Page 91 of Perfection

Chapter Twenty-one

He was beginning to wonder if she’d overslept and he should wake her when she walked in. “I made an omelet. Would you care for some?”

“No, thank you,” she said in a hoarse, remote voice. “I’ll pick up a vita-shake on the way into the precinct.”

York did a double take. “Are you okay?”

She looked away. “Yes, I seemed to have strained my vocal cords.”

He half smiled and lifted a brow. “You did do a lot of moaning last night.”

Her eyes drilled into him. “About that. It didn’t happen, understand? Best to wipe it from our memories.”

She had to be kidding. He could never forget the way she looked in the throes of passion. He desired her even more now, wanted to take her again right here, even though he knew she was right. Dammit. His heart tore with indecision.

“I can’t do that,” he said, setting the pan aside. “I don’t want to forget. I’m not a machine that can erase and reorganize information just like that.” He snapped his fingers.

Crossing her arms over her breasts, she didn’t budge. She looked like she had the first day they’d met—formidable, icy. He closed the distance between them, one slow step at a time. She didn’t back away.

Toe to toe with her, he reached up and smoothed a wisp of hair behind her ear, allowing his thumb to caress her cheek. “I know we’re not conforming to society’s rules and GEI laws, but I don’t care. I want to explore this relationship and see where it leads.”

“We can’t.”

“We can. And no one has to know. It doesn’t concern them.” He threaded his fingers through her hair.

Her arms relaxed, dropping to her sides. He tugged her against him, melding her mouth with his. She tensed, a moment of resistance and hesitation, then leaned into him, meeting the thrust of his tongue.

When the kiss ended, she rested her forehead against his. “Do you think we can truly keep a relationship hidden?”

York nodded. “We have to.” He turned and slid the omelet onto a plate.

“Grab me a fork,” she said.

They sat across from each other and shared the breakfast. The subject of last night was clearly closed, but he felt her resolve weaken, and that was enough for the time being.

“We need to figure out our next move with the virus,” he said, setting the dishes aside and pouring them each another cup of coffee.

“I have an idea,” she said. “It’s not exactly legal, but it shouldn’t be deadly, either. If we can’t get Seville to play nice, then we need to ‘borrow’ the genetic program and information.”

Obviously, their definitions ofdeadlydiffered. He saw plenty of things that could go wrong with her plan. At the top of the list, Seville could claim foul play and have her arrested for trespassing. He ran his thumb along his stubbly jawline in thought. “I wonder if we could get a court injunction requiring them to share their information on the virus.”

“That depends. Are any of the children’s parents judges?”

“We should check.”

“We also need a HERO computer for this level of genetic analysis. We need the original samples from Isabelle and the data to match with one of the supercomputers.”

“I get it. I’m just not sure how to force them to comply.” He looked into her lovely eyes. “What’s your suggestion?”

She sighed. “I don’t really have one.”

“The police have jurisdiction during a crisis. If it’s a matter of public safety, they could demand to be admitted to any private home or business,” he reminded her. “At this point, I think we should exercise that right. We ask first, of course, but if they don’t give us what we need, then we take it.”

She gave a reluctant nod. He was surprised at how he’d misjudged her at their initial meeting. He would never have imagined she’d cooperate with him. Then again, he supposed sex and his growing feelings towards her could be clouding his judgment.

“Are you knowledgeable enough to gain access?” he asked.

“Yes, I think so. Especially on the unit I’ve worked on every day for years.”