by Diane Saxon
The charges had been dropped immediately, the instant she’d entered the army facility. Almost like they’d never existed. There’d been nothing for her to answer. Despite Bloomsbury’s attitude, everything he said supported her story from the moment the agent had arrived at the facility. But the mental health checks they’d insisted on putting her through had been necessary and effective enough to pass her fit for flying and able to return to her unit should she wish. Not that she wished. What they’d proposed instead was that she take up a position as an instructor.
Comfortable with that, she’d barely taken any time to mull the idea before she accepted it. Then they’d instructed her to take a week off that she was due from all the accumulated time she’d gathered when she’d been in Afghanistan. Take a vacation, they’d suggested.
A vacation.
Like she hadn’t had her heart ripped from her chest from the desertion of her stormy eyed devil.
Had he meant any of it, or had it all just been a part of his mind games?
She needed to know. If for no other reason than that it would enable her to move on.
Her therapist would tell her it was only natural for her to want closure. She knew better. Closure was for cowards.
She was a goddamn Black Hawk pilot. The best. The elite.
She raised her chin, threw back her shoulders, and ignored the quick glances from the squad of soldiers marching past her with perfect precision.
She pulled the shades from the top of her head to cover her eyes while she pressed the button to unlock the door on the brand new red Chevrolet Corvette she’d just had delivered. What the hell else did she need to spend her money on?
Closure! She flung her backpack onto the passenger seat and slid behind the wheel, taking a moment to check out the dash.
She’d give him closure. She might not leave him with the balls he’d been born with when she delivered the closure he deserved. She unwrapped a piece of gum, popped it in her mouth, and grinned as she turned the sound up on her radio. AC/DC blasted the air with their desperate desire to drive down the Highway to Hell. She could relate.
Four hours. That’s all it would take. Not so very long to wait after six weeks. It shouldn’t tax her wounded shoulder too much on the straight roads if she just relaxed her arm and drove most of the way one-handed.
The dipping sun shot red across the cloudless sky, and Barbara glanced at the time glowing from her dash as she settled herself deeper into the soft cream leather of her seat. More comfortable than the Dreampsych Transcender, its smell nevertheless invoked memories of the short time she’d spent with Dominic.
He’d probably be fast asleep by the time she arrived. Defenseless.
An inkling of doubt settled over her as she pressed the button to close the roof against the invading chill, while the night pulled its dark blanket over the sky.
A lot could change in six weeks. She just needed to know.
It wasn’t as though she’d obtained his address illegally. Not entirely. The fact that she’d used the US Army database was irrelevant. They shouldn’t have given her back her high security clearance if they didn’t want her to obtain such information.
With a quiet sigh, Barbara held her index finger to turn down the volume button until Van Morrison soothed her doubts with his request for one more moon dance. If it had been her choice, she would have had her own playlist, but she’d not given music a thought. The uninterrupted music station however had guided her nicely through her journey from hard rock through to classic as though it preempted the change in her mood.
She dipped the headlights as she slowed the car.
She should have known he wouldn’t live on a quiet street in suburbia.
She glided the Corvette to a full stop and squinted along the straight dirt track leading into pitch darkness.
He sure as hell was making her work hard for this closure shit.
She rooted through her backpack, considered the night vision goggles she’d acquired, and chose a simple penlight. Neat and easy to deal with. She may be on a mission, but her intention wasn’t to kill her target, merely to pin him down and gain…shit…closure.
Annoyance with him pushed aside the self-doubt as she snicked the door closed on her car and took another quick glance at the property name nailed to the wooden gate. Simple really. Salter.
She leaned her hand against the hood of the car and contemplated the wisdom of what she was about to do. Hell, she’d come this far.
Surprised at the ease with which she managed to gain access to the property, Barbara slipped on silent feet through its downstairs rooms, checking each one out as she breezed through them.
If she’d had her gun on her, she would have led with that, but she scanned with quick efficiency using the slim ray of light. It wasn’t as though she wanted to shoot him, just confront him. Once he admitted it had all been a game for him, she could walk away.
She skimmed her gaze around the kitchen and admired its cool cleanliness. Spacious, it retained a homely feel with the quirky clock on the wall and the oversized cast iron range.
The tiny hand print on one of the red tiles inserted into the wall served to remind her that Dominic’s daughter would be in the house.
Barbara shoved aside the guilt snaking through her. She’d be quiet. There’d be no raised voices. The child wouldn’t even be aware she’d been there. It wasn’t her intention to stay long. Just in and out. That was the plan.
She pushed open the final door downstairs and stood on the threshold, momentarily frozen to the spot while a wild hope burned through her, setting her veins on fire.
He hadn’t lied.
His library was just as the Dreampsych Transcender had projected it. Accurate beyond her comprehension. She stepped forward, distracted by the profusion of books she’d believed had been made up.
Curious, she cast a furtive glance into the hall behind her before whispering the door closed so she could step inside to examine the books a little closer. Her heart skipped a beat as she read the title on the gods and goddesses book.
