Page 14 of City of Love

He resumed their stroll down Market Street, pointing out things of interest, but her mind was filled with Gideon. He’d been a soldier. Like the ones in the vision she’d had a few minutes ago. Had that been Gideon’s memory? She’d never had a psychic interaction like that with another person before. This night was full of firsts.

“I can’t wait to tell Alana how you’ve already managed to turn our boy arse over teakettle,” he said. “She’s going to die.”

Fantastic.

Gideon entered the club, letting the door bang shut behind him. Not that anyone would notice the sound above the din of excited voices, glasses clinking against table tops, and snippets of what sounded like his favorite Beethoven symphony coming from one of the study rooms.

What the hell was wrong with him? Why was he so damned distracted by the brunette? No question how delicious she was with that long, shiny dark hair, deep blue eyes, and a figure that could make any man crazy. But he’d turned his whole evening upside down, looking like a royal jackass to the Princeton academic, all because he couldn’t tear himself away from her for reasons that felt, oddly, much more than sexual, as if he somehow was supposed to know her.

What. The. Fuck.

Normally he was a man in control of his world. Hell, control was his goddamn middle name. But tonight, from the portal to his concentration to his cock, he was losing it.

He checked the time as he wove through the room, ignoring everyone he passed, even as several called his name or stretched out an arm to shake his hand.

True, he’d wanted to make good on his offer of help with her psychic abilities, but he could’ve just sent Vik directly over to her. He’d had no reason to stand with her on the street, appreciating the way her face lit with joy as she took in the wonders of a new universe. Absolutely no reason to have contemplated, even for a second, spending his evening with her and his friends rather than attend to his multiple appointments and responsibilities at the club.

No reason to think any further about whether her touch was or was not responsible for the unexplained emotions and sensations that had plagued him tonight. Whether or not she was doing any of it on purpose, turning it on and off at will. She’d be out of his club, his life, and his universe in a few hours.

But reason be damned.

He wanted to think about her. Wanted to contemplate her hands on him again. And again.

The bartender cut off his path. “Gideon, Professor Van Dyke’s been waiting in the library for almost thirty minutes now. The papyrus is spread out and ready for viewing. He’s growing rather impatient.”

Gideon scrubbed his hands down his face, a pounding beginning behind his eyes. “Thanks, Duncan. Please tell him I’ll be there imminently. I just need to get my notes.”

The bartender nodded and headed off.

Gideon dashed toward his office at the back of the salon, where he’d grab his study notes and then head for the Egyptian relic. Hopefully Alana and Vik would be able to utilize the next few hours to give Lexi a bit of guidance, to steer her toward whatever path of study she could pursue in her own world, sparse though it unfortunately would be. Because he’d made the decision, and after tonight, he’d be closing the portal for good.

There was, in fact, absolutely no reason to give the mysterious Lexi Cross another thought.

CHAPTER 6

Benjamin Smythe stared out his second-floor office window across the street from Club Deux Mondes. He watched as Gideon Ashe stood on the sidewalk, appearing to flirt with, then perhaps get rebuffed by, a pretty brunette, who’d walked off with Gideon’s friend instead. From this distance, he couldn’t tell exactly what had gone on, but the club owner seemed more than a little nonplussed when he re-entered the bar without the woman.

Benjamin smiled at that. Delightful to know Mr. Ashe didn’t always get his way.

Still, that pleasant thought did nothing to ease the queasy feeling souring the back of his throat. He was a member of both the Philadelphia City Council and the local college’s Portal Committee, yet his current actions were decidedly not in the best interests of his city.

Wishing he could loosen his collar without giving away his unease, Benjamin turned back to face his guest. “Before I agree to anything, I want to know exactly what the Prometheus Group members want from us.”

“Everything.” Not even a flicker in his guest’s expression.

Benjamin took a breath, chewing his lip. Everything was an awfully big order. “Just to be clear…”

“The Group intends to avail themselves of any and all abilities your people have to offer. That includes telepathy, telekinesis, weather control, portal technology, whatever. The Group’s members each have unique needs for their own industries.” A pause and a snicker. “The U.S. government... well, you can imagine what uses they’ll come up with for this stuff.”

Benjamin nodded, though in truth he really didn’t know much about the other U.S. government or what they might be after. Though he supposed telepathy would be useful in spying on foreign governments. Weather control could affect an enemy nation’s crops. He hid a shiver of revulsion at those ideas. His world would never even consider such things.

Further, he knew next to nothing about the Prometheus Group itself, or even how such a huge corporation worked in the other world. All he’d been told was that a number of companies and shadow governments had joined forces and funds in order to obtain all the secrets and resources of Benjamin’s world—resources that did not exist in their own universe—to put to use in various ways. Presumably ways that would increase their power or bottom lines. Nefarious ways, given the extreme secrecy they were currently employing.

The Prometheus Group’s liaison paced Benjamin’s office while speaking, body language owning the room, as if Benjamin were the guest and not the other way around. “And of course, they’re willing to pay a pretty penny for these new technologies.”

“Therefore, I can expect an even prettier penny for aiding you in bringing these… technologies… to your doorstep?” Benjamin puffed out his chest as he spoke, hoping to present himself as someone not to be messed with. Stupid, really, considering how small he felt around this person. A person no doubt far less physically capable than he was with his own natural gifts—Benjamin could move fast as lightning.

“A very pretty penny.” The fair hair and baby blue eyes of his visitor were a stark contrast to the cold, unsmiling face.

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