“There’s a reason we have such a hefty dropout rate.”
Allie paused to take another bite of linguini. He was open to her—maybe because of the beer—but whatever the reason, he was answering questions. She had the feeling it wasn’t something that happened often and she wanted to milk the opportunity for what it was worth, while it lasted.
“Sounds romantic to me,” she mused. “So much self-sacrifice and talk about duty to country. You’re like some kind of modern-day knight of the round table.”
His knife and fork came down hard on the side of his plate. “We need to get something straight. Romance don’t have a damned thing to do with it.” His voice was soft, but the tension that radiated from it suffocated. “I get the knights of the round table bullshit a lot. Knights were trained killers, no matter how you spin it. At the end of the day, they came home bloody and beat. Nothin’ dreamy about that. War is ugly. America—” he jabbed a finger toward her chest “—is a pinnacle of light to a lot of the world, but like anything else, so much light casts an even blacker shadow.” He took another sip of beer. “People like me exist to keep the darkness from getting too close. And it takes some darkness to fight darkness; otherwise you can’t know how to exterminate it. Warriors live in twilight; we hold the line so the rest can enjoy the sun.” He leveled a stare at her. “I’ve killed, Allison. Difference was; every life I took saved countless others.”
His gaze held hers captive, challenging her while the seconds ticked slowly by. For some reason, the confession brought a lump of emotion to Allie’s throat and her eyes burned with the urge to cry. He’d no doubt seen his share of evil.
“Sounds lonely,” she rasped.
“Has to be.” He finished off the last of his food and pushed his plate to the side. “Are you done?”
Allie looked down at her half-eaten plate. Her appetite had evaporated a while ago. “Yes.”
He peeled an obscenely large amount of cash from the top of his money clip and placed it in the middle of the table, leaving Allie to stutter incoherently about her treating him to dinner, and how they should at least go Dutch.
He just ignored her and slid out of the table before offering her his arm. Allie took it, enjoying the warmth and hard muscle beneath her fingertips even though he’d just unloaded on her.
This was one of the most bizarre dates she’d ever had. She’d never felt more conflicted in her life.
They walked out the front of the restaurant in silence. Allie was all-too happy to remain that way. She looked down at Matthew’s scarred hands again and swallowed as a jolt of fear splintered through her. Those hands had killed. The idea was terrifying.
Driving back to the PPMS building, Allie used the opportunity to take in Matthew’s profile from under her lashes. Tinted windows seemed to put everything in a strange, dark bubble. The outside lights of the evening traffic reflected golden beams off Matthew’s bronze hair and traced white lines down the edge of his smooth nose, lips, and chin.
What did she want with this man? She’d been asking herself that same question all afternoon. From all accounts, she’d be better off to tell him goodnight and be grateful when they went their own ways. She had a feeling he was trying to scare her into doing just that. But . . . now she’d come this far she wanted to know more. Matthew was all dark carnality and mystery, a real life Rambo, rubbing over her senses like velvet, seducing her at every turn. She wanted to delve head first into whatever darkness she sensed he’d been warning her about tonight. She didn’t care what consequences could result, as long as it meant she’d be spending more time with him.
The SUV rumbled to a stop behind Allie’s car—of course Matthew knew which one was hers, it was the only 2000 model in the lot—and he shut off the engine.
They turned to each other at the same time, which would have been funny, had it not filled the atmosphere with instant crackles of electricity. Allie cleared her throat, lost in Matthew’s green eyes, unnervingly close to her in the dark. That damned magnetism was in full force, tugging her eyelids closed and shooting her heart rate on a sprint through her veins.
She swallowed. “Matthew, look. . .”
He seemed to snap out of their weird connection and quickly opened his door. “Wait,” he commanded before walking to the other side and opening the Escalade’s passenger-side door for her. His fingers wrapped around hers, a cool anchor as he helped her out, sending shocks and tingles coursing up her arm and bringing her blood to a full rolling boil. He must have felt it, too, because as soon as he released her hand, his fingers flexed at his thigh.
