My cheeks colored as I remembered the last time Rome had tried to teach me how to bargain.
Nakedness and orgasms had been involved. "I'll tell him."
"Love you."
"Love you, too, sunshine." Arm shaky, I handed the phone back to Rome, who was watching me with the sweetest, most tender expression.
He said his goodbyes, his voice a mirror of that beautiful expression. I loved watching him interact with his daughter because he was the kind of father every girl dreamed of having. When he finished, he threw the phone back to Lexis and looked at me, all business again.
"I'm going to shower. Be ready to go by the time I'm done."
Chapter Sixteen
"You look nice ," I said, gaze roving over Rome. Not a lie. I'd never seen him so dressed up. He wore a black pinstriped suit, not a wrinkle in sight. His hair was slicked back, and he smelled of rich, spicy cologne.
Plus, he'd somehow managed to change his features. I didn't see any hint of makeup or plastic, yet his nose looked longer, his cheeks sharper, his mouth a bit thinner. Mouthwatering as he appeared, I hadn't recognized him when he'd stepped out of the bathroom.
"Thank you. So do you."
I, at least, wasn't lying or simply being nice. He truly looked delectable. Me? Not so much. Not next to him. While he was caviar, I was SPAM in my barely there purple spandex. Seriously, I needed business cards that said Two Hours - Two Hundred. "So why are we in disguise?"
"Desert Gall has hired people to hunt you down. I don't want to have to deal with that on top of everything else. Plus, this is her home turf, which means she already has the advantage. We don't want to hand her another one by announcing our presence."
I sighed in agreement. We were seated inside a plush Bentley - I hadn't asked where he'd gotten it, I was just glad it wasn't a sedan - and were creaking down the highway. He was treating the car like a beloved virgin, taking things slow and gentle.
My cell rested beside me. There were three messages waiting for my response: one from the pastor presiding over the ceremony-that-may-never-happen, one from Memory Man - "I had fun with you yesterday. You're prettier in person than you are in memory" - and one from Reese the vampire. "Call me. Please," he'd said, sounding oddly desperate. "I need to do another test. Just one. That's all I need." This was not the time. For any of them. Talking to the pastor would depress me, talking to Memory Man would piss me off (I hoped - every time I spoke to him, more of my anger drained, not that I had much left), and talking to Reese would irritate me. I was tired of being tested. And what did he need to test me for, anyway?
I wiggled in my seat, trying to force my dress to cover some of my thighs. "Sure you want to be seen with me?"
One corner of his lips twitched. "Sure. Nervous?"
"No."
After his shower, we'd left Lexis and Sherridan in the room, but we hadn't gone directly to the costume party or whatever. We'd had lunch and yes, I'd been stared at. By everyone. I'd wanted to talk about things, about us, but Rome had kept things all business. Afterward, we walked the busy city streets hand in hand. Not to bond, sadly, but so that Rome could show me around. Exit routes, safe zones, hot spots.
That kind of thing.
Now, the sun was setting on the horizon, low and hazy and violet. Mountains swept the landscape on every side, and they were utterly breathtaking. I'd traveled with my friends a bit as a teenager - excursions I hadn't been aware my dad was killing himself to finance - so I'd been to white-sanded beaches, as well as Aspen to snow ski. This was, by far, my favorite sight.
The air was clean, invigorating me. I breathed deeply of it, loving the feel of my cells expanding in delighted welcome. "So...tell me what we're dealing with tonight, what our purpose is."
"While we were on the plane, I did a little digging."
While I was snoozing the day away, he meant. I popped my jaw. "And?"
"Didn't take me long to find the paranormal underground. They have a...club." That hesitation scared me. "What kind of club?"
"A gentleman's club."
Dear God. Strippers, prostitutes and leering males. Wonderful. No wonder he'd dressed me as he had.