Remember Jamie Baker (23 page)

I shook my head in awe. “It was a dream.” I flinched as the implications hit me full force. “Ryan! I had a
dream!
”

Ryan flashed me a crooked grin. “A pretty hot one, from the looks of it.”

I was
so
not responding to that.

“Was it about me?”

Or that.

“Don’t you get it? I
dreamed
. I’ve never dreamed before. I couldn’t. That means the serum worked!”

I thought about it again, still fascinated by what I’d experienced. I knew what dreams were, and Teddy had told me about some of his, but I’d never really been able to understand before. “It was so real. So vivid. It was like I was really there.”

“With me?” Ryan asked again. “Where were we? What were we doing?”

I glared at him to try to keep from blushing. Not sure it worked. “I never said it was about you.”

Ryan’s grin doubled. “But it was, wasn’t it? I can tell. You’re all flushed. Come on, babe. Give me all the juicy details. You can’t have that kind of fun without me.”

“Oh my gosh, would you shut up? I didn’t dream about you.”

Lie. But he didn’t need to know about my dream; his head was big enough already.

Ryan didn’t buy it, and countered with an excellent argument. “But what if it wasn’t just a dream? What if it was a memory?”

“You think?” I gasped. My heart may have stopped from the excitement that surged through me.

Ryan shrugged. “People have memories in dreams all the time.”

He was right. I’d read all about amnesia, and there were many times when people’s memories started coming back in bits and pieces, often in their dreams. I was a special case, of course, but if my brain was healing and I was starting to get my memories back, it was possible. My dream could have really happened. I shivered at the thought. “Did we ever go to a beach?”

“So it
was
about me. I
knew
it.”

“No,” I said stubbornly, rolling my eyes when he smirked. “Fine. Maybe you were there. Did we ever go to a beach, or not?”

Ryan rose from his chair, puffing out his chest like a proud peacock. “The beach, huh?”

I was about to comment on his gigantic ego, but he moved from his chair onto my bed and leaned close—very close—causing my mouth to dry up before I could get the words out. “Were you wearing the pink polka dots?” he asked. “Because I
love
the pink polka dots. They’re so girly and
cute
. You
never
do cute except for that one swimsuit.”

I may as well have been back in my dream the way my heart was pounding. He was just so close, pushing all of my senses into overdrive. He smelled so good, and I could feel heat rising off his body. I was practically shaking from the anticipation of his kiss. “So we did go to a beach?” I asked. My voice was shaky and barely above a whisper.

His gaze zeroed in on my mouth. “A few times.”

He captured me in a firm kiss that made my head swim. I broke it with a gasp, desperate to finish this conversation and confirm that my dream was a real memory. “Was it a beautiful, tropical one? Probably in Central or South America somewhere?”

“Santa Cruz,” he said, stealing another kiss. “Northern California.”

My heart sank a little. California wasn’t tropical. It couldn’t have been the same beach. But the swimsuit was right, so maybe only parts of the memory had been incorporated into the dream. “What did we normally do when we went there?”

That was a dangerous question considering Ryan’s current mood, but I had to know. Ryan moved his mouth to my neck. His lips stretched into a smile against my skin, and a low chuckle vibrated in his chest. “What were we doing in your dream, babe?”

I sucked in a breath. The dream was still so vivid in my mind.
Pretty much what we were doing now, except more intense and with more skin.

Ryan didn’t need to hear my thoughts to know what I was thinking. “Mmm. My kind of dream. I’m sorry I missed it. How far did we get?”

He kissed me again, deep and sensual. I couldn’t help responding to him, and when I did, he pushed me back until I was lying on the bed with him mostly on top of me. He was completely gone now, lost down a single-track thought path that led to only one place. Just like in the dream my body was ready to follow him, but my head and heart weren’t there yet. My awake self had more restraint than my subconscious. “Ryan, wait. I’m sorry. Please stop.”

