A Kiss in the Dark

by Karen Foley

  He looked down at her, bemused. “What…?”

  “Kneel above me,” she urged softly, and grasped his hips to show him what she wanted. But it wasn’t until he straddled her waist and she pushed herself up onto her elbows, that he finally understood her intent.

  “Mina,” he said with an astonished laugh, “you don’t have to do this.”

  “Are you kidding?” she asked, eye level now with his amazing erection. “I’ve been wanting to do this for a long time.”

  The thick shaft of his penis bobbed lightly as he edged closer. She admired the dark, glistening head and, leaning forward, flicked her tongue experimentally over it. He jerked reflexively.

  She smiled. “Mmm, you taste delicious.”

  Sliding her hands up the back of his hard thighs, she cupped his buttocks, and then slid one hand between his legs to gently caress his balls. She liked that they weren’t overly huge, but hung nicely beneath his straining cock.

  Angel groaned, and when Sedona glanced up, his handsome face was taut with desire. She closed her fingers around the base of his penis and admired how the thick veins bulged in response. Slowly, she slid her hand upward, even as she bent her head and swirled her tongue over the head.

  He arched his back, made a low, growling noise deep in his throat, and buried his hands in her hair. He didn’t force her head down as she’d thought he would. He merely used his fingers to caress her scalp and the sensitive skin behind her ears. That, and the sensation of him in her mouth, was incredible. She urged him closer, stroking the underside of his shaft with her tongue and using her lips to create friction.

  As her fingers caressed him, she wrapped one hand firmly around the base of his penis and used every instinct she had to love him with her mouth. When he drew close to the edge, she’d pull away and give him time to cool down, softly licking his shaft and then blowing gently on his damp skin. Then she’d take him into her mouth again and use her lips and tongue to torture him, teasing the sensitive area just beneath the head, and easing her fist slowly along his length as she did so.

  She knew he was close to losing control when he made a low, harsh noise in his throat and stiffened. Before she could protest, he dragged himself from her.

  “I need to— I can’t— Christ, mina,” he half groaned, and collapsed onto the pillows beside her, sucking air into his lungs. “I don’t want this to end so soon.”

  Raising himself on one elbow over her, he grabbed a condom from where he’d left it on the bedside table and expertly covered himself. When he leaned down and kissed her, she wrapped her arms and legs around him so that he pressed against her sex.

  It was a kiss that made no concessions. It was fiercely possessive and primal, and Sedona welcomed it, touching her tongue to his and arching against him. She wanted him so badly. She hadn’t thought that pleasuring him with her mouth would be a total turn-on for her, as well.

  With one surge, he penetrated her fully, burying himself in her. Sedona cried out and grasped his lean buttocks. He pulled his mouth from hers and swirled his tongue along the edge of her ear, causing shivers to chase along her spine.

  With each bone-melting thrust of his hips, he murmured husky words into her ear in Spanish. Sedona didn’t have to understand them to know they were words of endearment and encouragement.

  She met his thrusts with an increasing urgency of her own, reveling in the smooth skin beneath her fingertips, loving the harshness of his breath against her throat. And when he gave a ragged shout of release and stiffened inside her, it was enough to push her over the edge, as well. She keened with pleasure and shuddered with each delicious spasm that rippled through her.

  Angel rested his head on her shoulder and she hugged him fiercely, keeping her legs pulled tight around his lean hips. He might be the embodiment of every fantasy she’d ever had, but this was so much more. The reality of being with Angel exceeded all her dreams.

  Not only was he heart-stoppingly handsome, but he had the ability to make her laugh. With him she felt sexy and cherished and protected.

  A flutter of fear constricted her chest. She couldn’t let herself be this happy. Couldn’t delude herself that this could last. This wasn’t reality, it was just a brief interlude. In real life, guys like Angel Torres did not fall for women like her. This was just some bizarre twist of fate, where she was in the right place at the right time.

  In fact, nothing had ever felt so right in her life. Angel’s heart still beat heavily against her own, and his breath stirred the hair at her temple. She knew she couldn’t keep him. Guys like Angel needed to be free, to spread their wings and fly. Eventually, she’d have to let him go. But for right now, he was completely hers.

