A Kiss in the Dark (20 page)

He scanned the equipment in the room and settled on the treadmill. It was the only piece of machinery that faced the wall, away from the temptress. He decided a quick five-mile run would take his mind off his libido and allow him to warm up before he tackled the weights. He had just settled into a nice stride when he realized there was a mirror on the wall beside him, providing him an unobstructed view of the woman. She was on the floor now, legs splayed wide as she bent forward, head down, and grasped her toes.

His eyes narrowed.

Her auburn hair was pulled back in a thick, glossy braid. When she straightened, she raised her arms above her head and stretched her spine before bending low over the other extended leg.

Angel very nearly fell off the treadmill. As it was, he lost his smooth stride and had to grasp the handles of the machine and do a quick two-step to regain his balance.

Goddamn. It couldn’t be. Could it? But when she raised herself upward again and twisted in his direction, her eyes met his in the mirror. She froze, arms stretched over her head, her supple breasts thrust forward beneath the stretchy material of her top.

It was Sedona Stewart.

If the expression of horror on her face was anything to go by, she was just as shocked to see him. Angel swiftly recovered his composure and even managed to give her a benignly polite smile, as if he hadn’t just been thinking about thrusting into her, while cradling her sweetly curved backside in the palms of his hands.

In the mirror, he saw her blush and was momentarily transfixed. The flush of color spread slowly downward, until it seemed her entire body was rosy. She gave him a brief nod and scrambled to her feet.

Angel stared. He couldn’t help it. He wasn’t an expert where women were concerned, but he prided himself on having a good eye. But holy mother of God, who would have ever guessed that hidden beneath her conservative business attire was a body like that? It was better suited to pole dancing than sitting behind a desk.

As he watched, she snatched up a towel and a bottle of water she’d left on the floor. Damn. She was going to bolt. She hesitated, her hand on the door, before she looked over at him.

“So…I’ll see you at seven o’clock?”

His breath was coming a little unevenly. He told himself it was from his exertions on the treadmill. “Yes, but I hope you’re not leaving on my account.”

She turned even rosier, if that was possible. “No,” she said quickly, and Angel knew she was lying. “I’m—I’m done with my workout. I was just cooling down when you came in. So…I guess I’ll see you later.”

As if unable to help herself, her eyes slid down the length of his body. Angel tightened beneath that swift scrutiny. Her eyes flew back to his, and his gaze was drawn irresistibly to her mouth when she ran her tongue over her lips. And in the brief instant before she turned away, he knew.

She wanted him.

But before he could say anything more to her, she yanked the door open and was gone.

Angel was hardly aware of the treadmill churning beneath him. His body was operating on autopilot, his long strides easily keeping pace with the machine. But his mind was spinning. He still couldn’t comprehend that beneath the all-business exterior Sedona presented to the world was a lush, tantalizingly feminine woman.

Christ, hers was the kind of body men fantasized about. He felt a little dazed, not only by her physical attributes, but his own reaction to them. He was still slightly aroused, and that was just from looking at her.

He gave a huff of disbelieving laughter. Had he really thought she held no appeal for him? He recalled the habit she had of moistening her lips with her tongue. He wondered if she was even aware she did it, or that when she did, it drew one’s eye to the ripe fullness of her lips. He wondered how they would feel beneath his own.

He was sweating.

Glancing down at the display on the treadmill, he realized he was already halfway through his five miles. He felt as if he hadn’t even expended himself. He was vitalized, charged with a new energy. He recognized it as keen anticipation.

It was the same way he felt when he climbed into the cockpit of his fighter jet to complete a combat mission—the hot, pounding adrenaline of excitement, the sheer rush of going into the unknown. It was the thrill of the hunt, of finding his target and nailing it. Of coming in fast and low, dropping his payload and streaking away before the object ever knew what hit them.

It was how he felt now, thinking about Sedona Stewart.

He wanted her.

Angel wondered if two weeks would be enough time to entice the prickly, straitlaced Sedona Stewart into his bed, then decided it had to be.