After stealing one last kiss, Ryan rolled onto his back with a groan. “Sorry. I know you’re the queen of taking things slow. I get it. I respect it. I’m just not as good at it.”

He stretched his long body and then pulled me into his arms, as if he intended to lie there and snuggle for the next few hours…or at least until he calmed down some. He squeezed me tight and let out a long breath. “It feels so good to hold you again, you have no idea.”

“Maybe I do.” I debated asking him my next question, but I really, really needed to know. “Were we alone on a beach the first time we…you know…”

He groaned again, as if in true pain, and squeezed me so tight against his chest he’d have crushed me if I were normal. “Babe, you’re
killing
me. I’m sorry, but I really don’t think I can tell you that particular story right now. I’m too…” He blew out another breath, squirming as he tried to get comfortable. “I just can’t.”

That I had such an effect on him was both terrifying and thrilling. “I don’t need details,” I said. “I just need to know if my dream was real. Did we…on the beach…my first time?”

It took him a moment to answer. His arms trembled around me, probably because he was trying so hard to restrain himself. “Sorry, Jamie. As nice as that could have been, that’s not how it happened. Not even close. We were at the cabin. There was snow outside. A roaring fire inside. Frosty windows… A soft fir rug…” He swallowed loudly and buried his face in my neck. “It was perfect.”

I closed my stinging eyes and braced myself against the sharp pain lancing my heart. It
sounded
perfect. And unfamiliar. My dream had just been a dream.

I tried to hold on to the hope that dreaming had given me, but it wasn’t easy when all of my memories with Ryan sounded so amazing. He cherished every moment we’d spent together. I hated that I couldn’t cherish them with him.

“We’ll have that night again, Sunshine. You have my word,” Ryan said, his voice a gentle but firm whisper. “Or if you need something different, we can find your tropical beach. It sounds like it was a really good dream.”

When I said nothing, he lifted my face up to his and pecked my lips. “No sad thoughts right now. You
dreamed
, Jamie. That’s a good thing.” He paused, and another wicked smile crept over his face. “And for your first dream, you dreamed of us naked. That’s not something to be sad about.”

I gasped. “I did not! We were
not
naked!”

“We were getting there. That’s good enough for me.” He kissed me again, hard, and then pulled back with one last groan. “Come on; we should get up. I’d love to keep you to myself for the rest of the day, but there are a lot of people worried about you.”

His words brought reality crashing down on me, and I finally remembered why I’d been asleep in this bed. The events that led to me passing out were a bit jumbled, but I remembered enough. “Oh my gosh, I can’t believe I forgot!” I jumped up, tugging Ryan with me. “Why didn’t you say something?”

Ryan laughed. “I meant to, but you kind of distracted me, babe.”

I snorted. “You are such a
guy
.”

Superspeed was involved as
I showered and made myself presentable. Only seconds after I got out of bed, Ryan and I went in search of Major Wilks. As Ryan led me through the maze of boring identical halls, I realized my stomach felt hollow. “What time is it? How long was I out?”

“It’s been about twenty-four hours.”

Well, that explained it. Food was definitely going to have to be a priority soon, but there was something I needed to do first. “Where’s Tyson?”

Ryan grimaced. “He’s still in the infirmary.”

Still in the infirmary, twenty-four hours later? My heart gave out. What had I done?

When the lights above us flickered, Ryan sighed. “Relax, Jamie. He’s going to be fine. They’re just being cautious because he’s a PAC, and a kid.”

That didn’t make me feel better. “Will you take me to him?”

“Way ahead of you, Sunshine.” Ryan pointed to a sign on a nearby door, indicating we were already there.

I stumbled to a stop, suddenly too overwhelmed to take another step. Ryan paused beside me. “Something wrong?”

“You knew I’d want to go see him first.”

“Of course I did.”

My chest burned, and I could barely speak past the lump in my throat. It was just like in my dream. He’d given me what I needed, before I’d even realized I needed it. Ryan’s answering smile, when he realized why I was so overwhelmed, was so understanding, and full of love that it pushed my emotions over the edge. My eyes filled with tears.