It was true.
She stepped back out of the room and pulled the door shut behind her, doubt resurfacing, but this time for an altogether different reason.
There was no evidence he’d lied to her.
Except he’d told her he loved her.
Even when she’d slipped from consciousness, his low crooning voice was the last thing she’d heard as he’d lulled her with his soft promises.
Then nothing. So he had to have lied.
She was at the top of the stairs and in through the first bedroom before she had the foresight to bring herself back under control. Just as well the room was empty.
She traced the small beam of light around the room, undoubtedly the kid’s. Purple everywhere, including some kind of drape that hung from the ceiling over the neatly made and evidently empty bed. Pretty feminine shit in varying shades of purple, the room done out as though she were some kind of princess.
Convinced her eyes would start to ache if she witnessed any more, she pulled the door closed behind her. The kid might not currently be there, but it proved one more thing. Dominic hadn’t lied to her.
She paused, fingers trembling as they hovered over the door handle of the next room. Uncertain, she closed her eyes and drew in a long, deep breath. She may have just made the biggest mistake of her life. It seemed the man had never lied to her about anything, but something he hadn’t needed to lie about because she’d never called him on it was whether he was in a relationship currently. They’d discussed his dead wife, his past experiences, but at no time had they mentioned anyone else other than his housekeeper. There was no reason why a man with his wit, charm, good looks, and intelligence didn’t already have a woman in his life.
She blew out the breath she’d been holding. It was a bit late now to think of that. She almost chuckled, but reached instead for the door handle. She was just about to find out if he did have another woman in his life, his bed.<
br />
She slipped inside the room.
A waft of cool air kissed her skin, bringing with it the fresh scent of lemons and man. A smell she could never forget, one she would recognize anywhere.
She tucked the flashlight into her pocket and waited for her vision to adjust to the denseness. So black she could barely define furniture shapes, she cursed herself for not using those night goggles she’d left in the car. It may have seemed dramatic before, but she could really have used them now.
There wasn’t a sound in the room, not a breath, not a sigh, but she knew she hadn’t made a mistake. She could feel him, sense him, and her instincts were absolutely in tune with his presence.
He’d left the window ajar, the soft flutter of the curtain the only movement, the tiny shaft of light it allowed her only point of reference. It was too dense to see the layout of the room, and she suffered a brief moment of regret that he hadn’t featured it in one of his scenarios. She’d have been able to make her way across the room without taking her shins out on a piece of his furniture, without making some giveaway grunt of pain.
She considered her options. She slipped her hand back into her pocket and curled her fingers around the flashlight. She could take the risk and use that, or she could go right for it and switch the light on, present herself in a blaze of glory.
While she considered it, she fingered the flashlight. It could be Dominic in the blaze of glory, along with a woman in his bed.
She tilted her head, convinced she’d heard a slight noise, a mere whisper of movement other than the curtain, a displacement of air. Her muscles went on high alert, but it was too late.
His whiplash arm snaked around her waist, whirled her around, and slammed her against the wall. A hard hand slapped over her mouth, stifling her pained grunt as her shoulder protested at the rough treatment. His muscled body pinned her, the hard ridge of his desire thrust into the soft flesh of her backside making her grin. There was no doubt it was him. If she hadn’t recognized his smell, she knew without a doubt the feel of his solid body.
His husky words wiped the smile from mouth.
“Hey, Barbie.” His soft breath feathered over her cheek. “I wasn’t expecting you for at least another couple of hours. You made good time. You must have broken the speed limit to get here.” His wicked chuckle vibrated through her back as he pinned her harder, adjusting himself to get closer until her hips pressed firmly against the wall, his solid erection leaving no wriggle room. “Were you in some kind of rush, enough to break the law?”
She almost snorted. “You know you have me between a rock and a hard place.”
His lazy rumble of amusement was in sharp contrast to the rapid beat of his heart.
She could have sunk her teeth into the soft flesh of his palm. She could have dug her sharp elbow into the hard muscles of his stomach. She did neither, but allowed the quick ripple of awareness to accompany the thought that he’d expected her. Anticipation skittered through her veins.
Despite their position, the hard press of his body against hers, he slipped his hand gently from her mouth. The warm slide of his fingers circled the delicate skin under her ear. He wasn’t going to win her over that easily.
“You know I could take you, don’t you?” Her low, growled threat didn’t seem to faze him.
His warm breath chuffed out, raising the hairs on the back of her neck. “I hope you do, Barbara. In fact, I’m counting on it.”
Before she could draw breath, he whipped her around to face him, the faint glitter of his eyes the only light source she could see.
“Christ, woman. I’ve missed you.”
He took her mouth with his in a wild and desperate kiss that told her everything she ever needed to know. Almost.
She snaked her fingers through his thick hair, took a good handful and yanked hard. His yelp of pain just a small consolation for the agony he’d put her through.
“Six weeks.” She couldn’t help the hitch in her voice. “Six weeks and not a word.”