  She never wanted this moment to end. Her chest felt as if it was expanding. She was going to burst with the emotion that flooded her. Despite her relative lack of experience with the opposite sex, she recognized all the warning signs.

  She was falling in love with Angel Torres.

  * * *

  IT WAS ALMOST midnight. Sedona leaned back against Angel’s chest and let him squeeze the warm water from the washcloth over her breasts, making rivulets in the sudsy, fragrant froth that covered her and exposing the skin beneath.

  “Mmm,” she said, sighing, and stroked his thigh with her hand, captivated by the way the black hair flattened against his bronzed skin and then swirled upward again with the lapping of the water. “I can’t recall the last time I took a bath. To think, I once considered them a waste of time.”

  Angel laughed softly against her ear. “That’s because baths are definitely meant to be shared.”

  Sedona looked down at their legs, where Angel’s lay along the outside of her thighs.

  “Hmm,” she said. “Maybe in a bigger tub. This one is a little short.”

  “That all depends on what it is you want to do.” His hands swept upward to cup her breasts and toy with the nipples until they stood rosy and stiff beneath his ministrations. Sedona gasped. His fingers were lean and brown against the pale creaminess of her breasts. The sight was erotic, causing a now-familiar tingling to begin between her legs.

  When he rolled her nipples between his fingers, she felt his own response in the rise of flesh that pressed against her backside. Her breathing quickened when he ran one hand down over her belly and pressed it between her thighs to stroke her slick flesh.

  “Ohmigod,” she panted as she pushed against his hand, “what are you doing to me?”

  He chuckled. “What does it look like?”

  Sedona moaned. “You’re turning me into a sex-crazed lunatic.” She shivered when he caught her earlobe in his teeth and tugged gently.

  “You say that like it’s a bad thing,” he murmured.

  But Sedona wasn’t prepared when he stood up, lifting her with him and sloshing water over the edge of the tub.

  “What—”

  “I want you again,” he said roughly, “but this tub is definitely too short for that.”

  He stood her on the bath mat, and pulled a towel from the rack. Sedona’s knees felt weak when she saw how ready for her he was. The man had no right to be so incredibly gorgeous. She had absolutely no willpower when it came to Angel Torres.

  But when he turned to face her, she could only admire the sleekness of his skin and all the hard, muscled contours of his body. For the moment, anyway, he was all hers.

  He lay the towel across the tank on the back of the toilet, and a second one over the closed seat. Then he tore open a condom that he’d put on the counter earlier and sheathed himself. Sedona smiled uncertainly.

  “What are you doing?”

  “Come here.”

  He drew her forward until she stood facing the toilet. She was helpless to prevent a giggle from escaping. “Sorry, but I’m still not getting it.”

  “Oh, you will, mina,” Angel said. He stood close behind her until his erection pressed against the cleft of her buttocks. Keeping one hand on her abdomen, he used his other to bend her forward.
“Look in the mirror.”

  Sedona looked sideways at the mirror that covered the wall over the sink. She gasped at the erotic sight they made. With her hands braced on the tank, her breasts hung down in clear view, and the curve of her bottom glistened wetly from the bathwater.

  Angel stood behind her, his penis dark against the pale skin of her butt, his hands grasping her hips. She felt herself grow hot and wet at the sight. Slowly, watching their image in the mirror, Angel stroked a hand over one buttock, all the way down to the back of her knee, even as he cupped and kneaded one breast with his free hand.

  Sedona’s breathing quickened. Instinctively, she shifted to accommodate him. Angel smiled then, a sexy smile of male appreciation, and slid the head of his penis along her cleft. Sedona pushed back against him, feeling herself swell with desire. She was helpless to look away, even when Angel stroked her with one hand, and gently inserted a finger into her wet center.

  “Oh, oh!” Sedona clenched her muscles around his hand, and cried out in protest when he withdrew. But her breath caught when he went down on one knee behind her.

  “Bend over a little more, mina. That’s it.”