He’d never failed a mission before, and he wasn’t about to start now.

5

S
EDONA
GLANCED
AT
her watch for what seemed like the hundredth time. It was three minutes past seven and she’d been pacing her hotel room for a quarter of an hour. Should she knock on Angel’s door? Wait for him to knock on hers? Stand outside in the corridor and cough discreetly until he heard her?

She wished for the first time in her life that her experience with men went beyond competing with them for promotions. Establishing personal relationships with them had never seemed all that important before.

From the time she’d been a young teenager with an uncanny aptitude for math and sciences, her life had revolved around her education and subsequent career. Even now, she could hear her father’s voice.
If you want to succeed in this world, you have to be willing to sacrifice. Your looks may get you the job, but your brains will get you to the top. You have to be tough to make it in a man’s world.

She knew he’d only had her best interests in mind. A successful man, he believed his oldest daughter should demand the same respect—and salary—he had. As a senior vice president of a Fortune 500 company, he’d traveled frequently and worked long hours. When he was home, he ruled with an iron fist, ruthlessly steering his children in the direction he thought they should go.

At fifty-five, he died of a massive heart attack. Her mother had found herself alone, lacking any practical skills beyond child rearing and the ability to plan dinner parties. While there was a sizable life insurance policy, nothing could compensate for the years of loneliness she’d endured.

Sedona was grateful for her career and her ability to support herself, but she had to admit, her ambition to succeed in a man’s world had done nothing for her on a personal level. She had few friends, male or female. She’d never had a real boyfriend, at least none to speak of, and never for any length of time. She spent her evenings at home watching reruns of
Sex and the City,
vaguely shocked at the blatant promiscuity and sexual freedom the characters portrayed, and secretly wishing she could be more like them.

She thought about how Angel had looked at her in the fitness room. For just an instant, his expression had been taut and hungry, as if he wanted to eat her alive. A primal awareness had surged through her and a slow, pulsing throb had settled low in her abdomen. It had scared her so much she’d bolted, praying he hadn’t seen the naked desire she’d felt for him.

Back in her room, she berated herself for being such a coward. She wanted Angel Torres. She’d fantasized about him more times than she cared to admit. She should have stayed. She should have continued with her stretching exercises; maybe acted coy and asked him to show her how the weight machines worked. She’d been a total wimp, but no more. She was going to change her attitude and go for what she wanted.

As she paced, she caught sight of her reflection in the mirror and stopped to examine herself with a critical eye. Lacking anything overtly feminine in her wardrobe, she had finally settled on a pair of faded jeans topped with a sleeveless blouse in a soft, moss green. She had debated over what to do with her hair, and finally opted to wear it loose around her shoulders, where it gleamed in soft waves of red and gold. She wore no cosmetics, unless a quick slash of tinted, fruity lip balm across her mouth counted.

For her, these concessions were huge, but would they be enough to attract Angel’s attention? Hopefully, because if he didn’t show at least a tiny bit of interest in her as a woman, she wasn’t sure she’d have the courage to go through with her plan.

She was going to sleep with Angel Torres.

Well…she hoped it would be more than just sleeping, actually. A lot more. She remembered again all the hard, lean muscle he possessed, and the ease with which he’d worked the treadmill. Her imagination conjured up sultry images of him directing that strength and stamina into a different kind of workout. The images she carried of him in her mind had even inspired her to fill several pages of her sketchbook.

She’d made up her mind about what to do as she’d fled the fitness room, her heart still beating hard from the jumble of emotions he stirred in her. She was going to have him. It hadn’t been as much a conscious decision as a physical imperative.

She’d probably end up getting her soft, stupid heart completely broken, but she was determined to know—just once—what it would be like to be with Angel Torres. To be one with him, connected on a level so intimate her chest constricted thinking about it.

