Her head rose, her chin jutting with that stubborn thrust until his brain blared ambush!
“Well then flyboy, if I’ve always turned you inside out, why did you tell me you wanted us to see other people?”
Chapter Eight
McKenzie desperately wanted to gulp back her question about why Vince dumped her and just return to an evening free of worries or heartbreak.
Holy cow, had she really blurted such a vulnerable admission to him instead of simply walking inside and enjoying a taste of Ybor City’s finest cuisine? Argh! But now that the words were out there, backing down would only make her appear more vulnerable.
Vince jammed his fists into his jeans pockets. “Do we really want to ruin this date by discussing why we broke up?”
“We didn’t break up, flyboy. You did.” And since she wasn’t backing down, might as well go for broke. She jabbed his chest with a finger. “And you can play at this dating thing all you want, but it doesn’t change facts. You just up and dumped me, you rat bastard!”
“McKenzie—”
She poked again, rock solid man not budging. “Maybe you were sorry enough later to decide you should pick things up when you returned to the States—”
“Will you let me talk?”
Old insecurities from her marriage bubbled to life. “And you figured geeky ole engineer McKenzie would be grateful to have you.”
“You’re kidding me, right?” Whisking McKenzie into semi-privacy behind a club marquee, Vince hauled her into his arms, his head descending.
Just a brush of his lips over hers sent liquid fire shooting from her toes to her hair, then pooling where she longed to have him fill her.
Whoa, baby.
Whoa, mama!
How could he have forgotten the full potency of a McKenzie kiss? Like dumping raw fuel into a jet engine, kicking absolutely everything into afterburners until the nightlife around them, people and cars, faded.
Away from the crowd, he shielded her with his body and kissed her until his brain went numb. Other parts of him, however, were anything but numb.
He went rock hard in his jeans until the zipper damn near left an imprint. Groaning, she pressed closer, not near close enough though, with the slight swell between them.
Gentle, pal.
He eased his hold on her, while still searching the hot moist depths of her mouth with his tongue. His hands glided up and down her back, stroking, savoring. He had to get control of himself. He wasn’t some teenager for God’s sake.
Vince rested his forehead on hers, his breathing too ragged for talk, much less walking. Maybe they could stay in this safe little corner for the next couple of months until his heart rate slowed to normal again.
McKenzie settled against him with one of those sexy whisper sighs. “I guess that’s why we always ended up in bed.”
“Huh?” Words. Need ‘em. Soon.
“We don’t know how to talk to each other.”
Talk? He didn’t want to tell her why he’d broken up until he had his head on straight. Except looking into her eyes, he realized he’d run out of time for excuses. She was too smart—and she deserved the truth.
Hell, this was tougher than jumping out of an airplane. “I know how torn up you were over losing your husband.” Jealousy pinched. Hard. And how damn dumb was that since the man was dead? “I didn’t want to put you through that again if something happened to me over in the Middle East.”
Her laser blue eyes narrowed. “So let me get this straight. You broke my heart so you wouldn’t break my heart by dying?”
“Umm…” He scratched his buzzed short hair, the ambush alert doubling. “Pretty much.”
McKenzie snorted. “Either you’re the biggest idiot I’ve ever met, or you’re lying to yourself.”
Chapter Nine
Vince’s expression closed so fast McKenzie struggled not to snap her fingers in front of his face to bring him back to her. But he wouldn’t go for a scene in the middle of a crowded street full of late night revelers.
Sure enough, he palmed her waist and started walking as if nothing had happened. “We’re going to miss our dinner reservation.”
“Can’t we go somewhere more private to talk?” With no more toe-tingling kisses to scramble her thoughts. “Or we could request a to-go box and—”
“Are you afraid to sit in a romantic restaurant with me?”
Duh! Even so, she couldn’t miss that he’d dodged any probing questions about their breakup, and she wasn’t quitting. But she also couldn’t miss his bulldog expression that told her all she needed to know.