  Sedona braced her elbows on the soft terry cloth and arched her back. She nearly swooned when Angel gently parted her folds with his fingers. But she couldn’t prevent her cry of pleasure when his hot, talented tongue swept over her, swirling over her clitoris. The sight was the most incredibly erotic thing Sedona had ever seen. He continued to lick her, and then inserted his finger once more.

  Her climax caught her by surprise, and she cried out, convulsing around his finger as her body was rocked by one of the most intense orgasms she had ever experienced. But even as she collapsed weakly forward with her head on her arms, Angel stood up.

  “I want you to come again,” he said, his voice rough with need.

  Bending her forward over his arm, he drew her back to him. Sedona’s eyes glazed over when she watched him enter her, one excruciatingly delicious inch at a time. He stretched her, filled her, rubbed against her already sensitized flesh until she was helpless to prevent the small, mewling sounds of need that came from her throat.

  Angel threw his head back as he thrust into her, and Sedona thought she’d never seen anything quite as masculine or beautiful as the sight of this man, loving her so fiercely. As if on cue, Angel opened his eyes and captured her gaze.

  “Watch me, mina,” he growled softly. “See what you do to me.” His eyes were dark and hot. “I’m going to come, mina, can you feel me?”

  His words were like a catalyst, and amazingly enough she could feel him. He seemed to swell within her, to grow thicker and longer. Her flesh gripped him, stroked him, until she was about to explode. She knew he was on the verge, too.

  “Oh, please,” she gasped, thrusting back against him, “please, don’t stop.”

  As their eyes locked in the mirror, Sedona could have watched herself as she experienced her third shattering orgasm of the night, but she watched Angel instead. Watched him as he watched her climax again, and the expression on his face was one of pure, unadulterated male satisfaction.

  Then, Angel bent forward and pressed a tender kiss between her shoulder blades, before withdrawing. He helped her straighten, and wrapped his arms around her, gazing at her in the mirror.

  “You are the most amazing woman I’ve ever known,” he said, his breathing still ragged.

  Sedona’s heart rate pounded unevenly. “Oh, yeah?” she said with a smile. “You should see what I can do with a bidet.”

  Angel laughed, the sound sliding over her senses like warm honey. “Here,” he murmured. “You’re cold. Let’s dry you off and get you into something warm.”

  He reached up and took another towel from the rack. Her sketchbook came down with it, landing with a thunk on the bathroom floor.

  Faceup.

  Open.

  An image of Angel in all his nude, muscular glory stared up at them. The ensuing silence was almost deafening, and for a moment the world itself seemed to stop.

  It wasn’t until Angel bent to retrieve the book that Sedona was galvanized into action.

  “Oh. Wow.” She swiftly scooped it, snapped it closed and hugged it defensively against her chest. She laughed self-consciously. “I wonder how that got in here.”

  She couldn’t meet Angel’s eyes as he pulled another towel down and tied it around his hips. Maybe he hadn’t gotten a good look at it. Maybe he hadn’t recognized the drawing as himself.

  “Sedona.” His voice was quiet. Was that resignation she heard?

  She smiled brightly and ignored him as she turned toward the door. “I’ll just go put this away somewhere. Housekeeping must have gotten it mixed up with the towels, but geez, all that humidity will ruin the pages.”

  “Sedona, I already saw the book.”

  Her heart almost stopped. Heedless of her own nudity, she clutched the sketchbook and turned to face him. “You did?”

  His smile was tender, his eyes warm and filled with emotion. “I came in earlier, looking for you. You’d left the book on your bed, and I—” He shrugged. “I looked at it.”

  “Oh.” Sedona took the towel he held out to her, wishing the bathroom floor would suddenly open up and swallow her. Heat flooded her face. She swallowed. “How embarrassing.”

  “Actually,” he said, moving closer and taking the sketchbook from her nerveless fingers, “I find it incredibly flattering.” He let the book fall open in his hands, this time to the picture of himself standing in the entrance to the hangar. “These are really good, you know that? I mean, really good. There are military artists who sell their work for thousands and in my opinion, their work isn’t nearly as good as yours.”