His head cocked to the side as he regarded her, his face shut down so Allie had no idea what was going through his mind. No doubt about it, standing face-to-face with this Grecian god had the heat of Allie’s rising lust stoking by the second. Her tongue ran nervously over her upper lip, drawing that deep green gaze back to her mouth again.
A growl rumbled deep in his throat. “Screw it,” his voice a harsh rasp.
Allie’s back landed against the side of her car door as Matthew covered her with his body. He was a wall of hard muscle, every inch of him pressing against every inch of her, lighting up her nerve endings like a pinball machine. His thigh pushed between her legs and that delicious part of him shifted to that part of her that was currently on the verge of short-circuiting.
Holy, sweet mother of mercy, she thought with a gasp. She’d never felt anything like this before. It was too much; she was going to combust.
Her ragged breathing was cut off when his lips slanted over hers. Astonishingly soft and gentle, his mouth asked without words for her submission. Her answering sigh gave him the opening he needed and his tongue was suddenly filling her mouth, stroking and entwining; hot, and wet, and tasting like heaven. His hands laced through her hair at the back of her head until his fingertips grazed the base of her skull. She shivered and heat blossomed inside her belly like a golden flower. His fingers constricted around her hair, gently twisting her head to the side, giving him access to her throat. His breath was a cool draft against her skin. Pebbling goose bumps rose up to meet his lips while his teeth grazed and nipped against her skin, his mouth a soft, velvet brush following in their wake.
When he bit down softly over the side of her throat, she cried out.
A hand skated up the outline of her ribs, drawing a moan from her throat that rumbled against his mouth.
“Matthew,” his name a benediction on her lips.
He drew back enough to settle his forehead against hers before he pulled completely away.
“No, wait.” Her fingers grasped for him, but came away with only empty air.
A starving man’s eyes met hers seconds before he dragged in a deep breath and his expression closed down hard. “I don’t do this, Allie. You don’t want me. This”—he motioned between them—“won’t work. There is no happily ever after here. I don’t do relationships. I fuck and leave; and you’re not the kind of girl to take that.”
His words stung like a slap and she winced.
“Oh.”
She fumbled in her purse, fishing for her keys. As soon as she was able to secure them between her shaking fingers she jammed them into the car door. “You’re right, I guess,” she mumbled. When she felt brave enough, she looked up at him, barely able to hold his gaze without cringing. “Thank you for the dinner. I was planning on paying.” She forced a smile and climbed into the driver’s seat.
Matthew, looking far too calm and composed, leaned in before she could shut the door on his face. “Drive safely, Allie,” he breathed. “Goodnight.”
She narrowed her eyes at him as she cranked the car’s engine over. “You don’t scare me, you know.” She puffed her chest up with her last reserves of courage and added, “And how do you know what kind of girl I am?”
With that, she left Matthew, his mouth popped open, and drove for home.
Chapter nine
Allie came in through the front door on auto-pilot. Her brain was working on
overload, anxiously trying to compartmentalize the huge mess of emotions swirling around her head. Anger. Lust. Fear. Longing. Sadness. All vying for attention beneath her too-thin skin like a bruise. There was a lot of negativity that came with Matthew.
Major understatement, there. She rolled her eyes.
The man was a health hazard—and not just mentally. Her heart was banging an angry rampage against her ribs, joined by her aching libido. Her legs were rubber, her flesh on fire. The surge of blood inside her cheeks still roaring.
Somehow she managed to kick off her single shoe and stow her purse in her room before she wandered into the crackerjack family room and planted herself on the sofa. Boy, she’d be happy to get this stupid boot off. Her head lolled back into the well-worn cushions as she sighed. Her fingers brushed over her swollen lips as the memory of his scorching kiss tingled beneath her light touch.
“Ahh,” she breathed—moaned?—with unfulfilled frustration. His touch was still burning her insides up, even now.
“Allie!” Lainie’s screech sent Allie a foot in the air.