He wouldn’t be ponying up any confidences tonight.
The next morning, McKenzie strode into her office at MacDill AFB. Not to work though. Vince had been adamant about her promise to take time off and quite frankly, now she wondered if he needed the vacation more than she did.
But if she didn’t want to fall behind during their week of dates, she needed her laptop and a few files on runway renovations. Although she wasn’t sure how she actually would work with Vince’s big shadow stretching over her 24/7, bringing fantasies of having the actual man stretch his hot long length over her as well…
She fanned herself with a file from her cluttered desk, her eyes gravitating to the hall where Vince stood beside a table of fundraising military spouses who were selling Valentine’s candy. He’d been on the phone with base security police and even the OSI—Office of Special Investigations—trying to ID her stalker. God, how could she have missed the fact that the letter showing up in her car on base could be significant?
Her eyes skated back to the cubicles sporting cupid cutouts and fuzzy red hearts. She worked in a predominantly male office, half military, half civilian employees like her. Could one of her trusted coworkers be so sexually twisted? She must have considered that on at least some level before now since she’d never told any of them about the letters or calls.
She studied those closest to her—recently-divorced Judd to her left, single-nerdy Carl to her right, both civilians. Each had offered to walk her to her car on late nights working, a thoughtful gesture she hated questioning.
“Boo!”
McKenzie jolted. Looked. Found Ruthie—the only other female in the office, a model gorgeous, hyperactive genius in Air Force blues—peering over a cubicle wall. “Holy cow, Ruthie, you scared me.”
“Sorry! Well, not really, because if I hadn’t sneaked up on you, you would have slipped away.” Ducking around, Ruthie pointed toward Vince in the hall. “Details, girl. Spill.”
Ruthie was a sweetie, but had a habit of interfering in other people’s love lives as frequently as she popped candy. Maybe Judd or Carl could use a push in Ruthie’s direction to keep her occupied. As long as one of them wasn’t a letter-writing creep.
McKenzie leaned against her desk, shuffling aside a tiny abacus Vince had brought her from Japan. “I’m assuming he called for your help to make sure I would be there for his jump.”
“Guilty as charged!” Wispy auburn curls sneaking free from her French braid in the humidity, Ruthie fished into her drawer for a box of conversation hearts. “Wasn’t that the most romantic thing? Judd and Carl were certain you’d be pissed, but I insisted it was worth a try.”
Carl rolled back from his cube. “Well, she did storm off after he landed.”
Judd strolled from the copier. “Hope you’re not still mad. No offense, but you were getting downright morose. So we resorted to desperate measures for the holiday. It seems to have worked.”
McKenzie held up her hand. “Vince and I are using this week to sort out legalities for the baby. I’m sorry to leave you short handed with the upcoming inspection of the clinic renovations.”
“You take all the time you need,” Judd said. “As long as you’re back in time to help oversee the runway repairs, we can handle things here.” His puppy-dog-sad gaze fell to the picture of his ex-wife, still resting on his desk. “It’s not like I notice overtime anymore.”
&nb
sp; Awkward silence alert.
Ruthie crunched her candy triple-time.
Carl leaned forward, chair creaking. “Novak had better be treating you right.”
Maybe broadcasting a few details about Vince trying to win her back would discourage her caller. “He’s romancing me to death, flowers, chocolate, fancy dinners out.”
Ruthie sighed, clutching her box of conversation hearts. “How sweet.”
“Poor bastard,” Judd muttered.
“I need to be sure, and it’s all so scary.” The admission slipped out before she could think to guard her words, but darn it, these were supposed to be her friends.
Ruthie slid an arm around her shoulders. “Of course you need to be careful, honey. But did you ever think maybe he’s as scared as you are?”
Invincible Vince? Scared? Sheesh, was that the world rocking under her feet, or what? Ruthie might well have a point, one that tugged at McKenzie more than a little. Still, as much as she admired Vince’s strength of will, the man resisted any offers of comfort or help.