Ryan stepped so close to me that his breath tickled my cheek. “Caring,” he said softly. “Loyal. Passionate.”

I couldn’t stop the moisture from rolling down my cheeks. He was repeating the personality traits he’d written in my notebook. “Selfless. Thoughtful.” He tucked a strand of hair behind my ear. My eyes fluttered shut at the gentle touch. He wiped away my tears, but new ones leaked from my eyes. “Nurturing. Loving. Compassionate. Fierce. Brave. Strong.”

He tugged me into his arms and brushed his lips over my temple. “I know you, Jamie Baker. I know you better than anyone.”

His words undid me, tugged at a string in my heart until I was completely unraveled. He
did
know me, because he couldn’t have said anything more perfect.
He
couldn’t be any more perfect. In my dark, dismal, frightening, lonely life, he was a light so bright he was blinding. He burned me all the way to my soul.

A sob wracked my chest, and a new need washed over me so strongly my body shook. I threw my mouth on his so fast and so forcefully that he stumbled backward until he slammed against the wall. I tasted his surprise, but he caught up to my mood so quickly I was tempted to accuse him of having superspeed. His enthusiasm fueled me, stoking the flames inside me, causing me to lose all control.

I needed him. Needed the connection we shared, whether I remembered it or not. Ryan seemed to understand how vulnerable I was at the moment, and allowed me to maintain control of this kiss. All other times we’d kissed he’d started it, or taken charge, but he was more than content to follow my lead this time. I was grateful for that, and I was not gentle. Or shy.

I took what I needed, and he happily surrendered himself to me. My tongue plunged deep into his mouth, eager to taste him. My hands raked through his hair and explored all of the rippling muscles on his torso I’d longed to touch since the first time I saw him. The thin cotton T-shirt he wore that separated my fingers from his skin tortured me. I trembled with the need to rip it off his body. I was on fire, burning from the inside out.

My energy matched my mood. It burst from me in warm waves that washed over Ryan, making him gasp. A fierce shudder rocked him and he no longer remained subservient. With an almost primal growl, he picked me up, and when I wrapped my legs around his waist he whirled me around, slamming my back into the wall with enough force that we shook the entire hallway. My back dented the drywall, and the lights in the entire hallway surged to blinding limits, but we hardly noticed.

We didn’t snap from our spell until people came running to see what the commotion was. Their shocked gasps broke us apart, but for a moment all we could do was stand there staring at one another, shaking and gasping for breath. At the sound of a throat clearing, reality caught up with me and my jaw fell so far it nearly hit the ground.
Had I really just done that?

Slowly, I dropped my legs to the floor and let go of my grip around Ryan’s neck. While my face flamed painfully hot, Ryan’s eyes crinkled with laughter. He shot me a wink and turned to face our audience.

Major Wilks, Johnny G, Shortstop, Smut, and quite a number of other random military personnel stood there, gaping at Ryan and me. There was so much shock in that hall we could have jumpstarted a heart with it. It was the major and my fellow ACEs that had me the most embarrassed. Smut was the first to break the silence, releasing a long, impressed whistle. His eyes flicked to Ryan. “You really weren’t kidding about that superkissing thing, were you?”

Ryan shook his head, laughing. “I really wasn’t.”

When I elbowed him, he grinned and slid his arm around my waist, puffing his chest up. He tried to swallow his grin when he turned his attention to his superior. “Sorry, Major. We accidentally got a bit carried away. Jamie doesn’t seem to have the control over her powers that she used to, and when she loses her grip on it, it’s a little…uh…overwhelming.”

Truth. Obvious truth. Ryan’s face was flushed, his eyes were bright, his hair was full of static, his voice was shaky, and his entire body was trembling from the excess of energy I’d pumped into him. He looked as if he were about to explode. In fact, he needed to be careful. If anyone startled him before he properly released the power I’d pumped into him, he was likely to blow something up.

