Page 67 of Dark Angel
They returned to the dance floor as Hawk escorted the stranger out. Gabriel’s gaze stayed locked on hers and she found herself getting lost in the music… and in her sexy partner. Around and around they danced as if time had no beginning and no end.
She felt free and happy. For those few minutes, she didn’t think about her job, didn’t think about anything. She just danced. When the song came to an end, the one that followed had a sultry beat.
Gabriel halved the distance, his fiery gaze drilling into her. Without overthinking—or thinking at all—she stepped close.
“Please dance with me,” he murmured.
She smiled, then a nod. “Yes.”
His strong arms held her close, and she wrapped hers around his neck, played with the ends of his hair with her fingers. It was soft and silky, and he smelled good… he smelled like a man.
“Are you still in pain?” she asked, not knowing why she’d care.
“Much better,” he replied. “I give props to the meds.”
“Pain meds can be addictive.”
“I took Tylenol.”
A smile ghosted across his face as he leaned close. “What’s your name? We can do better than No Name.”
“What about Pirate girl?” she suggested.
With his piercing gaze searching hers, he said, “You can do it. Start with your first name.”
Silence.
“Barbi,” she replied.
“That’s an interestingRussianname,” he said.
“It is Barbianna Bogdanova. I change to be more American.”
He pressed his mouth to her ear. Her eyes fluttered closed, her breath caught in her throat. “You can lose the Russian accent.”
She reared back. “I don’t know what?—”
He stopped her with a kiss. A full-on assault to her senses. And just like the other night, her insides roared to life. As she pressed against him, he felt like a slab of granite, and he kissed like a god. Tightening her hold, she kissed him back. In his strong arms, she ignited with desire.
When the kiss ended, she said, “Still waiting on the grovel and the thank you.”
With his gaze hyperfocused on her, he clasped her hand, brought it slowly to his mouth and pressed his warm lips to her heated skin. Once, twice, then he kissed her cheek. The second his lips touched her skin, she moaned.
Another song started, this one loud, the pace frenetic.
“Do you want to get outta here?” he murmured.
“No,” she replied. “I want to go upstairs.”
GABRIEL
Within a few minutes,Gabriel had secured them a suite. Up the stairs and down the hallway they went. Barbi said nothing, but he wasn’t surprised. She didn’t strike him as a big talker.
He’d found out her name and he’d called her out on her accent. While he wasn’t sure that was the smartest move, it was the most direct.
In Hawk’s office, he’d asked about her. Hawk told him she’d met Evangeline Develin in a back booth for drinks. When he pressed for more, Hawk said he didn’t know anything.
She might have hired Develin & Associates, she might know Evangeline from the past. Evangeline had worked for the Bureau before working for Sin.