Which meant that come time for their next date, she would have to maneuver the master of maneuvering into a quiet evening alone so she could tear down a few of those walls he built around himself.
Chapter Ten
Vince stretched his arm along the truck seat, letting his fingers toy with McKenzie’s hair as they sat parked at a drive-in movie on date number three.
While she watched the movie, he tipped his head and stared up at the night sky. God, he loved to fly, but he wanted this woman beside him. He also wanted their kid and didn’t want to be a gone-all-the-time parent.
Not that he would even have a choice if he didn’t win her back. Soon.
Time was moving too fast. He had to sway her before mega-smart McKenzie launched them into some discussion that would surely spell the end of any chance of her marrying him.
Yeah, he’d finally gotten past the shock of the idea of him getting hitched. He hadn’t been thinking about marriage when he’d jumped out of the plane, but he probably would have gotten around to that point eventually. The baby just put life on fast forward.
For tonight’s date, he’d planned to take her to a beach restaurant with live music and then for a seaside walk, but she’d looked so tired after her trip to the office. He’d been worried she was working too hard.
She’d simply smiled and answered she didn’t do well with late night partying anymore. Could they go somewhere quiet? Just the two of them?
He’d felt like an insensitive ass. Of course she needed to put her feet up. Hadn’t she suffered enough stress during her pregnancy with their breakup, his deployment and then that pervert invading her life? He felt better now that the OSI was investigating the people in her office, but he’d still be looking over his shoulder.
While pampering the hell out of this amazing woman he’d been stupid enough to turn away.
So he’d suggested an early drive-in movie, the Florida sea breeze perfect for snuggling without freezing. He’d even opted for the sappy Valentine’s love-fest he normally wouldn’t have watched even if his crew double-dog dared him. And now that he thought of it, this would offer the perfect place for the making out they’d always skipped in lieu of going directly to sex.
If she would just give him the okay, thus releasing him from his promise.
McKenzie lifted her plastic container of nachos closer to her mouth to keep from spilling the yellow goo loosely known as cheese. “Ohmigod, these nachos are amazing. I don’t recall them ever tasting this good before. I wonder what the secret ingredient is?”
He’d heard about cravings, but never seen them in action. Her bliss over processed cheese and stale tortilla chips was a sight to behold.
“Want some?” she whispered, as if not wanting to miss a second of the movie echoing through the tinny sounding speaker.
“Nah, I’ve got my Raisinettes.” He rattled the box.
“Raisinettes?” Her eyes lit with interest.
He started to offer her the box—and paused. Instead, he dumped a few into his hand and picked up one, reaching to feed her. Would she let him? He wasn’t actually mentioning sex.
Hesitation flickered in her eyes a second before her tongue peeked out for a slight, slow lick along her plump lips. Her mouth fell open.
He popped the candy into her mouth, allowing his thumb the briefest brush along her bottom lip, the hint of blue glow from the big screen filtering through his windshield. Her eyes closed in ecstasy as she chewed.
Her lashes swept up again, fast. “Wait. I wanted to talk tonight, a big part of why I didn’t want to go to a restaurant.”
Talk? Send him packing more likely. To hell with waiting. Like McKenzie had said before. A kiss wasn’t sex.
He popped another Raisinette into her mouth. “I can think of far better things to do with our mouths than talking.”
Vince shifted, truck seat squeaking as he lowered his head to capture McKenzie‘s surprise-parted lips.
Chapter Eleven
Vince’s kiss beat any big screen equivalent currently blazing from the drive in cinema. Not that McKenzie had the least inclination to watch the romantic movie any longer. She had her own real life hero in her arms, stroking broad hands over her while they fogged up his truck windows fast.
Her plan to slip past Vince’s emotional walls had been derailed by the ever-present temptation to fall into his arms. She couldn’t talk to him when they were in a crowd—but she couldn’t talk to him when they were alone because she couldn’t keep her hands off him.
