A Kiss in the Dark

by Karen Foley

  Until now.

  It was as if an unseen hand had tilted the world ever so slightly on its axis, causing the very laws of nature to redefine themselves. He recalled again those three little words she’d uttered, and the instantaneous surge of reaction they’d elicited.

  I want you.

  Christ. He’d responded like a horny teenager. How was it that a woman he’d scarcely noticed until a few short hours ago was now the single, white-hot point of focus in his life? He wanted to consume her, to eat her alive.

  He raked a hand over his hair. Madre de Dios. For several minutes, he’d completely lost control.

  What was worse, though, was how much he’d liked it.

  7

  “LET’S GO GET that bite to eat.”

  Angel growled the words as he thrust the car into gear and maneuvered out of the parking lot. He drove faster than he should have, but there was no question he handled the car with smooth efficiency.

  Sedona risked a peek at him, more unnerved than she cared to admit by the raw hunger and energy that rolled off him in waves. She ran a shaky hand through her hair, still stunned by what had just happened.

  The reality of being kissed by Angel was far different than the fantasies she’d indulged in.

  Her trembling fingers absently traced the swollen fullness of her lips as she remembered the fierce intensity of Angel’s kiss and the all-consuming passion that had both shocked and delighted her.

  Any girlish daydreams she’d harbored about him had been completely and utterly destroyed in the scant moments she’d been gripped in his arms. In her feeble imaginings, she’d envisioned Angel as a tender, considerate lover who would woo her with gentle patience and all the gallant consideration of his rank, anticipating her needs and satisfying them with sweet eagerness. Never had she imagined the incredible strength or heat that had accompanied his embrace, sweeping over her like a firestorm, melting her resistance—if she had any—and incinerating her on the spot.

  Her breasts ached where he’d touched them; no, where he’d devoured them. Just the memory of his dark head bent over her, tasting her, caused liquid heat to gather at her core. She thrummed with longing.

  Neither of them spoke as Angel negotiated the busy local roads and pulled in to the parking lot of a small pub. He was clearly disturbed by their encounter, but Sedona couldn’t tell if he was pissed off, disgusted by her behavior or just plain regretted his response to her.

  He turned off the engine, but when it seemed he would get out of the car without saying anything to her, Sedona reached over and touched his arm. He stiffened and slowly turned to face her.

  Sedona recoiled at the raw flame she saw in his eyes. He waited, not saying anything, but a muscle worked in his lean jaw.

  She wet her lips nervously. “I, um—I’m not sorry about what happened back there. So if you’re going to apologize to me for your less-than-gentlemanly behavior, forget it. I don’t want to hear it.”

  He smiled then, a predatory smile that caused Sedona’s heart to kick into high gear. “I have no intention of apologizing, mina.” His eyes raked over her, the intensity of his scrutiny as palpable as if he had touched her. “But before we get completely carried away and do something we both regret, we need to talk.”

  “Oh.” Sedona nibbled her lower lip and stared at him uncertainly. Was she right? Did he regret kissing her? If there was even the slightest chance of getting him into her bed, she certainly didn’t want to give him any opportunity to talk himself out of it. She could almost hear the arguments he’d present: he had a thing about getting involved with coworkers, or his military career made relationships impossible, or he had too much integrity to screw around with somebody while they were on official business.

  She watched him as he gave a self-deprecating laugh and rubbed the back of his neck with one hand. “You blew me away back there. You know that, don’t you?”

  “I did?” Sedona couldn’t keep the pleased surprise out of her voice. She’d been operating on pure instinct, responding to him on a primal level. He’d overwhelmed her senses, reduced her to a quivering mass of greedy nerve endings that clamored for more, and he was saying she’d blown him away? Maybe she was better at this sex thing than she realized.

  With newfound confidence, she slanted him what she hoped was a come-hither look from beneath her lashes. “Well, consider that the appetizer, flyboy. Just wait until I serve up the entrée.”