“Lainie!” Allie’s widened eyes snapped shut as she clambered over the arm of the couch, tripping over her stupid booted foot as she went. Oh, gross! Gross! She kept her eyes squeezed shut, but the image of an almost-naked Lainie and Jason had been etched inside her skull—probably permanently.
“Shit!” Jason’s voice muffled though a cotton shirt he was, no doubt, tugging over his head.
“I’m sorry!” Allie wailed. “I didn’t notice you were . . . erm . . . in the middle of . . . uh, yeah . . . when I came in.”
“What the hell, Allie! Didn’t you see the heart?” Lainie’s voice was breathless.
Allie and Lainie had decided to hang a heart ornament outside the door if one of them was busy with a guy. That way, if one of them saw the heart, they’d know to text the other to make sure it was all clear before coming inside. A girly version of the tie on the doorknob. So far, Lainie had been the only one to use the thing.
“Crap, Lainie. I’m sorry. I didn’t even notice.” Shit, she must have seriously been in La La Land.
Allie peeked through her fingers and sighed with relief.
Clothes. Thank goodness.
Jason was all bright-eyed and bushy-tailed; his hair standing out at all angles like he’d taken a few volts from a stun gun. Allie’s gaze flew to the ceiling after she caught a glimpse of Jason’s tent pole in his Levis. Barf . . . she was going to need to work on some serious repression techniques to get that image out of her head.
Lainie flashed wide what-is-your-deal eyes over her shoulder before tugging Jason to the door.
Allie’s arms wrapped over her head and she flopped back into the couch with an oomph! Lainie and Jason were making friendly in the doorway while Allie tried to block them out. Finally, the front door opened and shut, and then Lainie was sitting on the couch a foot away from her.
Both their eyes made the rounds along the circumference of the room before they locked in an awkward exchange with each other. Lainie’s face mirrored Allie’s own horror-riddled expression. Allie took in Lainie’s rat-nest hair and miss-buttoned shirt and broke out in laughter. Lainie joined in, shoulders relaxing, until they were both forced to wipe away tears.
When she could breathe again, Allie shook her head. “Geeze, Lainie. I had no idea you could get your legs up so high! I could have folded you up and mailed you to China!”
“Shut up!” Lainie lobbed one of Jason’s forgotten socks at her face.
Allie’s eyebrows rose. “So, you and Jason again, huh? Was this just a booty call or are you two together now?”
Lainie bent down to scrounge her bra out from under the couch. “Don’t know”—she shrugged—“He was looking good the other night. Maybe this time it’ll stick for more than a week.”
Allie shook her head. She would not lecture her again about free ice cream or buying cows.
Lainie’s eyes narrowed. “I see that, Allison Young.”
“What?”
“You know what. Your stuffy librarian face. The one that always comes before the granny lecture on giving it away for free.”
Allie rolled her eyes. “Honestly, Lainie! That was one time, and it was advice, not a lecture. Remember . . . after Jason had just crushed your heart for the bazillienth time?”
Chin tucked into her chest, Lainie started re-buttoning her shirt. “Your problem is you don’t give it up enough. You’re not ever going to get laid with an attitude like that.”
If only Lainie knew Allie had been all spread out under Matthew, doing her best impression of Jezebel only a half hour before.
“What was that look?” Lainie’s eyebrow arched.
Allie flushed “What look?” Oh, crap. Busted.
“That starved, me-so-horny look.” Both eyebrows up now.
Allie cringed. “Nothing.”
“Uh, huh.” Lainie’s lips twisted to the side. “You look like you’ve been up to shenanigans of your own tonight.” Eyelashes batted with feigned innocence. “Would this have anything to do with the dangerous sex god you went to see this afternoon?”
“How do you know Matthew’s a sex god?”
“Oh, please, Allie. You can smell the virility on that man a mile away.”
Allie sighed. Lainie got a little action and wound up like the Energizer Bunny. “I got one minute particle of action. He kissed me.”
