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The fe hot if it weren&039;t for all the buttons, zippers and pins, Jean-Baptiste ly sharp in the dark Sitting bone-straight in the passenger&039;s seat of his 1967 Jaguar Roadster convertible, her ers splayed on her wrinkle-free lap, the small, fantastically curved, wondrously-busted Suit was the very picture of prickly put-togetherness
Except for all that honey blond hair trying to escape the confines of an overly tight bun
Fuck, he hoped the bun lost
"Too fast for you, Miss Burel?" he called over the breeze
"Not at all, Mr Baptiste," she returned, her eyes forward, her expression tight
"What about for your cat?"
"She&039;s also quite content"
She Jean-Baptiste&039;s brows shot together, and his fingers wrapped around the steering wheel just a hair tighter
He&039;d never heard a Pantera refer to their cat as he or she before, and da as hell
"Do many Pantera have cars outside the Wildlands?" she asked, her eyes on the road in front of them
"There are a few of us"
"Us?"
"Car enthusiasts We like to buy and restore Keep thees in and around La Pierre" He touched the dash "This one was a real piece of shit when I took her on"
Genevieve turned to face him Her eyes ith surprise "You fixed up this car yourself?"
"Rebuilt the engine, but it was ht overhead was really working on her, hethreads of blond hair about her face She looked like a godda job," she said
"It&039;s beautiful"
Shit, Female So are you
"How many Pantera are in this car club of yours?"
"Around ten So like that It varies from year to year"
"All males?"
His mouth twitched "No There are two fes"
"And is one of theaze cut back to her She was staring at him, all prim and proper He wanted to toss out a smartass remark like, &039; What do you mean, one?&039; over the rush of bayou air, but this female didn&039;t seem like the type who&039;d find his brand of humor funny In fact, she&039;d probably be insulted
Damn, she really was just as Xavier had described her
The Geek had told Baptiste all about Genevieve Burel, the supposed genius recruit he and his tech brethren had tried to bring on board the wannabe Faction last , and the Geeks had really pushed for her to give it a try But after a couple of weeks, she&039;d bailed The stories of her starched-collars, imperious attitude and one-word answers, however, had becoend
"I have no aze travel down her skirt to the sexy legs beyond Heto take on her is rapped around him, and the starched collar reht with a wicked grin
"So, this wohtly "She&039;s just an acquaintance of yours?"
"So like that"
"A friend?"
The wind turned cool around them
"She&039;s not my mate or an object of "
"I&039;et personal with you, Mr Baptiste"
"Clearly" Spotting his exit, he banked the wheel to the right sharply
"Since you don&039;t even seem to know my last name"
The sudden move to steady herself What she got was the door handle on one side and Baptiste&039;s thigh on the other "Again," she said yanking her hand back "Not getting personal"
But the movement came too late for Jean-Baptiste And his cat Her palry lover, and his cock was now turning to steel behind his zipper
"I only want to know more about the subject we&039;re to obtain and transport," she said "Collecting data That&039;s all" Holy fuck, he ht be cold as dry ice on the outside
But her blood ran hot Molten lava hot
He&039;d felt her sensual burn through his jeans, and the strike had awakened his already restless puma
"I take my work seriously, Mr
Baptiste," she continued
"I can see that," he uttered, his gaze narrowing as he headed for the Vieux Carre
"I don&039;t have tiot a hot date later?" He hadn&039;t meant to say it After all, he was pretty sure she repelled all things hulanced over at hilare so fierce her pale blue eyes reses, he knew that assesshtly, "I was hoping you&039;d be more of a Pantera" The hard-on in his jeans, co cat inside hi for this feht still have possessed "Oh, I&039;rowl as he took the Toulouse entrance
"If you don&039;t believe me, I can pull over to the side of the road and show you" She wrinkled her nose "That&039;s disgusting"
"No, that&039;s the truth"
"If you were truly Pantera you wouldn&039;t beinappropriate comments when there is so much at stake
-when the life and health of Raphael&039;s er"
He turned onto Bienville, sharp and quick, and didn&039;t acknowledge her squeal of concern She was starting to piss hi with the attraction, was a pretty shit combination
"Don&039;t pretend to know the behaviors of our kind, Miss Burel Pantera instinct, character and function arethe banks of the bayou A student, an observer, barely out of your training pants-sent along to make sure I follow the rules Which I won&039;t" He raced up the street, getting hit with the scents of night-bloo jasmine and a hundred restaurants
"Now I didn&039;t ask for coot stuck with it So,to have to deal with inappropriate and whatever else I toss your way"
He was surprised when she uttered a very calet uncooperative and difficult to control I know this is your first big Suit gig" He stopped at a crosswalk, waited for a passing pedestrian or two
"You don&039;t want it to go badly, right?" She was staring straight ahead, her jaw tight, a flood of color creeping up her neck She looked daood in pissed-off pink And he was a jackass for noticing
"Raphael should&039;ve been htly
No, he shouldn&039;t have "What did he say?" He hit the gas, ht and headed down Chartres Street
Genevieve&039;s gaze scrolled over the crowds streaht
"That you&039;re a Nurturer An expert in the field of brain study Brilliant and" Her eyes darted toward him, and she snorted Actually snorted "Serious" He wasn&039;t sure why, but her easy censure bothered him "And you think I&039;m not serious, Miss Burel?"
"With all that you&039;ve demonstrated so far, no"
"You think because I crack a joke, I don&039;t understand the ? Or because I co in concern for Ashe, and rage for whoever has dared to betray us?"
"That&039;s exactly what I think," she said quietly "And don&039;t call ain, unless you want a nosebleed" Jean-Baptiste was silent as he pulled up in front of Isi&039;s place and killed the engine The pale pink shotgun house was pretty unassule that read, THE CARE AND FEEDING OF
VOODOO, and underneath it, Isi Rousseau But Jean-Baptiste knew the depth and intensity of the ic that lived and breathed inside, and he never underestiet out of the car, but the sudden click of the locks halted her