Jason. She wanted Jason.

She didn't know she'd said his name aloud until she felt his hand squeeze

her. "I'm right here, angel."Angel? Had he ever called her angel? On some deeply hidden level, the nameregistered. The cameras. The microphones Everywhere. Not safe to talk.

Code words. They were going to use code words."Come on, angel. Wake up and talk to us.""Jason: 'They had practioed. Angel. What was that supposed to mean? She strained to remember.Angel. Danger. Angel. Danger.Her eyes came fully open and found Jason's. But their ebony depths gave nothing away.

"Sir Douglas was conqrned when Bridget called to tell us what had happened, "

her husband continued.

Her husband. No. That was wrong. Jason wasn't her husband. That was from

the chip. The memories on the chip. The ones she had to remember."Yes, lass," Frye said. "You gave us quite a fright." "" I - I' msorry. ""Her color's coming back. Sit her up a bit."From below the chair, a motor whirred, and then Noel ; felt herself being tipped to a more vertical angle.

She hadn't fainted. Bridget had been going to She pressed her hand againsther forehead, praying it would all come clear."Dizzy?" the Sovereign asked solicitously. " " A little. I'm sorry. It's all too much: '

Bridget handed her a glass of water, and she swallowed slowly, buying herself more time as her head cleared.

"Thank you. You can go now, Ms. McKenna. Please see that Mr. and Mrs.

Zacharias's room is ready for them. The mauve suite.""" Yes, sir. " , The room was silent except for the woman's retreating footsteps. Then the door closed, and Noel was alone with the two men. She could feel Sir Douglas's inquisitive eyes scrutinize her as if she were a specimen on a dissecting table. When he touched his hand to the skin just above the vee of her robe, She forced herself not to flinch.

"You're bruised. Is he rougb with you in bed, lass?""No. I-I fell down a hill."When she'd thought the truck driver was chasing her. But she wasn't supposed to remember him.

Her eyes swung to Jason. His lips were pressed tightly together, and hisarms were folded across his chest. He couldn't help her."Aye, a rocky road to the castle. I hope it was worth it ""Yes. Of course. Jason said I needed a vacation. AfterI was hit on the head. ""Yes. The unfortunate incident. How did you get out of the sbop? Did someone come in and take you away?"

Jason. No. She mustn't tell. But her thoughts were like at angle of

string, all wound up together with false ends and knots. "Someone.. . Idon't know who ""A good samaritan, no doubt. Just like in Mr. Dubinski 's grocery store."

The Sovereign's voioe was silky, hypnotic.

"You've led a charmed life."

It was so hard to think past the twisted threads winding through her brain,

so hard to know if the right words were coming out of her mouth. It was only a matter of time before she made a mistake. "That's how I've felt since I married Jason."

"You love him?"

Noel swallowed. " " Yes. " " qll me what you like about him. " The man

leaned over her, his face intense and eager. She could smell the whiskey onhis breath. " Tell me what you like best when he makes love to you: 'The demand brought a flood of feelings. Needs. Desires Longing."He's so sweet," she said.Sir Douglas laughed. "Sweet!"

Her emotions were balanced on a razor's edge, and something in the mocking quality of the laughter cut her to the bone. She might have struggled for control. Instead she tore the wound open wide, invited-no, urged the misery to build. Perhaps. perhaps that was the way out of the winding maze of this interrogation.

Tears began to leak out of her eyes and trickle down her cheeks. Then, suddenly, her body was shaking with sobs. " " Sorry. . I 'm sorry. . please. " " " Get hold of yourself, lass! "

"I don't think she can," Jason cut in as he stepped forward and scooped her up into his arms. He cradled her against his chest as he stroked her hair.

She burrowed into his warmth, into the safety of his arms, but she couldn't stop crying.

The Sovereigq spoke, his voice pitched low. But she heard. "How am I going to use her in the auction if she goes to pieces like this?"

"She hasn't before. But it's been a hell of a day. First the ambush. Then the escape. And the drugs. She doesn't know whether she's coming or going. Let me see if I can calm her down: ' " let's hope you can. "

As J. e,sorr s'rRoDE down the hall, his footsteps echoing on the stone floor, Noel sobbed into his chest. "Jason, I'm so sorry.. . I can't help.. "

"Shh, angel. Shh."

Sir Douglas's gaze seemed to bore into the back of her head. Jason had told her that the only person the Sovereign cared about was himself. She'd believed it. But she hadn't felt it until he'd looked at her with the warmth of a snake about to swallow a cornered mouse. "Bridget was going to..:'

Angel. The name penetrated the fog clogging her mind. She closed her eyes, pressing her face against his shoulder Microphones. Cameras. They were being watched. Everywhere.

"He said.. . " chaos. "

She felt Jason's whole body jerk, his hands tighten around her. But his stride only broke for a fraction if a second.

With one hand, he opened a door. Then he was crossing a carpet and laying her on a wide canopy bed. Side curtains blocked her view of the room.

Suddenly he was gone.

She couldn't think. Only react. The room was hot. And it spun around her in a dizzy circle. The robe was too tight.

She tried to push herself up only to sprawl again. Thwarted, she began to claw at the fabric, pulling it away from her feverish skin, wiggling out of it until she was blessedly naked against the silk coverlet.

She heard Jason's indrawn breath and then a low curse as he set a glass of water down on the bedside table.

"It looks like there's only one way to settle you down," he said in an overly gruff voice.

He lifted her shoulders and hips as he yanked the coverlet down and pulled it over her naked body.