Still, I wanted to
kill
him. Yeah, I’d completely lost control, but did he have to say it out loud like that? And, just FYI, he didn’t sound the least bit sorry. He didn’t even sound
chagrined.
He was
loving
this!

I wasn’t sorry about that kiss either, but I was completely mortified. It took more courage than I knew I had to meet Major Wilks’s waiting gaze. The man had some excellent composure. I’d give him that. He stood there with his arms folded over his chest and cocked an eyebrow at me. Cringing, I pointed to the wrecked wall. “I can pay for that.”

Smut, Johnny G, and Shortstop all tried their hardest to hold back laughter, but they couldn’t quite stifle the snorts and giggles. Most people present were still too shocked or too intimidated by me to do more than breathe, but the ACEs had already accepted me as one of their own, and they obviously found this situation highly amusing.

Major Wilks cleared his throat again. “I take it you’re feeling better?” he asked me.

“I—um…”

“I certainly am,” Ryan chirped.

His utter giddiness was too much for his team members to handle. They burst into roaring laughter, falling all over one another for dramatic effect. It was humiliating, but they were being so ridiculous I nearly cracked a smile. I wouldn’t admit it, but it felt good that they were willing to laugh at me. Everyone else seemed to be nervous around me, or flat out terrified. That had its advantages, but it was also lonely and exhausting.

Having the ACEs tease me made me realize I had friends. I’d never had any of those before aside from Teddy, and his friendship had always been brittle. Excited to tease them back, I rolled my eyes and said, “Oh, shut up, you morons, or I’ll put you through the wall next.”

I realized my mistake the second Smut wriggled his eyebrows suggestively. “The same way you did Romeo?” he asked.

Shortstop followed this with, “Do you promise?”

And, not to be outdone by his comrades, Johnny G said, “There
is
a God. Kiss me first, Angel, and don’t be as gentle as you were with Goldilocks there. I’m a big boy. I can take it.”

I slapped a hand over my face. “Seriously? I’m surrounded by twelve-year-olds.”

They started laughing even harder. Even Ryan was laughing now. He had no sympathy. “Sorry, babe, you walked right into that one.”

He was right. I did. But prideful me remained stubbornly haughty. With an exasperated huff, I glared at Major Wilks. “I’m going to see Tyson.”

He stepped toward the infirmary with a nod. “I’ll join you. We have some things to talk about.” As he pushed open the door for me, he shot a stern look to his men. “Join us once you’ve all grown up, gentlemen.”

I was grateful for the reprimand, even if he was on the brink of laughter. Which he totally was. I could hear it in his voice, and his lips twitched as if he was using a lot of effort to keep a smile off his face. That he had my back, even in the face of my disgrace, warmed me to the old softy enough to forgive him for ordering his men to tranq me.

Once inside the medical center, I forgot all about the people in the hall. Dr. Haggerty, Blake, and Geek were in the far corner of the room, hunched over a microscope, while Tyson sat in a standard hospital bed playing cards with Abiodun. Relief washed over me at seeing that he was okay. I had a vague recollection of blasting him with a lightning bolt before I went unconscious. Ryan had said he was fine, but I’d needed to see it for myself.

I stepped up to my fellow PACs, wary of how they were going to react to me now, but I needn’t have worried. Both of them shot me smiles. Abiodun’s was soft, but Tyson’s was
huge.
“Jamie!” he cried. “You’re finally awake!”

The young teenager’s enthusiasm was unparalleled. I’d fried him, and he was still excited to see me. I nodded in his direction. “So are you.”

The commotion caught the others’ attention. Dr. Haggerty and Blake came over to speak with Major Wilks, both offering me smiles, but Geek never looked up from his microscope. Whatever he was studying, he was clearly fascinated.

