Page 40 of Bared

Much different. He had no idea where Ozias fell on the kink-o-meter, and the last thing he needed to spill on an adrenaline rush was what he’d done with Jayd Cimarron in the middle of the Montmartre maze.

“Hearing that,” Oz said, easing Brick’s mind by a few more degrees. But not enough. The guy’s tension was still too palpable. “Especially because we’ve got a bigger cock-up to deal with now.”

And there was the explanation why.

Brick tensed again, signaling his readiness to his friend. “All right. What shit’s on the line?”

Before Oz could answer, they were both shoved aside by a princess-sized rocket.

“Jagger!” Jayd launched herself at Fox like an almond out of a slingshot.

Fortunately, Fox was ready for the assault. The guy actually belly-laughed when catching Jayd at full throttle, leaving Brick to attempt a smile through jealousy-clenched teeth. It didn’t help to remember that he had no reasonable claim to hold the woman like that anymore or that Fox’s boyfriend still stood here in front of him. This was his stupid shit, and it’d be all over soon.

Too damn soon.

Oz and Fox had entreated him to help find a princess, and that was what he’d done. Delivery successful. After a few minutes to rest up and use the head, he’d be out of here for good.

Away, once and for all, from the woman who could derail his logic with a sole glance or movement. Or a lusty moan. Or an orgasmic scream.

Okay, it was really time to use his head.

Except not. Because standing here, witnessing Jayd Cimarron in the throes of utter happiness, had him forgetting any part of his own name now. The woman’s delight filled the whole damn room. Her addictive smile. Her summer-sky eyes. Her iridescent laugh.

Not even Fox was immune, proved by his tender smile once Jayd stopped mauling him. “No worse for wear then, Ripley?” he queried.

“Last survivor of the Nostromo, ready to reach the frontier,” she returned, validating the film reference that Brick already suspected. So she was a sucker for gory space stories. There was some unexpected trivia. It brought a dorky grin to his lips, imagining how that tiny girl would look in a dirty tank top with a space blaster in hand, lying in wait for the toothy monster.

“Good,” Fox said. “That is so good. When we found Requiemme, we were afraid that—”

“Afraid? Of what?” Alarm instantly replaced her joy. “Oh, dear Creator. Emme. You found her? Jagger? What happened to her? You—you did not leave her out there, did you?”

“He certainly did not.”

Brick joined her and Oz in looking past the diminutive kitchen into the shoebox-sized living room, from where the remark originated. Lying on the couch, beneath a lamp without its shade, was Jayd’s maid. The woman’s head was propped against the far end, while three large throw pillows were stuffed under one of her knees. Her pants had been cut open past that joint, which was swollen to the size of a small grapefruit. An ominously bruised one.

“Emme.” Jayd’s rasp channeled enough dread for the both of them, so Brick skipped his wince and led the way over to the sofa. Once there, he exchanged a fast glance with Oz while Jayd dropped to the carpet and seized her friend by the hand.

“I’ve looked at it carefully but could use a second opinion,” Oz murmured to him.

“We have been trying to get ice on it,” Fox added. “And I had some alternative herbs in my bag to give her.”

“Hmmm. Everything is so much better with herbs.” Emme sighed and then giggled, all but confirming Brick’s supposition about the subject. Arcadia’s balmy climate likely lent itself well to any number of interesting crops, including the ones that created the skunky-pine sweetness in this area of the apartment.

But Jayd wasn’t having anything to do with a contact high. She gripped her friend tighter and demanded, “Jagger? What the hell happened?”

“Highnnnesss.” Emme inserted a scowl along with the rebuke. “Wasn’t…his faullllt.”

“Then whose fault was it?” Jayd snapped. “Because I swear by the snake in the holy garden, I shall have their testicles boiled and then force-fed to them on a—”

“Stop.” Only after Brick issued the order did he realize its impropriety. But to whom? Oz and Fox looked relieved he’d stepped in. Requiemme was blissfully high. If Jayd was his only concern, then he stuck by the dictate. “You’re spinning yourself into undue rage. Settle down, Pix—your Highness—and listen before you leap.”

Fox flared his gaze, communicating silent gratitude, before stating, “Ozias and I got to her just after the accident.”

“Accident?” Jayd repeated. “What accident? And who on earth is—”

“That’s me.” Oz dipped his head with deference. “Ozias Demos. Happy to meet you, Highness Jayd. I’m a friend of Jagger’s, just here to help. But you can call me—”

“Oz,” Jayd broke in. Her composure softened, if only by a little. “I can just call you Oz. Oh, I know who you are now.”