She’d never done anything so reckless in her entire life. She recalled Mike Sullivan’s comments about hiding in her hotel room each time she went on business travel. She’d always been so concerned about her reputation that she’d pretty much denied herself any enjoyment. Her father would have said there was a name for women who consorted with their male colleagues after hours. He’d have had no respect for those women, and Sedona reluctantly acknowledged it was one of the reasons she chose to remain alone and aloof.

But her father was gone. There was nobody to criticize her behavior except herself. How much worse would she feel if she let this opportunity slip away? If she was ever going to fulfill her fantasy, now was the perfect time. She was at a point in her life when she had decisions to make, both personally and professionally. Her entire life had been spent setting her own dreams aside in order to please others. Well, now it was time to please herself.

Sedona admitted Angel was out of her league. On a sexometer, he was off the charts. She might be able to keep his interest for the short run, but eventually he’d move on. She was prepared for that. This wasn’t about keeping him. It was about taking control of her life and finally doing things to please herself. She had the distinct feeling that having Angel in her bed would please her very much.

But she didn’t have much time to accomplish her goal. She had no idea how long the inspection of the grounded jets might take. She’d told her boss she was resigning but hadn’t been truthful about why, except that her career wasn’t advancing as she’d hoped.

While she had initially given just two weeks’ notice, she’d finally agreed to stay with the agency long enough to complete the Coyote inspections, however long that might take. They could be on the West Coast for weeks, or they could get lucky and identify the cause of the mishaps within the first few days. Either way, they couldn’t stay at Lemoore Naval Air Station indefinitely, and once they returned to the East Coast, her employment with the agency would be over.

She was never going to be this alone with Angel again. Even if she weren’t leaving, he could be recalled to combat duty at any time and she might never see him again. That knowledge added a certain desperation to her feelings; made her bolder and more determined.

A sharp knock on her hotel-room door caused her to jump guiltily. She gave herself one last, appraising look in the mirror, smoothed her blouse down over her hips and opened the door.

Her pulse quickened a beat at the sight of the dark-eyed man who stood waiting for her. Angel wore a white, button-down shirt that emphasized the bronze hue of his skin. His black hair gleamed wetly from a recent shower, and Sedona caught the tangy scent of his soap. He smelled good enough to bite. When he smiled, she wanted to trace the deep indents of his dimples with her fingers, pull his head down and crush her mouth against his.

His eyes swept over her, missing nothing. Sedona was glad she’d decided to leave her hair down when his gaze lingered for a moment on the glossy waves. “Ready to go?”

She ducked her head, half afraid he might see her intent in her eyes, and rummaged through her purse to ensure she had her room key. “I’m ready. What did you have in mind for dinner?”

He shrugged and indicated she should precede him down the hallway toward the elevators. “I usually let the lady choose. What are you in the mood for?”

You.

“I’m not familiar with this area, so I’ll let you choose. Although,” she added with deliberate nonchalance, “we could always stay in and order room service.”

She sensed his sudden attention, but they had reached the bank of elevators where several other hotel guests were already waiting, and he didn’t respond to her veiled suggestion. Her heart pounded at her own temerity.

His casual remark about letting the lady choose had mildly annoyed her. How many women had he been with? And how many of them had offered themselves for dessert?

As they stepped into the elevator, Sedona was pressed into the corner by the other occupants. Angel stood beside her, his large frame protecting her from getting squashed by those around them. As Sedona determinedly stared at the illuminated numbers blinking their descent floor by floor, Angel leaned down and spoke quietly into her ear.

“Would you rather we order in?”

A warm wash of heat suffused her neck and crawled upward, and she risked a glance at him. He watched her with a careful intensity that made her breath catch. For a moment she worried about what the others in the elevator might think, but they stared fixedly at the closed doors, and she doubted they could hear Angel above the piped-in music.

“Honestly?” she asked softly. “Yes. But it’s only our first night here. There’ll be other nights when we can opt to stay in.”

There. Let him make what he wanted out of that. The elevator came to a halt and the doors slid smoothly open. Sedona started only slightly when Angel took her elbow and steered her past the small groups of people congregated in the lobby. The heat of his hand on her bare arm caused a shiver to course through her.