Abiodun rose to his feet, offering me his chair next to Tyson’s bed. Before I could sit, Tyson scooted over, patting the mattress next to him. He was such a cutie; I couldn’t resist the offer. “I was afraid I’d killed you,” I admitted as I sat down on the edge of his bed.

He smirked. “You
did
.”

“What?”

He shrugged, trying to act nonchalant, but he still puffed out his chest a little as he explained. “My heart stopped. They had to bring me back with the shock paddles like in the movies.” He elbowed me with a conspiratorial glint in his eyes. “Good thing we were already at a hospital, eh?”

The lights and monitors in the room began flickering. I was so horrified that I grabbed him up in a fierce hug, and held on as if I planned to never let him go. “Tyson, I’m
so
sorry!”

If I was squeezing him too tightly, he didn’t complain. “It’s okay, Angel. I’m all right, and you’re obviously feeling better. Everything’s fine now.” He laughed and hugged me back. “Especially now. Hey, Abiodun, it looks like I’ve died and gone to heaven after all.”

Several chuckles rang out in the room. How could they all be so cool about this? Still unable to let him go, I pulled back just enough so that I could see his face. I shook my head. “It’s not fine. Tyson, I blasted you with
lightning
.”

“Because I stuck you with a tranquillizer dart.” Guilt wiped the smile from his face. “You were freaked out, and I startled you. It was an accident. It’s okay.”

I closed my eyes and shook my head. Tears threatened to spill down my face again as I tried to remember exactly what happened. “I’m not sure it was an accident. I don’t know what happened, but—”

Abiodun’s low, calming voice cut me off. “You weren’t yourself, Angel. You were being controlled. It wasn’t your fault.”

My eyes flew to Abiodun at the startling revelation. “What do you mean,
controlled?
”

Major Wilks’s stern voice rang out from behind me. “You were being mind controlled.” He said it as if that sort of thing happened all the time.

I glanced at him, surprised to see that Ryan, Smut, Johnny G, and Shortstop had entered the room as well. Ryan took note of the way I still clung to Tyson and raised an eyebrow at me. He was trying to suppress a smile, but the look still made me blush and I let go of Tyson, feeling strangely guilty. Tyson sighed, disappointed, and Ryan winked at me, making my cheeks flame even hotter. Jerk.

“Mind controlled?” I asked, forcing my gaze back to Major Wilks. “Seriously?”

Major Wilks nodded toward Blake. “It was Edwards who figured it out.”

Blake seemed surprised when I looked to him for an explanation. He gazed at me a second too long and then cleared his throat. “I’d heard of a project while working at Visticorp. They’d developed a swarm of nanobots that worked together in a hive fashion, and could be controlled remotely. As far as I know they’d never tried to combine the nanobots with anything organic, but with Visticorp’s advancements in certain fields, biohacking didn’t seem too far of a stretch for Donovan.”

“It was a good guess,” Major Wilks said. “We ran some tests while you were unconscious and found thousands of those nanobots embedded in your brain.”

Biohacking?
Seriously?
And
nanobots?
I blinked. My life was getting more and more sci-fi by the day. And that was saying something, considering I was the girl who’d developed superhuman abilities after taking an accidental shower in toxic waste. “They
hacked
my
brain?
And what in the world is a
nanobot?
”

Geek finally pulled himself away from the microscope. “They’re microscopic robots,” he said. “Amazingly complex nanotechnology. I’ve never seen anything even close to its equal.” He bounded over to the group as if he’d downed a convenience store’s worth of energy drinks. “It has to be the hive mentality that makes it work.”

“Hive mentality?” Ryan asked. He looked as thrilled about this as I felt.

Geek nodded, grinning as if he’d been given the world’s greatest Christmas gift. “Like bees and their queen. I believe the nanobots were all working together like a hive, downloading commands into Angel’s brain through tiny electrical impulses.” His gaze snapped to me again. “Essentially, they were sending you brain waves from a third party. Controlling your mind via a wireless connection. It’s ingenious!”