Gale Force

the law allowed. I changed, assuming we were going to the hydro pool for some swim therapy,

but instead, she got me in the elevator, stripped off her white camp shirt and shorts, and revealed

her own bathing suit choice: even less than I had on, though technically I supposed it could be

considered clothing. It was a couple of scraps of tangerine orange, and she looked spectacular in

it.

''Tell me we're not going to the cafeteria,'' I said. ''They're having meat loaf. Again.'' Cherise

winked at me and pressed the button for the roof. It was restricted access, but she had a key card,

which she used with the kind of triumphant flourish usually reserved for magicians with hat-

dwelling rabbits.

''I know you're not up to a trip to the beach,'' she said, ''so we brought the beach to you.''

They really had. It wasn't just Cherise; it was Kevin-her sometimes boyfriend, despite a five-

year age difference-a Fire Warden with a deep-seated attitude problem. He was sitting in the

shade of a beach umbrella, wearing camouflage baggy shorts and a death's head muscle T-shirt.

He was, at eighteen and change, growing into his height; he was looking less like the underfed,

awkward teen I'd first met, and more like the tall, strong man he would become.

Across from him sat Lewis, wearing khaki shorts and a ratty T-shirt advertising that Virginia was

the place for lovers. They were both wearing slick sunglasses, and I had to admit, they looked

pleased with themselves.

''Hey,'' Kevin said. Too cool for any kind of more enthusiastic greeting. I nodded back. We kept

our dignity. ''Heard you screwed up. Way to go.''

''Isn't this great?'' Cherise didn't much care about things like dignity, if they got in the way of

enthusiasm, but then, that was something I loved about her. Something I suspected Kevin loved,

too. ''Check it out, we've even got waves!''

They'd outdone themselves. God only knew how they'd managed it, but they'd cordoned off part

of the roof and put up patio tables, beach umbrellas, spread sand several inches deep, and put in a

pool. Not a big one-more of a landscaping kind of thing-but sure enough, Lewis obligingly

generated some rolling miniature surf. It was very cute.

There were two lounge chairs. I settled myself on one, already relaxing in the warm glow of the

afternoon sun, and stretched my long legs out as Cherise kissed Kevin and took the other

lounger. We debated the merits of coconut-scented oils over banana sunscreens. I went with

sunscreen, figuring that I'd had enough dangerous radiation for a lifetime.

As I rubbed it into my legs, a male hand reached over my shoulder and took the bottle away. I

looked up, pulled down my sunglasses, and squinted.

David gave me a slow, wicked smile. ''I'll do it,'' he said. ''Lie still.''

I licked my lips, tasted sweat, and returned his smile. I settled back against the cushions. David

came around to the side of the lounge chair, perched on the edge, and squeezed some sunscreen

out into his palms.

''You guys aren't going to make this X-rated, are you?'' Cherise asked. ''Because if you are, I

need a barf bag. Or a video camera.''

David didn't glance toward Lewis, and I had to fight not to. ''Nothing that couldn't air on the

nightly news,'' he said. ''Word of honor.'' He held up his glistening hands. ''Ready?''

''Oh, yes.''

I closed my eyes in total, animal satisfaction as his fingers massaged sunscreen into every inch of

my feet, then worked their way slowly up my legs, my knees, up my thighs, seeking out every

ounce of tension in every muscle. He skipped areas that might have led to excessive moaning

(not that I wasn't moaning already) and moved on to my hips, my stomach. What he did to my

shoulders should have been in the Kama Sutra. It felt . . . healing. And yes, sexy as hell.

''Turn over,'' he said, low in his throat, and I glanced up to see that wicked, lovely spark in his

eyes. ''Time to do your back.''

Oh, and he did me. Thoroughly. I was a boneless, purring heap by the time he'd finished. David

pulled up another lounge chair and parked himself next to me. When I looked at him, he was

showing more skin than I could remember seeing from him before in public; he had on a simple

black pair of swim trunks, and nothing else, and it was spectacular. I let my gaze wander down

the clean sculptural lines of his chest, bump over his taut abs, and found myself staring none too

subtly at his swim trunks.

''Jo,'' he said. I heard the curl of soft reproach in his voice.

''Sorry,'' I said. ''But you're worth a rude stare or two, you know.''

He smiled. I couldn't tell if he found me amusing or arousing, or both. He took in a deep, slow

breath without replying and turned his face up toward the sun. I remembered how it felt for a

Dji

It was a long, lovely afternoon. Lewis read a book.

Kevin and Cherise played cards. There were cold beers, and all in all, it was just . . . perfect.

Peaceful. There was weather out over the Gulf, but it held politely off, stacking up its clouds at

the boundaries of the low-pressure system in neat storage ranks.

I wished it would never end, but of course eventually it did. As the afternoon cooled, and the

clouds began to move in, David kissed my fingers and murmured, ''I have to go.''

''I know,'' I said, and opened my eyes. His were brown, almost completely human in color as

well as in the emotion they contained. I wondered from time to time what Dji

about us, about the tedious nature of human existence, but David really seemed to delight in

participating when the opportunity presented itself. ''You're being careful, right?''

That got me an ironic tilt of his eyebrows. ''Look who's talking.''

''Exactly. You're consulting an expert here. Nobody better at getting into trouble than me.'' I

rolled up to a sitting position, facing him. ''I mean it, David. I dreamed-'' No, I didn't want to

talk about that. The image of him lying broken in the street, pierced by that black thing . . . no.

''I mean, I'm just worried you're not taking this seriously. About the antimatter. ''

That earned me a trace of a frown. ''It's not that I don't take it seriously. It's that for the Dji

it's invisible. We can't see it, touch it, measure it. It doesn't exist to us. How can I possibly

watch out for it?''

''If it doesn't exist, how did it end up inside a dead Dji

again.

''Jo, I already told you, there is no dead Dji

know. None of us is missing.''

He kissed me again, an apologetic good-bye, and that was it. He misted away, off about his

business, and I felt a sudden chill. Cherise had thrown a couple of wraparound robes in the beach

bag, and I do

Lewis noticed. I suspected he noticed a hell of a lot. ''Let's get you back in bed,'' he said.

''You're checking out tomorrow. Don't want you relapsing.''

Not that there was much chance of it; with Lewis's Earth Warden treatments, and David's Dji

powered supplemental healing, I'd have to be damn stubborn to screw up that badly.

But I felt cold-cold and scared, for no reason I could really put a name to. Once I was back in

my room, even piles of blankets didn't seem to thaw the ice. I wanted David. I wanted him here,

with me.

I wanted him safe.

And I was desperately afraid that he wasn't.

When I tried to follow up and find out more about the dead Dji