Orchid

'At this point, it would seem to make the most sense.' Rafe hesitated. 'But I'm not sure. There's something about this that doesn't feel right, yet'

'Okay, you've got two possibilities so far, an eccentric collector or a mad cult leader. Any others?'

Rafe raised his gaze from the flames. His eyes were as enigmatic as any alien relic. 'No. But I may come up with some after we pay a visit to the lab that lost the artifact.'

'When are we going to do that?'

'Tomorrow evening after the staff has left for the day.

I've made arrangements with the lab's director, Dr. Alexander Brizo. He'll meet us there.'

'We're going to visit the lab after hours?'

Rafe's mouth curved faintly. 'I do my best work at night.'

'Yes, I know, but I would have thought time was of the essence in this situation. If you wait until tomorrow night to start on the case, you'll have wasted a whole day.'

'I've already started work and tomorrow won't be wasted, either. There's a lot of basic investigation to do before we go to the lab.'

'Such as?'

'I contacted one of my sources on the street. A man named Whistler. He's got contacts into the underground art world. If there are any rumors about the artifact going into a private collection, he'll hear them.'

'Sounds like a good start.'

He arched one brow. 'Thank you.'

She blushed. It occurred to her that the remark had been the verbal equivalent of a pat on the head. 'You know what I mean.'

He ignored that. 'I also spent today talking to some people who knew the lab technician Brizo believes stole the relic.'

Orchid brightened. 'There's a suspect?'

'Yes. But he's dead.'

'Dead.' She stared at him, astonished. 'I don't understand. Who is this suspect?'

Rafe hesitated. 'Theo Willis.'

For a few seconds, Orchid could not even get her mouth closed, let alone speak. When she finally overcame her dumbfounded reaction, she slammed the glass of moontree brandy down with such force that several drops splashed on the table.

'That's impossible,' she declared.

'It's what Brizo believes.'

'Why didn't you say anything earlier?' Orchid leaped to her feet 'You let Morgan and me blather on about Theo all evening and you never once mentioned that he was a suspect'

'Be reasonable, Orchid. I didn't know the name of the person for whom you and Morgan wanted to hold your little wake until we got to the Volcano Club. By then, it was too late. I couldn't say anything in front of Morgan. This is a highly confidential case.'

'That's no excuse. You should have said something earlier.'

'I wanted to lay out the whole case before I did that I knew it would upset you to learn that a friend was involved.'

'I'm not upset, I'm pissed off.' She leveled a finger at him. 'What's more, I've got a big clue for you, Mr Investigator. You're headed down a dead-end bail if you think that Theo Willis was a thief. He was a trifle wacko, but he was not dishonest'

'All I'm saying at this point is that Brizo thinks he was involved in this thing.'

'I refuse to believe that Theo stole that artifact And I'm certainly not going to help you prove that he did.'

'Orchid, wait—'

'I quit Find yourself another prism. I'm going to call a cab. And then I'm going to call another private investigator.'

'What the hell for?'

'To help me prove that Theo didn't steal that relic.' She stalked to the massive, Later Expansion period table and snatched up the phone. 'I'm going to dear his name.'

'Damn it—' Rafe started toward her.

'Don't come near me.' She punched out the number of the cab company she routinely used. Then she turned quickly, holding up a hand to ward him off. 'Stay, back.'

His eyes darkened. 'Stop giving me orders as if I were a cat-dog.'

She felt the heat suffuse her face a second time. 'I never meant—'

'Yes, you did.' He snatched the phone out of her hand and slammed it back down into the cradle. 'Calm down and listen to me. You can't walk out now.'

'Watch me.'

'I'm the one who's been hired to solve this case. If you really want to prove that Theo Willis did not steal that artifact, working with me is the most efficient way to do it.'

His logic brought her up short. She drummed her fingers on the table, thinking quickly.

'I hate to admit it, but you've got a point,' she said finally.

His jaw tightened. His expression was stark. 'There's another reason why I want you to work with me on this case.'

'Yeah, I know. You want me because I'm the best prism you've ever had.'

'Because I want you. Period.' His hands closed around her shoulders. 'The only question I have at the moment is, do you want me?'

She stared at him, stunned, into silence by the dark flames of sexual desire that leaped in his eyes. An answering heat stirred deep within her.

'Oh, my,' she whispered. 'So you feel it, too.'

'If you're talking about what happens when we link, yes. I feel it. That's not a problem.'

'It's not?'

'I could deal with that, if there wasn't anything more to it.'

She could not look away from his intent face. 'What is the problem?'

'The problem,' he said very deliberately, 'is that I go on wanting you after we cut off the focus link.'

She was very close to him now. The heat of his body pulsed against her, drawing her nearer. 'I see. That is a problem, isn't it?'

'I need to know if you have the same problem.'

She drew an unsteady breath, violently aware of the sudden, exhilarating rush of her own pulse. 'I'm sure it's just a superficial sort of thing. Some kind of weird, lingering after effect of the link.'

'Think so?'

The flash of icy amusement in his eyes annoyed her.

'Well, it's not as if we have anything in common,' she said.

'Don't,' he said, 'remind me.'

He brought her up hard against his chest, wrapped one hand around the back of her head, and kissed her. A deep, hard, fiercely urgent kiss.

A driving thrill of need washed over her.

'Just call me superficial.' She wrapped her arms around Rafe's neck.

It felt so right. Excitement and need rose within her. It shouldn't feel this good, but it did.

Rafe's low, hoarse groan induced a delicious, fluttery sensation in the pit of her stomach. He tightened his hold on her. She felt his hand close over her breast. The heat of his palm seeped through the fabric of her T-shirt She sensed his pleasure when he discovered that she wore no bra. His satisfaction increased her own desire in some crazily synergistic fashion.

The contours of his heavily aroused body pressed against her. She could not get close enough to him.

Without warning, just when everything seemed to be going along quite nicely, she felt herself float up off the ground. She gasped and clung more tightly to Rafe. Surely the passion he was generating could not have triggered an illusion on the metaphysical plane. She was excited, but not that excited.