“It wasreal.” She unfolded her arms and spread her hands wide. “I never said it wasn’t. But a kiss is just a kiss.”
In the shadows she could see that his mouth was etched with amusement. “Why does that sound familiar?”
“I have no idea. Look, what I’m trying to say is, it’s the reasonI kissed you that’s complicated.”
“Has it occurred to you that you’re the one who’s making it complicated? There is such a thing as overanalyzing.”
She stared at him in disbelief. “This from the facts-on-the-ground man?”
He put his hands on her shoulders. “Let’s just stick to what we know to be true.”
“Which is?”
“That kiss in the garage was a really interesting kiss,” he said.
“It was?” She was suddenly a little breathless.
“Very high-rez,” Drake said. “At least, that’s how it felt on my end.”
“It was sort of over the top, wasn’t it?” She frowned. “I really can’t explain that aspect of things. I mean, there was the stress factor and all, but, generally speaking, that’s not my usual style when it comes to kissing.”
“What is your usual style?”
“I’m not sure I’ve got one, to be honest. I’ve been told I’m repressed.”
“Repressed.”
“I’m unable to commit emotionally to a relationship,” she explained. “Therefore I can’t really enjoy sex. Something to do with a combination of abandonment issues and my weird para-psych profile.”
“Who told you that?”
“A para-psychologist. After I got rejected by three matchmaking agencies it was suggested that I seek counseling.”
“Did the shrink offer any guidance?”
“He suggested sex therapy. With him. I declined.”
“I’m glad to hear that,” Drake said. “Can I ask why you declined?”
“There were little velvet handcuffs and small whips involved. I’m not opposed to little velvet handcuffs and small whips in principle, you understand. At least, I don’t think I am. I haven’t actually tried any of those things. But somehow in that particular context they did not appeal.”
“That particular context being the para-shrink’s office?” Drake asked.
“And the fact that he was in a Marriage of Convenience,” she said. “That sort of pissed me off, if you want to know the truth. Sure, it was just an MC, not a full Covenant Marriage, but an MC is supposed to be some sort of a commitment, isn’t it? At least while it lasts?”
“Yes,” Drake said. “It’s supposed to be a commitment while it lasts. Mind if I turn off the lantern?”
She stilled. “Okay.”
He de-rezzed the lamp, plunging the room into darkness. But this was normal darkness and with her talent she could see well enough to make out shadows and shapes. She knew exactly when Drake removed his glasses and set them down on the table because she could see his eyes. They were psi-hot with a silvery energy that made her catch her breath.
“And while we’re on the subject,” he said, “I’d like to say that you’re wrong about not having a style. Judging by that garage kiss, your style is very high-rez.”
“Thanks, but I’m pretty sure it was just an anomaly.” Her voice sounded husky, even to her own ears. “I mean, I’ve never kissed anyone like that before in my whole life. Doubt if I ever will again.”
“Let’s run an experiment and see what happens.”
She stared at him, dazed. “You really want to do this?”
“Oh, yeah,” he said. “More than anything else in the world.”
“Well, okay, but just so you know, according to my para-psych profile, I’m not a very passionate person by nature.”
“A number of people have labeled me as cold-blooded.”
“Your competitors and business rivals, no doubt.” She braced her hands on his shoulders. “That’s not quite the same thing as sexually repressed.”
“You know what? I don’t give a damn about our para-psych profiles right now.”
She sucked in a deep breath and took the leap.
“Neither do I,” she said. “I mean, how bad could it be if we had sex?”
“That’s it, think positive.”
He took her mouth, slowly, deliberately, completely. This time he was fully in charge of the kiss. He was not asking for a response; he was seducing one from her.
This was not the reckless wildfire of a kiss that she had ignited in the parking garage when she had gone a little crazy. This was an intense, smoldering kiss infused with the energy of Drake’s talent.
There was definitely nothing cold-blooded about this kiss, she thought. A thrilling rush of heat swirled in the atmosphere and sizzled in her blood. This kiss was warming all the cold places inside her, setting fire to her senses. That made it a truly dangerous kiss, and the full measure of the peril in which she found herself was that, in that moment, she did not give a damn about the potentially disastrous aftermath. She would worry about the fallout later.
There was always time to regret a mistake, but a woman did not often get an opportunity to make a mistake as exciting as this one promised to be.
She closed her hands very tightly around Drake’s shoulders and let the raw power of the kiss sweep through her.
Drake tightened his hold on her until she was pressed so intimately against him she could feel the fiercely rigid outline of his erection through the fabric of their clothing. Everything about him was hard and compellingly male. His scent stirred things deep inside her. She wanted him in ways she had never wanted any man. Most of all she wanted to leave her mark on him. When this was over she wanted him to remember her.
Maybe in the future he would think of her as that woman in the parking garage, the one he’d zapped giant bugs with one memorable night. But that was better than having him forget her.
She felt his hands slide down her rib cage until his fingers settled around her waist under the pullover. He was so much bigger and stronger than she was. More to the point, he could see her even when she did her disappearing act, rendering her primary defense mechanism useless. She was here with him tonight only because he believed she could help solve the problem on Rainshadow—a problem she had helped cause. It was hardly the most romantic reason for a one-night stand.
All things considered, she probably should have locked herself in the bathroom. Instead she was locked in a senses-searing embrace.
There would be a price to pay later but not tonight. Tonight was about learning to fly.
He seized the hem of the black pullover and hauled it upward, tugging it over her head. He tossed the garment over the back of the chair, then reached behind her and unsnapped the clasp of her bra. He added the lingerie to the growing pile of discarded clothing.
At that point he paused, closed his powerful hands around her waist, and looked at her.
“You are perfect,” he said. His voice was rough around the edges and his eyes were molten. “So perfect.”
That was not true, she thought, but it was very sweet of him to say it. No one else had ever said those words to her.
Tears filled her eyes. She blinked them away and managed a misty smile. “Not perfect, but thank you.”
He tightened his hands around her waist and lifted her straight off her feet and into the air. Suddenly she was dangling above him, looking down into his blazing eyes. Startled, she instinctively clutched his shoulder with one hand to steady herself and used her other hand to push her hair out of her face.
“What the heck?” she gasped.
“You are perfect,” he repeated. “Perfect for me.”
The words sounded more like a vow than a simple statement.
Delight flooded her senses. She loved the feeling of his strong shoulders. She laughed and kicked her feet a little in midair.
“That’s good,” she said. “That’s very good. Because I have to tell you that you are perfect for me, too.”
“That’s good,” he said. “That’s very good.”
She could not see him clearly enough in the deep shadows to be certain of his expression, but she could hear the wickedly male smile that edged the words.