  Angel’s surprised laugh gave way to a choking fit as he stared at her in utter disbelief. “You’re not serious?”

  “Why not?”

  Angel made a noise that was part laugh and part groan. “It’s just that I’m having a little trouble convincing myself you’re for real. One minute, you’re this no-nonsense engineer who’s all about getting the job done. The next, you’re this smokin’-hot babe who practically gets me off in the driver’s seat of a car in broad daylight! Pardon me if I’m just a little confused by it all.”

  Happiness, pure and dizzying, swept through Sedona. She’d done it. She’d made him want her, maybe even as much as she wanted him. All her life, she’d been called the brainy one, the sensible one. Hearing Angel describe her as hot was amazing. She knew she had the advantage and there was no way she was letting it go. She was nothing if not determined.

  “Oh, I’m for real,” she murmured, and leaned toward him, not at all deterred when he pulled back, as if afraid she might touch him. “And just so there’s no confusion, I’m definitely all about getting the job done.”

  Angel’s eyes drifted to her mouth and lingered there for several long seconds. In the next instant, he seemed to give himself a mental shake. “Oh, no, lady,” he growled softly, “we’re not doing a repeat performance in this parking lot. We’re going to go inside and have something to eat. Then, after we’ve cooled down, maybe we can talk about this rationally without jumping on each other.”

  Sedona smiled. She did want to jump him. “Okay,” she conceded, “but can’t we do fast food or, even better, takeout?”

  He chuckled warmly and squeezed her fingers. “We’ll save that for another night.”

  Clearly, there would be no more exchange of delicious intimacies until he’d had his chance to talk. But at least he’d said there would be another night. All was not lost.

  She gave him a quick smile. “All right. Something tells me we’re going to need sustenance, so let’s go eat.”

  She didn’t wait for him, but opened the car door and climbed out, taking a quick opportunity to comb her fingers through her hair and smooth her clothing. The sun was just beginning to sink over the horizon, streaking the skies with brilliant pinks and yellows. Even now, Sedona could feel the heat of the day beginning to subside, with the promise of a cooler night in store.

  Inside the pub, Angel steered her past the lounge area, with its noisy crowd of young people, to a booth in a quiet corner. Sedona was scarcely aware of ordering her meal. She was completely focused on the man who sat on the other side of the table.

  He perused the menu and after the waitress had taken his order, sat back and surveyed their surroundings as he absently drummed his long fingers against the table. They might have been complete strangers for all the notice he took of her. Sedona sipped her drink and played with the stir stick as she watched him from beneath her lashes. Finally, unable to stand his inattention any longer, she cleared her throat.

  “So…you wanted to talk?”

  Almost reluctantly, he turned to look at her. He held her gaze for several long moments in which Sedona was unable to discern his thoughts, before turning his attention to the beer he cradled in his palms.

  “You must know I find you attractive,” he said at last. When he glanced up at her, his eyes were banked with heat. “I guess I’ve made that pretty obvious.”

  Sedona swallowed. Why was this beginning to sound like a gentle brush-off? “I’m sorry. I know I came on pretty strong—”

  “Let me finish,” he admonished, taking the sting
out of his words by slanting her a quick grin. “I had absolutely no problem with the way you came on to me. But I think it’s only fair to let you know I’m not in the market for a serious relationship.”

  Sedona almost sagged with relief. “That’s great. Neither am I.”

  He gave her a look that clearly said he didn’t believe her.

  “Really, I’m not,” she insisted. “It’s just that—well, it’s just that I’ve had this thing for you for so long now. And here we are, together for a couple of weeks… I just thought…”

  “You just thought you could indulge in a little sexfest with the itinerant military guy, and nobody would ever know, is that it?”

  “What? No! My God, I can’t believe you’d even think that!” Sedona stared at him in horror, despite the fact that was exactly what she’d thought. “I’ve never done anything like this before in my life.”