“Cold?” he asked. “We can go back upstairs and get you a sweater, if you’d like.”

“No, I’m not cold,” Sedona murmured. “Just the opposite, in fact. But if you’d like to go back upstairs…” She let the sentence trail off suggestively.

Angel’s eyes narrowed and a hint of a dimple appeared in one cheek as he considered her. “I think you enjoy teasing me,
mina.
If I weren’t so hungry, I might take you up on it.” He laughed as she came to an abrupt halt and stared at him. “Relax. Now I’m the one who’s teasing.”

He looked away, his eyes scanning the lobby. Sedona scowled at him. Dratted man. It had taken a lot of nerve for her to make that comment, and for one heart-stopping second she had actually believed he was considering her offer. Apparently, he wasn’t hungry enough. For her, at least. She was definitely going to have to do something about that.

“We can always grab a bite to eat at the hotel restaurant,” Angel commented, interrupting her thoughts. “Looks like a pretty popular place.”

Across the lobby a dimly lit restaurant and lounge was segregated by a low wall and a row of potted palm trees. Strains of music drifted toward them, interspersed with noisy laughter and loud conversation. It looked like a sports bar, and Sedona’s stomach tightened at the thought of having dinner in that overtly male setting. It was exactly the type of place Mike Sullivan and his cronies liked to frequent; the type of place where single women were easy targets for their lewd attention.

As if on cue, she heard her voice being called. Moaning inwardly, she turned to see none other than Ken Larson and a group of men from the engineering division stroll across the lobby toward them.

“Hey, Sedona,” Ken called, a friendly grin splitting his features, “you and the lieutenant care to join us for dinner?”

“No!” she said quickly. Then, sensing Angel’s curiosity, she hurried to add, “We were actually just heading out to find someplace a little…quieter.” She smiled brightly at Ken and tried to pretend she didn’t want to wipe the knowing look from his face. “But you go ahead, enjoy your meal. We’ll see you later.”

“Okay. But speaking of later,” Ken continued blithely, ignoring the warning daggers she was throwing at him, “we’ll be in the lounge if you want to join us when you get back.” He turned to Angel. “We tend to get a little rowdy when we’re on business trips…you know how it goes. But we have a good time. We’ve been trying to get Sedona here to let loose a little bit and join us, but she’s a tough nut to crack. But, hey—” he leaned forward to give Angel’s shoulder a friendly slap “—maybe you’ll have better luck.”

“Maybe she’s just particular about the company she keeps,” Angel replied, looking pointedly at his shoulder, and then at Ken.

Sedona watched as Ken’s eyes narrowed, and his features tightened. He stared at Angel for a full minute before he spoke. “Maybe you’re right, Lieutenant,” he finally said, his tone cool. “In all the years I’ve known her, I can’t recall a single time she’s ever agreed to have dinner with one of the team.” He cocked his head slightly as he considered Angel. “So what does that say about you?”

“That I’m one lucky son of a bitch,” Angel replied, grinning as he took Sedona by the arm and steered her toward the exit.

“Yeah, well, I hope you remembered to bring your camera, Sedona,” Ken called after their retreating backs. “After all, I wouldn’t want you to miss any of the
sights.
”

Sedona knew he was referring to the “proof” she had promised to bring back to the Membership. It was obvious Ken didn’t expect her to go through with it, and as soon as an opportunity presented itself, she’d let him know he was right. There was no way she wanted anything to do with his nasty little club.

As they pushed through the revolving door and out into the dry, cloudless heat of early evening, Angel glanced down at her. “So what was that all about?”

For one instant, Sedona was tempted to tell him about the Membership and how Ken believed she was going to bring back proof of her own illicit behavior. But she knew he wouldn’t believe her. He’d probably think she was completely nuts. Nobody would believe such a club could exist in today’s world of political correctness, and especially not in a government office.

Besides, telling him about the club might very well ruin any chance she had of getting him to sleep with her. If she told him about the Membership, he might think she was coming on to him in an effort to further her own career.