There was a moment of silence and then she asked, "So we really are lifemates, then?"

Thomas stiffened, his eyes straining to see through the beveled gla.s.s. "You know about that?"

He saw her shoulders rise and fall in a shrug. "The guy who delivered the blood explained it to me. I kind of blackmailed him into it," she admitted.

Thomas shifted from one foot to the other, his hand raising toward the handle of the shower door and then dropping away. Finally, he asked, "Are you upset?"

"About what?" Inez asked with confusion, and he supposed there were several things to be upset about here. Being controlled and having her mind wiped, being his lifemate, waking up to find him in bed with her uninvited.

"About being my lifemate," Thomas explained and then held his breath as he waited for her answer.

Inez stared through the beveled gla.s.s at Thomas's outline. She could see that he was still bare-chested, wearing only his jeans as he had when she'd left him. She couldn't see his expression, but could hear the worry in his voice and that surprised her. She must be misunderstanding the tone of his voice, Inez decided. Perhaps the noise of rushing water and the shape of the bathroom were distorting sound. She bit her lip and then said tentatively. "You sound worried."

"I am," Thomas acknowledged.

Her eyes widened at the prompt, unselfconscious admission. "Why? You're handsome, intelligent, and sweet. Women must flock to you in droves. What do you care if-"

"Inez," he interrupted solemnly. "None of those other women matter. I can control them and read their thoughts. They're like pretty little blow-up s.e.x dolls to me and every other immortal that can read and control them. They're puppets we can make do what we want.

"There was a time when that was enough," Thomas admitted. "I was young enough once to be pleased to have a pretty woman on my arm and in my bed even if she was nothing more than a puppet. But that pa.s.sed pretty quickly. It was hard to be pleased to have a pretty woman on my arm when I could read her thoughts and knew she was thinking that I was cute enough, but the best thing was that I had money and could buy her whatever she wanted, or that while I was cute, she preferred blondes, or that she hoped to G.o.d I didn't expect her to ruin her figure by "dropping babies," or she hoped I was into S&M because she'd really like me to spank her, or... G.o.d, you wouldn't believe some of the things women think. Or men for that matter. They may just be pa.s.sing thoughts, but it detracts quickly from their attractiveness when you can hear every one, and some of them can be hurtful even when they aren't meant to be.

"I've waited two hundred years for you, Inez. For a woman who's beautiful and intelligent and her own person, someone I can't read or control and who can't read and control me. A woman who can stir my pa.s.sions like you do and whose pa.s.sion I can enjoy without hearing her litany of worries about whether I think her b.u.t.t is too big, or her b.r.e.a.s.t.s too small."

Inez bit back the sudden laugh that tried to burst past her lips as she recalled her own worries while Thomas had been caressing her. Despite her worries about being controlled and having her memory wiped and whether Thomas had done it, the first thing she'd done on getting into the shower was shave her legs and under her arms. Inez was terribly glad he hadn't been able to read her thoughts while she'd been worried about stubble on her legs, but was also glad to know she wasn't the only one who had worries like that in her head at such intimate moments.

"Yes, I'm worried. Actually, that's putting it mildly. Truthfully, I'm scared s.h.i.tless. I'm afraid you won't find me as attractive as I find you, that my personality and lifestyle are too easygoing for a woman who is usually so competent and confident in business, that- ".

"I'm not always confident and competent," Inez admitted, worried that he might lose some of his attraction to her when he realized she wasn't the perfect woman he was describing. Still, he would find this out soon enough and if they were to be lifemates. "I am at work, but socially I'm less so. I'm-I know I'm smart and good at what I do at work, but personally and socially..."

"I suspected as much when I saw how you reacted to those three men joining you at the table," Thomas admitted. "But most people aren't as confident as they may appear. Besides, that will change after the turn. The nanos keep you at your peak condition. You'll know you're the perfect you and have more confidence because of it."

Inez didn't hear anything beyond "that will change after the turn." Those words reverberated in her head and when he fell silent, she asked, "After the turn?"

"If you agree to be my lifemate, Inez, you're agreeing to become an immortal, to live out your life with me," he said quietly. "Some immortals don't insist on their lifemate turning if she or he doesn't wish to. They spend what little time one lifetime allows because it's all they can have. But I won't do that, Inez. I don't want you for forty or fifty years. It will just hurt that much more when I lose you. I would insist on your becoming immortal too."

Inez just stood there, his words echoing in her head. She hadn't considered that he'd expect her to turn. Miss Details had missed that one. Actually, she hadn't even really thought about the fact that it was possible. She'd been too enraptured by the idea that here was a ready-made mate without the necessity for a long, drawn-out courtship that she could possibly bungle as she'd bungled so many relationships in the past.