  Angel sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose between his fingers. “Okay, forget I said that. You’re right, I don’t really believe it, anyway.” He leaned back in the booth and considered her. “I must be insane to even question your motives. I mean, what do I care what they are? You’ve made it clear you’re interested in me. You’re attractive and single, so why shouldn’t I take you up on your offer?”

  Sedona gave him a wary smile. “Right.”

  “So long as we both go into this with our eyes open, with the understanding that it will only last for as long as we’re out here, right?”

  “Right.” Sedona moistened her lips, hope flaring inside her. “I mean, it would be too uncomfortable if we continued to see each other when we got back to the office.” She didn’t see any reason to tell him that for her, there would be no going back to the office.

  “Right.”

  “So…we’re on?”

  Angel laughed. “We’re on. Jesus, this is just too weird.”

  Sedona tilted her head to one side. “I don’t know, I’d think it’s what every guy fantasizes about. I mean, think about it.”

  “Oh, I have,” he said, and let his gaze travel deliberately over her.

  Sedona blushed. She could scarcely believe she was really going to do this. She hadn’t had a relationship of any kind since she’d been in college, and even that had been more physical than emotional. She’d briefly dated a guy in one of her thermodynamics classes, and while the sex had been good, it hadn’t been great. Too many times, Sedona had been left unsatisfied, wanting more. Pragmatic to the core, she’d become pretty adept at satisfying herself. After that, having a guy in her life had seemed, well, superfluous.

  As a whole, she found men to be self-absorbed, needy creatures. Thanks, but no thanks. After she graduated and took the government engineering job, she hadn’t met anyone who interested her on any level.

  But with Angel… Suddenly she couldn’t wait to find out what it would be like to have him in her life, even on a temporary basis. He didn’t strike her as being egocentric. And she was quite certain that his lovemaking would never leave her frustrated or wanting.

  Their food arrived, saving Sedona from having to respond to Angel’s words, but as she looked down at her plate, she realized she wasn’t the least bit hungry. Her stomach was knotted with nervous anticipation.

  “So,” she blurted as Angel took a healthy bite of his burger, “I notice you keep calling me mina. What does it mean?” She laughed and held up her hand. “I only want to know if it’s complimentary. I mean, if it’s something like man-hating she-bitch, please don’t tell me.”

  Angel smiled, clearly amused. “No, it doesn’t mean that, although I’m not so sure you’ll like the true translation.” He folded his napkin before he arched her a look that was half challenging, half defensive. “In Cuba, it means mine. Or my little one.”

  Sedona nearly choked on the iced tea she was sipping. Mine? As in…his? She coughed until her eyes watered and Angel half rose to his feet. She held up a hand to forestall him.

  “No,” she finally gasped. “I’m okay.” She took another, careful sip of her drink and wiped the moisture from her eyes. “It just surprised me, that’s all.”

  “I know, it sounds a little territorial and corny, but it’s actually a common form of address among Cubans.” He shrugged, and Sedona could have sworn that was embarrassment coloring his neck and jaw. “More like a casual endearment.”

  “Mmm. It’s fine.” She nodded, as if contemplating his words; as if she was accustomed to having men call her little one every day. But she couldn’t bring herself to meet his eyes for fear he’d see her pleasure. Instead, she snatched her napkin up, held it over her mouth and pretended to cough a little more. Anything to hide the silly grin that threatened to spill free.

  Mine. His.

  The words were more than just music to her ears. They were like a full violin concerto.

  “Well,” she said, when she could finally speak, “I think it’s very…sweet.” She gave him a bright smile. “I didn’t realize you were Cuban.”

  He shrugged again. “My parents fled Cuba in the sixties, after the revolution. I was raised in San Diego.”

  Sedona tilted her head as she considered him. “Not Miami? Don’t they have a huge Cuban population there?”

  He smiled. “Actually, I was born there. But my father wanted his kids to be raised in a community that was fully American. He said too many Cubans refuse to assimilate, believing they’ll eventually return to Cuba. So we moved to San Diego and…assimilated.”

  “Your mom didn’t mind?”