  Sedona felt her face get even redder. “They’re just okay,” she demurred. “I do my best work when I have a photo to work with, like those artists you see at the shopping malls.” She shrugged. “But the only photo I have of you…”

  “Is the group photo from the USS Abraham Lincoln,” he finished. “I know. I saw that, too. The photo isn’t great. Your drawings are.”

  She knew he was just trying to make her feel better. She was going to have to explain just why she had a sketchbook filled with pictures of him.

  “Angel, I know how this looks, but…” She shrugged and pulled the sketchbook out of his hands and clutched it to her. “Well, c’mon, let’s admit it. You’re pretty hot. Who wouldn’t want to capture you on paper? I never tried to hide that I find you attractive.” She raised her eyes to his. “In fact, I’ve pretty much been attracted to you since the first time I saw you down on the flight line. I won’t pretend I wasn’t.”

  Angel stepped close enough that she could smell the fragrance of his skin, still warm and slightly damp from their recent bath. He smiled almost ruefully and reached out to tuck a strand of wet hair behind her ear. “I don’t want you to pretend you weren’t. To be honest, I discovered something about myself tonight.” He gave a self-deprecating laugh. “When I saw you with Larson…well, let’s just say I didn’t like it. And it made me realize I really want to make a go of this.”

  Sedona felt her heart stutter. “What do you mean?”

  He caught her gently by the elbows and drew her forward until the sketchbook was wedged between their bodies. “I don’t know, exactly… I just know I hated seeing you with somebody else, and I don’t want this to end when we get back to the East Coast.”

  “Angel… I don’t know what to say.”

  Except maybe, hallelujah! Sedona was stunned. She still had a hard time believing this incredible guy found her interesting and sexy enough to spend a night with. And now he wanted to try to make a relationship out of what essentially began as a one-night stand.

  “Don’t say anything,” he murmured, sliding a hand under her damp hair to cup the nape of her neck and tilt her face up. “Just think about it, okay? Now kiss me.”

  And Sedona did.

  14

  “ANGEL, YOU DON’T have to do
this.”

  “C’mon, it’ll be fun.”

  Sedona stood at the foot of the bed and stared at Angel, stretched out on the sheet with his arms bent behind his head, wearing nothing but a towel draped over his hips.

  “You don’t have to do a beefcake pose. I can take a picture of you fully clothed and…” She blushed. “The rest I can do from memory. I only need a picture of your face.”

  Angel grinned. “If you’re going to be drawing pictures of me without my shirt on, I’d just as soon you get it right.”

  “Oh!” Sedona gave an astonished laugh. “Are you saying I didn’t do you justice?”

  “I’m just saying I want to make sure you have all my…parts where they’re supposed to be.” A dimple teased the corner of his mouth.

  “I refuse to take pictures of your parts,” she said indignantly, but couldn’t keep from smiling back at him.

  “Take the damn picture, mina.”

  “Okaay.” Quickly, before she could change her mind, she held up her small digital camera and centered him in the tiny display screen. “Mmm, that’s good. Smile.” The camera flashed, and Sedona peered at the display to see the results. “Actually, that’s really good.”

  She sat down on the edge of the mattress and held the camera so Angel could view the picture she’d taken. She was unprepared when he pulled her down beside him and wrested the camera from her fingers.

  “Smile,” he said cheerfully, and holding the camera at arm’s length, took a picture of the two of them, sprawled laughing against the pillows.

  “Angel,” she protested, making a grab for the camera, “delete that picture right now. I’m not decent!”

  “You’re fine,” he assured her, holding the camera out of reach.

  “I’m wearing my underwear.”

  “I’ve seen bathing suits that reveal more than your bra and panties.” He grinned and sat up, pulling her with him. “C’mon, get dressed. I already told you, we have a big day ahead of us.”

  She watched as he disappeared through the connecting doors to get dressed before she collapsed back onto the mattress, unable to keep the silly grin off her face. He’d stayed the entire night in her room, his long limbs wrapped around her as they’d slept. And the way he’d woken her up… Her smile turned dreamy.