The biggest complaint Inez had heard from past boyfriends had been that she was always working and hardly spent any time with them, yet she hadn't thought of work once since meeting Thomas, she realized. Perhaps she'd just needed the right man to distract her and she'd have to say Thomas was a great distraction. However, she'd have to become like him to have him; an immortal.

Inez considered the idea, trying to imagine living for hundreds of years... with Thomas. Oddly enough, the idea of living centuries was rather daunting until she added the "With Thomas" part. It was still daunting, but...

Who was she kidding? Inez thought grimly. It was more than daunting. Living centuries might sound like a great idea on first hearing it, but Inez instinctively looked for the problems inherent in any plan. It was why she was so good at what she did. She spotted possible future problems and did what she could to prevent them from being problems before they even cropped up.

Inez was seeing a lot of possible problems with being immortal. His people had to remain hidden, unnoticed by the mortals around them. She imagined that put a lot of restrictions on them as a whole.

There was also the fact that she would have to watch her own family age and die while she didn't. Inez knew instinctively that this would be difficult for her. While she didn't live close to her family at the moment because of her job, she loved them dearly and called and even visited often. Inez knew she would experience guilt and helplessness as they aged, and with her take-charge and fix-it att.i.tude would want to fix things so they didn't. Somehow she didn't think she'd be allowed to turn her whole family, but could she not?

And then there was that whole blood deal. Inez had never really thought of herself as squeamish, but the idea of consuming several bags of blood every day for the rest of her very long life was just gross.

"Inez?" Thomas spoke so quietly she almost didn't hear him.

Her gaze focused on the blurred image beyond the gla.s.s and Inez almost sighed. Here was temptation; this beautiful man with his perfect face and perfect body and lovely silver blue eyes. Not to mention his tantalizing kisses and caresses. She wanted him, but knew it was like wanting the chocolate sundae without the calories. Unfortunately, the bad came with the good. But maybe she could have just a bite of the sundae while she considered whether she could stomach the calories that came with the rest of it.

"I don't expect you to make up your mind right now," Thomas said. "But-" His voice died as Inez pushed the shower door open so that they faced each other with nothing between them. Forcing herself not to drop into a huddle to try to hide her too generous figure, she said, "I think I need to get to know you better to make such an important, life-long decision."

Thomas's eyes flared silver as his gaze slid over her, and then he started forward, coming to an abrupt halt when Inez put out her hand to stop him. He frowned with confusion until she said, "Your jeans."

Glancing down as if he'd forgotten he was wearing them, Thomas reached for his belt buckle, but then stopped. He stood like that for a moment, his head bowed, hands still on his belt, long enough that Inez began to worry that he'd changed his mind and didn't want her. Finally, he raised his head and reached out to tug her to the lip of the shower so he could kiss her hungrily.

Sighing with relief, Inez melted against him, her arms twining around his head as she kissed him back. He ended the kiss slowly, raising one hand to run it over her wet hair and cup her head as she blinked her eyes open.

"I want you," he growled.

Inez nodded. She wanted him too. That was the one thing she was sure of.

"But Herb gave me new coordinates and we don't have a lot of time."

Inez drooped with disappointment as she realized he was rejecting her, but he continued.

"And I don't want our first time to be rushed, or interrupted, or while I'm distracted. I want it to be special and slow. I want to give you the attention and time you deserve."

Inez swallowed, feeling tears suddenly glaze her eyes at his words. He was such a sweet considerate man... and right at that minute she almost wished he wasn't. She didn't want consideration. Inez wanted hot sweaty s.e.x in the shower. She wanted to know beyond a shadow of a doubt that this man wanted her as much as she wanted him.

"I want to do this so that I can give you so much pleasure that you can't resist agreeing to be my lifemate," Thomas added, and his words along with the grin suddenly splitting his lips made her own lips tip reluctantly into a smile.

So, okay, maybe he wasn't rejecting her. The man was plotting her seduction as carefully as she would plan the take over of a company. No one had said Thomas was stupid. Right at that moment Inez thought she might agree to being an immortal just to get his pants off. Probably not a smart way to make the decision, she acknowledged. Act in haste; repent at leisure as they said, so she wouldn't try to tempt him to change his mind. She'd accept his decision and spend some time getting to know him better and considering the pros and cons of becoming his lifemate... and an immortal.

Her thoughts died an abrupt death and she jerked in surprise as he suddenly slapped her wet behind.

"So finish your shower and get dressed. We have to get moving."

"I'm done in the shower," she said, straightening away from him as his arms slipped away. "You can take it over if you like. The water's already warm."