Next he stripped the knit shirt over his head and reached for the buckle of his pants. When he was naked, the began to move around the bed, pulling the curtains qqat hung at each vertical post. q:;q Smothering darkness closed Noel in. "No.. please..: '

Then he was beside her on the bed, slipping under the covers, pulling her body against his.

"Settle down. Settle down and let me.. come on, love, you know you like this." His voice was persuasive and loud. In the next moment, his lips were against her ear, and he spoke in the barest whisper, the words so faint they might have come from an apparition. "Get hold of yourself." But it was Jason, her Jason, holding her. As he spoke, his hands soothed over her shoulders and through her hair.

Noel closed her eyes, shutting out the blackness as she clung to the familiar hard planes of his body.

"That's right, honey: The loud voice again. " Mmm. You do like that. " " "Feels good.. . : Her own words were a dreamy murmur , but she sensed the rtangled knot of thoughts loosening in her mind. She knew what he was doing, and she was capable of helping.

He rocked her gently in his arms, his leg sliding back and forth across the sheets. By slow degreqs, she felt the fear and tension melting out of her. He sensed the change. His lips were against her ear again. "Better?" he whispered.

She moved her cheek against his and felt him let out the breath he was holding "The chip? Do they know?" she whispered.

" No. " He stroked her lips. She kissed his fingers, opened her mouth, nibbled at his flesh.

Sir Douglas Frye had nearly driven her into sheer, blinding hysteria. But Jason had brought her back from the brink. A few moments ago Noel had hardly known where she was or what she was doing. All at once she was vividly aware that she and Jason were naked in a bed, their bodies pressed together. But just as she was assimilating that information, he moved away. " " Jason, come back. "

She waited as the silent moment stretched. Then his Iips found hers. But only his lips. He kissed her as if he was starving for her, strewing fevered kisses all over her face but always returning for long sips to her mouth.

In the dark, private world, the memory of everything they'd shared was there between them, around them, drawing them close.

Everything.

Fantasy and reality no longer mattered. There was only Jason, who meant more to her than anything else on earth. She reached to pull him back into her arms. With a stifled groan, Jason moved back against her, unable to deny himself the contact. From the first time he'd kissed Noel, he'd known how much he wanted her, sensed that she could make a difference in his life. Back then he hadn't dared ask her to take a chance on a guy like him. Now he needed her more than he'd needed anything in his life.

"Please," she murmured against his mouth, driving him almost beyond endurance. Hungrily his lips moved over hen.

Her hand slid down, closing around his hard, disicqded flesh. Heat flashed through his body. In a moment he would be beyond thinking, beyond caring about qything but burying himself in her welcoming warmth.

But he had to be the one to think. He had to rememqibq where they were and what kind of dangerous game were playing. Her life-and his-might depend on ' g vital information while they could.

He stole one last passionate kiss. Then his lips slid along her cheek and found her ear. " " Must talk while we can. "

For a moment, he wondered if she'd undentood. She didn't move, and he heard his own harsh, ragged breathing in the darkness.

"Jason?" Her voice was breathy.

"Mmm. Angel." He moved her hand away from his burning flesh. Then, eyes closed, he pressed his head against her shoulder, sucking in deep drafts of air.

Beside him she sighed and nodded.

In the blackness, he tapped his finger against her palm. "Let's try something different this time:" " " Something nice? " The edge of disappointment in her voice made it difficult for him to get the qlext words out. "Very nice."

When he squeezed her hand, she squeezed back.

With his finger in her palm, he wrote a letter of the alphabet The letter C.

They had practiced this. Communicating Writing messages if they thought theymight be heard but not seen. Now, in the curtained darkness of this bed,exchanging information was more important than anything else.

She nodded again to let him know she understood. " " C-H-A-O-S? " He

spelled out the rest of the word and added a question mark.When she started to speak, he pressed his hand over her lips. "Not likethat," he said for the benefit of the hidden microphones. Then with hismouth to her ear. "Don't dare say it. Heard it before?"

"In my mind: The answer was the barest whisper."After chip?" he spelled out.He shifted, and his arm accidentally brushed her breast.She sucked in a shaky breath he felt in every cell of his body.For long moments, neither one of them moved. Then her lips were against his ear. After a sigh, she murmured , "In hospital: 'He nodded, his cheek against hers. "" Means? ""Code. I hope," he spelled.In the darkness, Noel moved her lips against Jason's shoulder. The strain of writing out half the conversation a letter at a time, of rigid attention, of

being so close to him and so aroused was almost too much.She wanted it to be over. She wanted him to hold her, love her, make herbelieve that everything was going to be all right. But he was writing on herhand again. "Important "

"Media room," he wrote, and then continued in a whisper. "Hidden door.Fscape route. Under third screen on right."She didn't know what he was talking about, but he must think it was vital. "

" Understand? " he breathed.She nodded again.He let go of her hand. "qFinished?" she mouthed against his ear."Yes: 'Relief and desire flooded through her. "Then come to me now: '"You need sleep." "qNo, I need you."It was dark and concealing in the curtained bed. And q q eye of a hurricane, a momentary place of safety.

She heard him groan as he reached for her, felt his body shudder as her hot, needing flesh melted against his.

Her passion mingled with triumph. Somehow, his control had been the worst

part. Now that control had snapped.

They were both kindled to flash point, yet they moveq quietly, almost

stealthily as they kissed and touched, totally tuned to each other but determined no one would invade their private world.

She forgot to be quiet when he entered her. But Jason reveled in her

exclamation.