Springs.'
His big hand pressed a little more firmly against the place where her spine curved into her rear.
'In hindsight,' he said, 'I think it's fair to say that there were some serious communication problems between us back in Aurora Springs.'
'I'll go along with that.'
'But I assume that at least one of those miscommunications was clarified last night,' he said quietly. 'You now know that I like the idea of having sex with you. I like it a lot.'
She knew she was blushing and was grateful for the alien light. 'You're absolutely sure that what happened last night wasn't just the result of the afterburn?'
'I've been burned before,' he said moving his mouth closer to hers. 'Trust me, last night was different.'
And then he kissed her, right there in the middle of the shadowy dance floor. Not just a brief, fleeting little brush of the lips, either. This was a deep, heavy, straight to the pit of the stomach kind of kiss. Slower and more deliberate than the kind of kisses he had given her last night, but just as intense.
She couldn't believe it. Cooper had never kissed her in public, let alone in the middle of a dance floor. Granted, it was highly unlikely that any of the other couples noticed, let alone cared. But, still, it wasn't the kind of thing that Guild bosses did. They were usually too concerned about their images.
Public displays of affection presented a twofold problem for a man in Cooper's position. On the one hand, a Guild exec did not want to appear to be a lecherous womanizer. Historically, the heads of the Guilds had a longstanding PR issue in that area. In addition, a Guild boss also had to make sure that he didn't give the members of the organization-always an overly macho lot-the idea that their boss was the kind of weak-kneed guy who allowed himself to be dangled on a string by a woman.
But Cooper was kissing her as if he didn't give a damn about his image. Of course, no one here knew who he was, but still. This kiss felt like he meant it.
She was crushed tightly against him, and she was very aware of his erection. He was fully aroused, she thought, dazzled by the knowledge that she'd had this effect on him.
Somehow Cooper managed to slide one of his legs between hers, easing his thigh intimately against her in a way that caused her short skirt to ride up even higher. He moved one hand down to her hip and squeezed gently.
She was torn between shock and an incredible thrill. Heat pooled inside her. The crotch of her panties was suddenly, devastatingly damp.
The couples around them spun away into another dimension, leaving her alone with Cooper, the dark, green-hued night, and the sultry music.
She moved one arm higher along Cooper's shoulder so that she could touch the nape of his neck. She was almost certain that he shuddered when she stroked her fingertips through his hair.
He really was responding to her, she thought, without the influence of a post-ghost buzz and with an extremely satisfying degree of passion. He was acting as though it was all he could do not to pull her down onto the glowing floor of the nightclub and make love to her right then and there. And she wasn't at all sure that she would have put up much of a protest if he had tried to do just that.
When he finally raised his head, she was breathless. She tried to think of a good reason for both of them to leave immediately and climb into the front seat of the Spectrum.
'Have we got the question of whether or not I am physically attracted to you when I am not in afterburn settled?' he asked.
'I… I think so, yes,' she managed.
'Good,' he said. He stopped dancing, took her arm, and steered her purposefully back toward their booth. 'In that case, you'll have to excuse me.'
'I beg your pardon?'
'I need to go to the men's room.'
'Oh.'
Good grief, had she actually made Cooper Boone come in his pants right there on the dance floor? A wondrous sense of her own female power swept over her.
She gave him her most inviting, most intimate smile and tried not to let her gaze drop below his belt.
'Sorry about that,' she said lightly. 'But you were the one who started that fire.'
'What fire?' he asked absently, his gaze going toward the far wall where a hallway led to the men's room.
'You know.' She leaned in close to him and lowered her voice. 'I realize that a situation like this must be a little embarrassing for a man like you. Well, for any man, I suppose. But for you, especially. I mean, you're always so in control and all.'
'Embarrassing?'
She laughed airily. 'I hope you didn't ruin your nice trousers. They look expensive. But that will teach you to get all hot and bothered on the dance floor.'
He brought her to a halt at the booth. 'What,' he asked, polite but blank, 'are you talking about?'
It dawned on her that she might have leaped to a very awkward conclusion.
'Never mind,' she mumbled, mortified.
'Damn it, Elly, I thought we were supposed to be practicing our communication skills here.'
She cleared her throat. 'It's just that when you said you had to rush off to the men's room, I assumed that perhaps you'd had a little accident out there on the dance floor. Because of that steamy kiss and… you know.' She waved a hand to finish the sentence.
He gave her a slow, wicked smile. 'Honey, if anyone could make me lose control in the middle of a dance floor, it's you. But as it happens, I didn't. Not this time at any rate. The reason I'm headed for the men's room is that I want to get a quick look at the back of the house.'
'Back of the house?'
'I want to see how this place is laid out behind the scenes. Offices, kitchens, that kind of thing. I also want to locate the executive suite, if possible. Don't worry, I'll be right back.'
So much for her stunning sexual powers.
'I could help you,' she said quickly. 'I'll check out the back of the house in the vicinity of the ladies' room. It's on the opposite side of the club.'
'Like hell you will. You will stay right here and wait for me.'
'We're supposed to be partners in this thing, if you will recall.'
'No one said anything about a partnership.'
'Hey, you wouldn't even be here tonight if I hadn't helped you.'
'Elly, be reasonable,' he said in a very low voice. 'This is a casino. That means there's a lot of security everywhere, even if it isn't obvious. You don't know the first thing about evading cameras and guards.'
'And you do, I suppose?' she demanded, aware that she was starting to sound belligerent.
'Before I got this Guild boss gig, I spent years working undercover, remember?'
'Oh, yeah, right. I keep forgetting that you used to be an enforcer.'
'Investigator.'
'Whatever. Okay, okay, go do your thing.' She was about to slide into the booth, but the thought of her damp underwear made her pause. 'I still need to go to the ladies' room, though, even if you won't let me do any spying.'
'Run along.' He gave her a pat on her derriere that was both affectionate and possessive. 'Probably not a good idea to sit down until your panties dry out, anyway.'
He was gone, melting into the shadows and the crowd before she could take aim at his shin with the toe of her high-heeled shoe.
*****
A SHORT TIME LATER SHE EMERGED FROM AN ORNATELY carved and gilded green stall inside the small palace labeled Ladies. She washed her hands at one of the black-and-gold sinks and checked her appearance in the massive, elaborately framed mirror.
Her cheeks were still a little flushed, and she had to make some adjustments to her hair, but otherwise she