And oh my, were her fingers ever having fun while she enjoyed the taste of Vince mixed with the lingering hint of chocolate from his Raisinettes.
Suddenly, Vince broke away. “Holy crap, what was that?”
“A great kiss?”
“No. That.” His hand fell to rest on her stomach in a warm weight. “It kicked me.”
The baby rolled under his touch—must have rolled before as well, but she’d been too wrapped up in making out to notice. “Junior moves around a lot these days.”
His brown eyes went wide with amazement. “I knew babies kicked, but I had no idea how much or how hard. Wow!”
As she watched him revel in this first for him as a father, she couldn’t help but think how they were forever linked by this child she already loved more than life. And as much as Vince tempted her to try again, she didn’t have the luxury of a wait-and-see approach. She had to make the right choice. Her son or daughter deserved stability, which meant she had to find out more about what rumbled around in Vince’s head ASAP.
Because if she invited him back into her life, she had to be certain that this time he would stay.
Vince hunched over his kitchen table with his laptop computer and a breakfast burrito—McKenzie’s current craving. Thank goodness for the internet, which he was using to search for date ideas.
There hadn’t been a call or letter since the McDonald’s incident that had damn-near driven him insane with fear for her safety, but he still didn’t want to let her out of his sight any more than necessary.
Although living together was giving him a permanent erection.
At least the oak dinette table camouflaged just how much she affected him. The way she was shooting down his outing ideas, he could make use of the table’s cammo effect for hours to come since they might not be going anywhere.
They’d enjoyed an incredible kiss at the drive-in. He’d thought things were going great, and then she’d turned quiet, focusing on her nachos and the movie again.
Okay. He could be patient. But he’d followed the How to Romance Your Valentine suggestions to the letter, and so far no luck, with nearly half of his dates past. Too bad the book was clear across the condo, tucked in his sock drawer.
Might as well go for the laugh. “What about the ‘Big Cat Rescue Two for One Day Tour’?”
Choking on a bite, McKenzie swiped salsa from the corner of her mouth. “You’re kidding, right?”
; “Have you been before?”
Damn, but her smile turned him inside out. Maybe he should just check e-mail instead. Given all the pings coming in, it sounded like he was getting spammed.
She reached for the sour cream and slathered an extra spoonful on the tip of her burrito. “How about I pick this date?”
He watched her wrap her mouth around the burrito, email spam long forgotten, because heaven help him he was turning into a sex-starved lunatic.
What had she just said? Oh. Yeah. She wanted to pick their nest date. Ah, crap. “Sure. Cool. But just make sure there’s enough food for me. I’m not into tea rooms or cucumber sandwiches.”
“No problem.” Her wicked smile tightened his groin as much as his stomach. “I think you’re going to like this very, very much.”
Chapter Twelve
Vince’s shout reverberated through McKenzie’s ears and darn near deafened her. But choosing this locale had been well worth it to elicit such a boisterous response from him during their outing.
No doubt he’d been surprised when she suggested watching an arena football game for their date, surprised enough to put away his laptop computer without even checking e-mail. And wasn’t it fun to stun him for a change?
They’d enjoyed an awesomely normal date that was drawing to a close. The final period roar echoed off the ceiling as the Tampa Bay Storm finished taking on the Orlando Predators.
Who cared which team won? She’d eaten all the nachos she could scarf down and Vince was having fun, relaxing for the first time since he’d landed at her feet in a whoosh of parachute and shock. Hopefully, helping him loosen up would loosen his tongue for talking as well during their hour and a half drive back to Tampa from Orlando.
Looping his arm around her waist, Vince tucked her to his side as they threaded through the crowd out of the arena, protective and romantic and so hot, hot, hot she struggled to keep her brain engaged.
A Valentine for Harlequin's Anniversary Page 10