Lainie’s mouth hit the floor. “Serious?”
“Well,” Allie added, “it was more like attacked, actually.”
“Oh, boy. I’m telling you. Men like that are all or nothing. Best thing to do is dig your nails in and hope to hell you can hold on for the ride.” Lainie smirked.
Allie laughed. “You’re nuts tonight.”
Lainie’s mouth spread with a grin. “It’s all this pent up, unfulfilled lust. If you’d have waited ten more minutes to barge in, I’d have been calm as a Hindu cow.”
“Gross.” Post-coital Lainie. Allie did not need that image.
“So how’d it go? Good, from the sound of it.” Lainie’s face was all open and expecting.
After a brief regaling of PPMS, the uncomfortable dinner, and then the big make out, Allie added, “He’s so dark and brooding. And I think, maybe a little crazy.”
Lainie’s lips pursed. “Sounds like it. Sexy as hell, though.”
No arguing with that. Allie sighed.
“What are you going to do?” Lainie asked.
Allie shook her head. “No clue. He’s just so . . . much. I like him, but I think he’s most likely got a huge amount of baggage in the way. So,” she sighed. “I’m leaving it up to him; ball’s in his court. I’ve already gone so far out of my comfort zone, tracking him down, I don’t have it in me to keep pushing.”
Lainie nodded. “That’s a hard one.” She stood and gathered the remaining, discarded clothing on the floor. Blue eyes briefly met Allie’s. “Who knows, though? He seems into you. Maybe he’ll come around.” She shrugged and folded her in a brief goodnight hug.
Once Lainie had wandered off to her bedroom Allie slumped down into the couch, letting the cushions well up around her. “Probably not a winning plan to put things in fate’s hands,” she muttered unhappily. She had the feeling that if it came down to Matthew and fate, Matthew would punch fate in the face.
Chapter ten
That night Allie woke with her back arching high off the bed and her head pressing deep into her pillows.
Green eyes shone in the dark like a phantom above her.
Matthew.
She’d kicked her sheets into a lump at the bottom of her mattress, exposing her tee-shirt-clad figure. Matthew’s hands were on her thighs, curving around her flesh, his fingers digging in as they pushed the tee-shirt up to expose her panties and belly.
Her heart thundered through her chest. “W-what are you doing here?” her voice a breathless moan. She was having a difficult time framing whole sentences when his fingers were tracing over her calves
and ankles and sending fissures of heat licking through her belly.
That hypnotic, dark gaze drew her in from above her knees. “I had to see you, Allison.” Warm lips pressed a hot kiss just above her kneecap on the inside of her thigh. “I can’t get you out of my head.” He kissed her again, an inch higher this time, and Allie fought to control the quivering in her legs. His kisses moved relentlessly and deliciously higher, breath blistered over her hypersensitive skin.
So much sensation.
Her fingers knotted into the mattress’ sheet, determined to hold herself together and make it last. She was going to enjoy his exploration of her body for as long as she could . . . .
He nuzzled her thigh with the edge of his smooth jaw, thick eyelashes fluttering closed as he inhaled, drew her scent in like she was his only source of oxygen and he’d been deprived for far too long. Those perfect white teeth flashed just before they set into her supple skin and Allie arched high off the bed again.
“You drive me wild, baby.”
Suddenly, he was on top of her and she cried out in surprise.
Oh! He could move fast. His body all hard marble sliding beneath hot flesh, pressing her into the mattress like he would scorch their two bodies into one. When his hips swiveled into hers, Allie gasped.
Matthew’s eyes held hers while a greedy mouth swallowed her gasp. His tongue plundered her mouth, taking all she freely offered: twisting and stroking over hers in an erotic dance.
He pulled away, leaving her breathless and quivering, and his teeth shined again with a brutal smile.
“What you do to me . . . you strip me of all control.”
His fingertips played over her skin, light as butterfly wings, traced over each breast, driving Allie mad with the need for so much more.
Captured at Nightfall (Capture My Heart Love Story) Page 6