His muscles flexed as he moved in silence. A quiet snick and a warm pool of golden light flooded the room. No stark white light in the professor’s homely sanctuary.
The storm gray of his eyes filled her vision while her heart knocked erratically against her chest. He was the one, the only one who could set her pulse on fire, ratchet up her heart rate until she thought she would die. If he didn’t want her, she had no idea what she would do.
He cupped her face in his hands, the tremble of his thumbs as he swept them across her cheek bones almost imperceptible, but the pain in his expression stopped any further movement from her.
“They wouldn’t let me have any contact. I tried.”
She believed him. He’d never lied.
He brushed his lips over hers. The sinful curve of his kicked up with regret. “They didn’t want me to have any influence on your tests.”
“Why didn’t you come for me today?” She couldn’t stop the unbearable pain from seeping through, recognized the reflection of it in his face, but she wasn’t prepared to let him off quite so easily. She didn’t want patience and understanding, she wanted to torture him as the memory of him had tortured her for six interminable weeks. She raised her chin and called on the cool aloofness she prided herself on, but her heart stuttered when she met his patient gaze.
“I didn’t know they were going to release you until this morning.” The smooth roll of his shoulders never fooled her for an instant. “When I found out, I knew if you wanted me, you’d come and get me.”
“I wanted you. From the first moment we met, I wanted you.”
“I had to have faith that you would come.”
“What if I hadn’t?”
“I needed to give you the choice. I told you I loved you.”
With a jolt, she realized the pain he’d suffered. As much as her, if not more. She’d never told him she loved him. She’d never given him any hope.
She skimmed her hands around his waist, only just realizing he was virtually naked but for the silk of his shorts her fingers encountered. Hardly surprising his heat had soaked through her skin, setting her on fire. A fire she desperately needed him to fan into an inferno, but first she had to give him what he needed. That wasn’t necessarily sweet compliance.
“If there’d been another woman here, I’d have had to gut you.”
His quick snort of laughter accompanied the downward twitch of his eyebrows. “No other women in my life. There’s only you.” The man had never told her a single lie, and there was no need to doubt him now.
She smoothed her hands over his shoulders, down the hard muscles of his chest, and met the gentle patience in his eyes. She watched with careful fascination as awareness filled those patient eyes. The sexy curve of his mouth stretched wide while she raced her fingers down his flat, hard stomach and slipped them beneath the waistband of his black silk boxers to glide over the hot, rigidness she found beneath. Breath shuddered from him in response to the hand she cruised along the smooth length of him.
“Dominic.” It wasn’t so very hard to say, but she’d bottled up her emotions for too long. She’d never told any man, never felt the need. Her throat tightened, but she knew the words were right. “I love you.”
He leaned in to touch his forehead against hers. “Thank God,” he breathed. It was a prayer, a plea. The only part of him to move was the jerk and throb of the flesh she held to ransom.
The soft touch of his lips against hers was in direct contrast to the pounding of his heart. If he thought she wanted sweet and gentle, he was sadly mistaken. After six weeks, she wanted uninhibited and wanton.
She pressed her lips against his, felt the corresponding desperation as he took her mouth with his own. Brutal in his wild need, he crushed her in his arms.
She thought she’d quelled the girly squeak of pain as he swept her off her feet, transporting her to his bed in a frantic rush, but his soft understanding stopped her breath.
“Captain Barbara Ann Perry, I lov
e you beyond redemption.”
Touched by the tender consideration he showed while he slowly removed her top, paying close attention to her injured arm, she was powerless to stop the chortle of surprise as he stripped her slim black trousers and satin panties down her legs and threw them to the floor.
As he rose above her, taut muscle and sinew flexing, she raked her gaze over him at the black flop of hair, the thick lashes framing his eyes, the square cut of his chin. She raised her hand to smooth her fingers over his hot skin and knew he was hers for the taking.
The flash of surprise as she flipped him onto his back and straddled him filled her with delight. Almost as much as the serious glint in his eyes as he grasped her hips and tried to direct her where he wanted her. It would always be this way.
In a long, smooth glide, she guided him into her body, making small undulations to take him in deeper. His eyes fluttered closed as he arched his neck, bowing his back to match her rhythm. His strong hands cupped her backside, molding her flesh until she squirmed against him. A low keening growl escaped her. She tipped her head back, tried to move faster, but the man beneath her, inside her, was in full command.
She opened her eyes, met his intense gaze, and groaned again at the love reflected there. She lowered herself down, touched her lips to his chest, and circled her tongue with light flicks over his tightly budded nipple to torture him while she enjoyed the flex and strain of his muscles as he strove for control. A control she now knew she could break. With a long, slow gliding motion, she slithered her body along his, almost pulling herself free while she watched the awareness slide over his features.
Smugness rolled over her. “See, I told you I could take you.”
Before she could finish the sentence, he flipped her over onto her back, surging deep inside to steal her breath and send her pulse pounding.
Storm clouds of passion chased away the patience in his gaze as it burned her. His eyes crinkled at the edges, and his mouth flattened into a feral grin. “You can, but not now.”