Page 8 of Allegiance
“You could say that,” she replied.
She studied him. His shirt was unbuttoned down to his chest, his white undershirt peeking through and highlighting his chiseled torso.
Running her fingers through her tangled hair, she smiled at him. “It looks like you may have found a bit of fun while I was hard at work.”
“Nothing more than relaxing and listening to the waves.”
“Relaxed looks good on you.”
He stared at her intently. “And working hard looks damn sexy on you.” His voice pitched a bit lower, tickling the base of her spine.
Impulsively, she took a step forward, and so did he, until the heat of his body could be felt against her clothes. With less than an inch between them, she determined he was even more lethal up close. His face was clean-shaven. His eyes beneath the moonlight shimmered with an intensity that made her skin pebble. Wanting to take a step back, she hesitated, unsure if her body remembered how to move.
Tank’s lips tipped into a slow, easy smile. He skimmed his fingers down her arms and claimed her hand, causing her to shiver. “Are you cold? I can help you with that…”
The promise trailed out into the sexually charged air between them. A million ways Tank could keep her warm played at the forefront of her mind in an erotic loop. Everything faded away except for the rush of the waves, the twinkling lights in the trees, and the honeyed scent of evening primrose.
“I’m not cold, but I’m sure you could help me with a lot of things,” she breathed, unable to look away.
Her throat tightened as arousal twisted low in her belly. Half of her was hoping he’d make a move, while the other half wanted to push him away. But when he inched closer, her body responded like a magnet, fusing to his as one of his powerful arms snaked around her lower back, making her intimately aware of every muscle beneath that tight undershirt.
“Yeah, I could,” he murmured against her lips. “You’re so beautiful. I couldn’t keep my eyes off you tonight,” he whispered before covering her mouth with his.
Looping her arms around his neck, she drew him closer, falling into the searing kiss. His tongue glided along hers in a tantalizing dance, stoking the fire.
Fisting her hair at the nape of her neck, he pulled her head back, hard, and thrust his tongue even deeper into her mouth. Arching against him, she moaned when he broke the kiss and trailed his lips along her jawline, licking his way down her neck when she tipped her head back.
“I like that,” he groaned.
The light scraping of his teeth against her tender skin made her nerves snap with desire.
“So soft.” Nibbling on her lobe, he ran the tip of his tongue along the length of her neck
while tracing the skin behind her ear with the end of his finger.
He claimed her mouth feverishly once more, causing her knees to tremble. There was nothing else like it. She’d never been kissed so thoroughly, so hungrily, that it made her feel like she could explode at any moment.
When he drew back, they were both trying to catch their breaths like a couple of sex-crazed teenagers.
With his arms still locking her body to his, he said in a low voice, “Do you have to go back with the truck tonight? We could go somewhere else.” Resting his forehead against hers, he stared into her eyes. “This doesn’t have to end.”
She ran her hand down his arm. “It does, Tank.”
Her reply surprised even herself, but he seemed to take it like a douse of cold water.
Tank took a quick step back and cleared his throat. “Sure. No problem.”
The scent of evening primrose wafting through the night air was now more annoying than romantic. Lena’s palms were still hot from where she’d gripped his hips, her mind still foggy, but she wasn’t so far gone enough to forget her common sense. The following day, she had several big orders to fill, so she had to be at the restaurant at 6:30 a.m. and ready to work. Indulging in her lust for this man would be reckless, and just plain foolish.
“I’m sorry, but I have a real busy day in the kitchen. I hope you understand. Besides, we don’t know each other well enough, right?”
Tank tilted his head and shrugged, as if it wasn’t anything to him. But his heated stare told her otherwise.
“You’re pissed at me.”
It’s for the best. He’d be a serious distraction.
“It’s no big deal. We flirted and kissed. I’d like your number, though. Maybe we could go out for dinner sometime.”
