Twice as Hot by Gena Showalter Page A

“Now why don’t you
tell me why you’re so angry with me?” I tossed the crackling mound from hand to
hand in a mesmerizing rhythm. “If you have no memory of me, you would treat me
as a stranger. Polite, but distant. Instead, you treat me as an enemy. Why?”
    One
of his brows arched, a slash of black topping a barely tolerant expression. “Is
that an official question?”
    “Why
not? I’m the official in this meeting, and I asked it.”
    “You’re
not going to like the answer.” His gaze returned to the scorching dirt. “And I
definitely won’t like the consequences.”
    “Tell
me anyway.”
    A
muscle ticked in his jaw. “I read your file and it wasn’t pretty. My wife told
me—”
    “Uh,
we’ve already established that she’s your ex-wife.” And if he called her by
that title one more time, something bad was going to happen. I didn’t need Miss
Know-It-All to verify that, either. Already the flaming dirt ball in my hand
was snapping, smoke billowing through it as it prepared to welcome another
stream of fire. A fire that would not be so easily contained.
    Careful. Any more smoke, and
I would soon be coughing for hours, since pollutants were my Achilles’ heel.
Apparently, so were gorgeous cat men.
    “Wife,
ex-wife. It’s just semantics,” he said. “Lexis told me you were trouble, that
you burned down her entire building. Do you deny it?”
    One
point in his favor: he referred to the building as hers, not theirs. Some of
the flames flickered, then died. “No, I don’t deny it. I was trying to save
your life.” I’m sure Lexis had left that part out, though. Bitch. “Did she also
tell you that we made out on her couch?” So much for keeping our private life
private. “You had your tongue down my throat and your hands…oh, about right
here.” I cupped my breast with my free hand. The girls weren’t big, but they
were perky and I knew Rome loved them.
    His
pupils dilated and he licked his lips, but he said nothing.
    My
cheeks were red as I released myself. It had been worth a shot. “Your ex may
not like me, but your daughter does. Are you aware of that?”
    He
nodded stiffly. “I’ve talked to her, yes, and she asked about you.”
    “What’d
you tell her?”
    “That
you were busy and would call her later,” he said through gritted teeth.
    Finally!
Progress. “Clearly, you’re missing a big chunk of your life. Maybe, just maybe,
I was a good part of it.”
    “Like
I told you a little while ago, Weather Wench, I don’t deny that. That doesn’t
mean I want you to be a part of it now.”
    “That
doesn’t mean you should go running back to your ex, either. And just a word of
warning.” Glaring, I tossed the ball into the air, caught it. Several grains of
dirt scattered over the tabletop between us. “If you go near Lexis again,
you’ll soon find her wearing one of these. And my name is not Weather Wench.
Call me that again and you’ll be wearing one of these.”
    Rather
than upset him, my boast seemed to amuse him. His lips twitched.
    That
twitch looked good on him; maybe because it was so Rome. The old Rome. My
stomach quivered in delight. Could he be losing his animosity toward me? I
decided to push a little more. What could it hurt?
    With
a backward-forward swing of my wrist, I launched the ball over his shoulder. It
crashed into the far wall, instantly covering the entire surface in steaming
mud.
    At
the whoosh of air, Rome’s head had whipped around to survey the damage. When he
faced me again, shock and admiration bathed his features.
    More.
Push more. “After that,” I said, “I’ll seek comfort from your friend Cody. You remember
him, right? Dressed, he’s sexy as hell. Undressed, I’m sure he’s every woman’s
downfall.” Okay, now I was lying. Only one man could tempt me to fall, and that
was Rome. But what if Rome goes back to Lexis? Bile rose in my throat. Just
finish this. “I hear he’s an amazing lover, that he won’t let his partner
leave until