  Angel laughed, but Sedona thought it had a slightly bitter edge to it. “My mother still dreams of returning to Cuba. She let my dad move us to San Diego, but refused to speak anything but Spanish in our home.” He chuckled wryly. “She’d like nothing better than for me to marry a nice Cuban-American girl and settle down.”

  “Oh.” Sedona looked at her hands. Her pale, WASP hands. “Is that what you want?”

  There was silence and after a moment, Sedona looked up to see Angel smiling at her. “Is this a fishing expedition?”

  Sedona flushed. “Of course not. I was just making conversation.” She knew her voice sounded defensive, but couldn’t help it. Yes, dammit, it was a fishing expedition. Just because he didn’t have a ring on his finger didn’t mean he wasn’t committed to somebody.

  “Then the answer is no,” he said smoothly. “I have no desire to marry.”

  “Not ever?”

  He shrugged. “Not anytime soon. My job isn’t exactly conducive to settling down.”

  Angel’s dark eyes locked with hers, and for a brief instant, Sedona thought she saw something in their depths; regret. Then it was gone, carefully shuttered behind his roguish grin and nonchalant shrug. “Maybe someday, when the war is over, or when my flying days are done. Who knows?”

  Sedona tried to imagine what it would be like to be married to a guy like Angel. To send him off, not knowing if he’d come home or not, enduring long months without him. It would take a special woman to share his life on those terms, but Sedona was willing to bet she could do it. The guy was incredible, not just amazingly good-looking, but intelligent and funny, too. Not to mention that he kissed like a dream. It’d be hard to go six months without him, but she could do it in a heartbeat. The rewards would be well worth the wait.

  Angel took a swallow of beer. “I came close, once, but it didn’t work out.” He shrugged. “I guess we just weren’t meant for each other.”

  You were meant for me.

  For a moment, Sedona thought she might have uttered the words aloud. She glanced at Angel, but he continued to eat his meal with unrestrained gusto.

  “C’mon,” he urged her. “Eat your salad. The sooner we finish up, the sooner we can get out of here.”

  She glanced from her spinach salad to the robust burger he’d ordered for himself. She didn’t know how he could have an appetite.

  “Aren’t you nervous?” she finally asked.

  He washed down his mouthful of burger with a healthy
swig of beer before he spoke. “About us? Hell, yeah, but in a good way. It’s when you’re not nervous that you need to be worried. You don’t want to be too cocksure, because that’s when you make mistakes. Crash and burn, baby.”

  Sedona pushed her salad around with her fork, unable to suppress a smile. “Are we talking about sex, or flying?”

  He wiped his mouth and grinned unabashedly. “Is there a difference?”

  Sedona raised her eyebrows. “If you’re so cautious, then why were you sent back to us? You still had another six months aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln, right?”

  For the space of a single heartbeat, he looked completely taken aback. Then he shrugged and looked down at his plate and the moment was gone, but not before Sedona saw the quick flash of pain in his eyes. “I took some risks considered unacceptable to the senior brass.”

  “Oh. That’s not how I heard it.”

  Angel gave her a tolerant smile and pushed his plate slightly away. “And just how did you hear it?”

  Sedona flushed, but pressed on. She did want to know. “I heard you disobeyed a direct order from a superior officer.”

  Angel’s smile grew wider. Sedona tried not to stare at his dimples, or the perfection of his white teeth. “That’s not exactly how it went down,” he said, amusement evident in his voice. “Do you want to know what happened?”

  “Okay.” Her heartbeat picked up a notch. He was actually willing to share his story with her. Was that significant?

  Angel sighed. “It was a couple of months ago. I was lead jet in a five-jet formation to fly deep into Iraq and drop several bunker busters on an area where senior members of al-Qaeda were believed to be hiding out.” He picked up a saltshaker and turned it over thoughtfully in his hands. “We’d already nailed our target and were returning to the carrier when we were informed that a second sortie had been deployed to take out another target pretty damn close to where we were.”