"I think I will," Thomas said and then glanced around and frowned. "You have no towels in here."

"Oh." She tsked with exasperation at her lack of forethought. "I took them out to the living room last night. I'll go get them and bring one for you too-" Her words died and her eyes widened in surprise as Thomas suddenly urged her back under the shower.

"Stay there and keep warm. I'll fetch the towels," he said and closed the door.

Inez stared through the beveled gla.s.s as he zoomed out of the room and then shook her head and closed her eyes as the water rushed over her. He really was a very considerate man. That was very important. Of course, men were often more considerate when wooing a woman than they were once they'd landed her, but even if Thomas's consideration dropped in half later, he'd still be far more considerate than any of the mortal men she'd known in her life. Inez supposed she had Marguerite to thank for that.

Her thoughts turned to the missing woman and her hunt for her last night. Thomas had said that he hadn't controlled her or wiped her memory, but someone had. She was beginning to think there was a lot more going on here than any of them suspected.

Until now, Inez had half suspected Marguerite Argeneau had just got busy, perhaps following a hot lead on this case she was on, and forgot to call her family. After all, three days without contact wasn't really that long. These were her children, not a husband or life partner. Inez only called her own mother once a week, usually on Sundays because the rates were cheaper and she had to call all the way to Portugal. They were usually long phone calls and she made them religiously, but...

Of course, the Argeneaus probably didn't worry much about cost. Still, the woman was in Europe and they were back in Canada so surely three or four days without a call shouldn't send her family into a panic. Even if she lived in Portugal, Inez wouldn't worry if her own mother didn't call her for three days.

That had been what she'd been thinking before this, but now Inez was beginning to fear she'd been wrong in that a.s.sumption. She was beginning to suspect the woman might be in trouble. Someone had taken control of her and kept her from calling Marguerite's phone and finding her. She doubted very much if it had been Marguerite herself. That meant someone else had and she couldn't think of any good reason for an immortal to want to keep her from finding Marguerite and setting her family's minds at ease.

The shower door suddenly opened, breaking her train of thought and Inez smiled with grat.i.tude when she saw Thomas holding up a bath towel for her. He held it open for her to step into, which she did.

"Thank you," Inez whispered as he closed the towel around her.

"Anytime, beautiful," Thomas said lightly, pressing a kiss to her forehead before stepping away. "Now stop standing here all wet and tempting and go get dressed so I can shower."

"Yes, sir," Inez said with a grin as she moved pa.s.sed him to leave the room. At the door she paused and glanced back to ask, "You didn't want help getting those nasty jeans off, did you?"

Inez grinned as the silver flared in his eyes at the very idea, but Thomas shook his head and one finger at her at the naughty thought. "I'm going to start calling you apple."

Inez wrinkled her nose. "Why? Because I'm short and round?"

"No. Because you're the apple sent to tempt me," he announced and then added solemnly, "And you are tempting, Inez. If you knew all the things I want to do to you right now..." He shook his head and then apparently decided to tell her. "Right now I'd like nothing more than to peel away that towel, lick and nibble away every drop of liquid I see on your skin, and then-"

"Okay, I'm going to get dressed now," Inez said a little faintly, her gaze dropping instinctively to his jeans and widening as she saw the bulge there. She wasn't the only one affected by the images he'd presented.

"Go," Thomas growled, the word almost a warning.

Nodding, Inez turned quickly away and hurried out into the bedroom. Her skin was covered with goose b.u.mps and little shivers were licking down her back, and she suspected once they did get together, whether it was fast and desperate or slow torture as he did all he wanted to do to her, by the time it was over she'd be hard-pressed not to agree to anything he wanted.

Shaking her head, Inez moved to the closet and quickly selected a pair of dress slacks and a pure white blouse. There wasn't a pair of jeans or T-shirt in the closet, but that didn't matter, Inez didn't wear jeans, they made her b.u.t.t look big. She didn't wear T- shirts either, feeling they emphasized her overgenerous bust.

Dropping the towel, Inez quickly dressed, listening to the sound of the shower as she did.Thomas turned off the shower and opened the door to step out, stopping when he saw Inez at the bathroom counter. She'd brushed her hair and was pulling the damp strands back into a ponytail. He saw her eyes slide over him and then widen as they dropped below. Blushing furiously, she turned quickly back to the mirror.

Thomas smiled faintly as he reached for the second towel he'd brought in earlier and wrapped it around himself, but didn't say anything to increase her embarra.s.sment. Her reaction was because he was still sporting a very healthy erection. He wanted to blame it on the S.E.C. he'd consumed last night, but knew that was out of his system now. She, however, wasn't and-judging by what he'd seen with other true lifemates-wouldn't be out of his system ever. Oh, there might come a time, centuries down the road, when he could look at her without wanting to pin her against the nearest surface and give her "a good seeing to" as the British liked to say. But he would still want her, just in a more gentle, mellow fashion without all the desperation presently claiming him.

