asked, sitting on the edge of the desk. She nodded and tried to ignore the sensations running through her fingers. “How do you want to go about this?"
"That would depend on how much you really trust me." She gave him a sharp look. He was sitting on the edge of the desk, swinging one leg slightly. So very casual in appearance, but she could feel his tension. See it around the edges of his dark eyes.
"What do you mean?"
"Jasper knows you will attempt to find Jake, so he will have set some sort of trap again." She nodded. That much she'd guessed. But she had to find Jake, and this was her best option. Probably the only option, if they wanted to find him alive.
"You have a plan to stop him?"
"Yes. But it would involve my mind joining yours,” he hesitated and shrugged lightly. “Completely." She stared at him. Merge minds? To know each other's thoughts and desires?
"We already know each others thoughts, Nikki."
"But I can't—"
"You can.” He studied her, face grim. “And all too often you have. It's something neither of us can really control, something that gets stronger every time we...” He hesitated, then shrugged again. “The point is, do you trust me enough to allow our minds to merge?"
"How deep a merging would it be?” The prospect made her stomach turn. Did she really want Michael to know all her wants, all her secrets and fears?