"What's that?"
"We're lucky in love, as well."
She went cold. "How nice for you."
"Actually, it's not an issue of luck for us Sweetwaters. More like an instinct."
She widened her eyes. "Wow. An instinct for sex. Imagine Mother Nature coming up with something that clever. Who knew?"
"I didn't say the instinct was for sex. Sex is different."
"Oh, really? The members of your family aren't interested in sex?"
Laughter lit his eyes. "You're enjoying this, aren't you?"
"Well, I suppose it does explain why we never made it into the bedroom."
Heat replaced the amusement in his eyes. "That worried you?"
She shrugged. "I'll admit it made me a little curious at the time. But afterward I realized that what was going on between us was just a job as far as you were concerned."
"Think so?"
"You got what you wanted with a few kisses and some sweet talk. There was no need to take advantage of the situation. In your own way, you're an ethical man, Cruz Sweetwater. You live by a code. I can respect that." She gave him a cool smile. "Just doesn't happen to be my code."
"It started out as a job, but that's not how it went down. In the end, I figured you would forgive a few kisses. I wasn't so sure that you would be able to forgive me if I took you to bed and then took control of the ruin."
She swirled the wine in her glass. "It mattered to you whether or not I forgave you?"
"Sure."
"Why?"
"I told you, the men in my family have an instinct for knowing the right woman when she comes along," he said. "You're the one for me."
She raised her brows. "Do you get lucky with that line a lot?"
He did not return her smile. "Thought I explained; it's not really luck. It's an aspect of our talent."
"You've got a talent for seduction, too? That must come in handy."
"You know I'm not talking about seduction. I'm talking about the ability to sense a bond like the one that exists between you and me."
"You're telling me you're psychic in that way? Gee, that's a new one."
He exhaled slowly. "Maybe we should talk about something else."
"Why? This is an interesting topic. We're just getting into it."
"True, but I can see that the subject has certain pitfalls."
He was getting impatient, she realized. Maybe even a little irritated. She could tell it bothered him to know that he was not in complete control of the situation tonight. The poor man was probably not accustomed to having someone bait him the way she was doing.
A lot of people would no doubt say that poking a Sweetwater with a sharp stick was unwise. But it gave her some satisfaction to know that she was rezzing a few of Cruz's hot buttons tonight. Besides, Dores had never been known for their common sense, just as they had never been known for their good luck. She had a family tradition to uphold.
"As far as everyone knows, the men of Amber Inc. are all amber talents of one kind or another," she said. "Are you telling me this psychic power that runs in your family is connected to your affinity for amber? Because let's get real here. I'm an amber talent, too, remember? So was my grandfather. And I'm here to tell you we didn't get the good luck thing."
"It has nothing to do with the ability to rez amber. The family records show that our ancestors on earth possessed similar abilities."
"And just what kind of talent do you have, Mr. Sweetwater?"
"I think we should change the subject again."
She shrugged. "Go for it. What would you like to talk about? The weather?"
"You're going to make this as difficult as possible, aren't you?"
She gave him her most dazzling smile. "I'm certainly going to try."
Chapter 12
IT HAD RAINED WHILE THEY WERE IN THE RESTAURANT. By the time Lyra walked out into the night with Cruz, the Quarter was more luminous than usual. The sheen of moisture on the streets reflected the psi green glow of the Dead City. A light fog infused with the deep peridot light of the great wall was coalescing quickly. All around them the senses-stirring, intoxicating currents of energy pulsed and resonated. Lyra knew that a lot of the hot psi was being generated between herself and Cruz.
Careful, she thought. This is how it was when we were seeing each other, and it did not end well.
Cruz got her into the front seat of the Slider. There was something both protective and proprietary about the way he did it, as if she were an extremely valuable possession. She was a long way from trusting him, but she had to admit that, deep down, she was responding to the careful, attentive way he was treating her.
He opened the driver's side door of the vehicle and got in beside her. Just sitting this close to him within the dark, intimate confines of the car's front seat was an exhilarating experience.
He rezzed the engine. The car glided away from the curb. He drove into the maze of twisted streets near the wall, as usual, never hesitating at any of the intersections.
"How do you do that?" she asked impulsively.
"Do what?"
"Find your way around this part of town without ever making a wrong turn?"
"Never thought about it. Comes naturally."
She smiled. "So now you've got a psychic sense of direction, too?"
"It's not a separate ability," he said seriously. "It's all part of the Sweetwater talent."
"Just what is this strange ability the Sweetwaters possess?"
"Someday I'll tell you all about it."
"But not tonight."
"No. Not tonight."
"Deep, dark family secret?" she asked, amused.
"Yes."
The seriousness in his tone stopped her cold. It also heightened her curiosity.
"So when will you tell me about this weird talent?"
"When you know for sure that you and I are meant to be together."
"What if that never happens?"
"It will happen." He turned another corner. "But enough about me. Let's talk about you."
"What do you want to know?"
"One thing you never told me," he said.
"There are a lot of things I never told you."
"I don't doubt that. But the one that interests me tonight is how you found that amethyst ruin in the first place."
"Ah, yes. The ruin. I thought we'd get back to that sooner or later."
She could not be certain in the darkness, but she was pretty sure she saw his powerful hands tighten a little on the wheel. Green psi light glinted ominously on the black stone in his ring. She could have sworn she felt energy spike in the atmosphere. When he spoke, however, Cruz's voice was perfectly controlled.
"My family has been in the amber business for fifty years. We've got the best collection of raw specimen stones and amber antiquities in the four city-states housed in our private vault. Our research is cutting-edge. But until you discovered that ruin and the stones inside, everyone figured amethyst was just so much pretty purple rock with no practical use other than in jewelry making."
"Obviously the aliens considered it valuable," she said lightly.
"Yes," he said. "And that fact changes everything. It means that the potential of latent energy in amethyst has to be reevaluated. So, how did you find the ruin?"
"You can't expect a Dore to spill all of her secrets to a Sweetwater."
"The underground jungle has been open to exploration and prospecting for barely a year. Most of it hasn't even been mapped. Yet you walked in one day all by yourself and made an incredible discovery."
"Sometimes even a Dore gets lucky."
"My gut tells me that luck was not all that was involved."
She drummed her fingers on the car seat. "You really want to know how I found that ruin? I'll tell you. Vincent led me to it."
He shot her a quick, searching glance. "Are you serious?"
"Dead serious. I think he somehow sensed that I could work amethyst amber. In his little bunny brain, he probably figured that the ruin and the stones would make pretty toys for me. Dust bunnies are big on toys and games."