Right now he couldn't even think of the woman without "little Thomas" perking up with interest. It was really rather disconcerting.

"I'm going to go get dressed," he said brushing his fingers lightly down her back as he pa.s.sed and smiling when she shivered in response. That was one good thing about all this; at least he wasn't alone in his need. Inez wanted him just as badly, he knew.

Thomas could smell her hunger for him in the pheromones pouring off her body every time he got near.

Thomas hurried from her room and into his own, pa.s.sing through, the door just as the phone began to ring. Turning to the bedside table, he s.n.a.t.c.hed up the phone, saying a cheerful, "Yo?"

"Thomas?"

He stiffened at the urgency in Bastien's voice. "Yes."

"You have to get moving. You have to find Mother."

Thomas felt his hand clench around the phone. "What's happened?"

"We've been calling Mother on her cell phone," Bastien said grimly. "None of us have been getting answers, but Etienne got the idea of trying during the daytime when she would be sleeping and couldn't miss the call."

"He apparently checked the Internet last night and found out what time sunrise was in Amsterdam and then called fifteen minutes after that."

Thomas waited, trepidation creeping up his back. He knew bad news was coming.

"The phone was answered this time," Bastien said grimly. "But not by Mother. A man with a British accent answered. He cussed out Etienne for the constant calls we've all been making, told him to "b.u.g.g.e.r off" and stop calling or he'd-I quote-"Kill the b.i.t.c.h"

and then he hung up."

Thomas sucked in a breath of combined rage and worry and then s.n.a.t.c.hed up the knapsack he'd left lying on his bed and began dragging out fresh clothes one-handed. "I'm dressing right now. I'll be on the street in three minutes. I'll find her Bastien," he vowed grimly.

Thomas didn't wait for Bastien to say goodbye or hang up, but slapped the phone back in its cradle and s.n.a.t.c.hed it back right away as he punched in Herb's number.

"I'm heading out now," he announced abruptly, not bothering with a greeting. "Can you check the coordinates again and get back to me if they're different?"

The moment Herb agreed, Thomas said thanks and hung up.

"Inez!" he shouted as he whipped off his towel and dragged on a clean pair of jeans."Yes?"

He glanced up as she came rushing into the room, concern on her face.

"Are you ready?" Thomas asked, doing up his pants. "We have to move."

"I'm ready," Inez a.s.sured him, patting the purse hanging from her shoulder. "What's happened?"

"Etienne got through on Aunt Marguerite's phone," he said as he grabbed the T-shirt he'd pulled out and tugged it on over his head. "Some guy answered and said if we didn't stop calling he'd kill her. We have to find her before he does something to her."

Inez nodded solemnly and he could feel her watching him as he pulled on a pair of socks and slipped his feet into a pair of casual Merrells.

"Do you think this man who answered Marguerite's phone is the one who took control of me and wiped my memory?"

Thomas glanced sharply her way. Her voice had sounded vulnerable and she looked upset. He didn't blame her. It would be very upsetting to know that someone had taken control of your mind and then wiped the memory of whatever had happened from your thoughts. Anything could have been done to her and she wouldn't now know about it. Stepping in front of her, Thomas pulled her to his chest and rubbed her back soothingly.

"I don't know," he admitted softly and then said flatly, "But if he is, he'll be sorry."

Chapter Ten.

"This is the spot."

Inez looked slowly over the five or six restaurants in a row. Each had a grouping of tables and chairs outside. They were presently filled with people enjoying a late breakfast in the sunlight, or under the shade offered by the large umbrellas over each table.

Mouth thinning, she peered over the sea of faces, and then glanced up toward the sky where the sun shone brightly down, and finally to Thomas beside her. Worry drew her eyebrows together. He'd binged on six bags of blood before they'd left the hotel.

He'd also pulled on a hat, sungla.s.ses, and a long-sleeved shirt that was now b.u.t.toned all the way to the top to protect him as much as possible from the sun's damaging rays, but she knew it wasn't enough. He really shouldn't be out here at all, but had refused to listen when she'd suggested going by herself.

Thomas's refusal to even consider the suggestion had left her both upset and relieved. Inez was upset because she knew he really shouldn't be out here, but relieved because after being controlled the night before, she feared it happening again and really didn't want to go anywhere alone.

"I don't see her," Thomas said with frustration, and Inez turned her gaze back to the crowd, running her eyes more slowly over them, searching each table for Marguerite Argeneau.