Page 22 of Her Selfless Warrior (Omega Sky)
Kostya gently traced his fingers over her tight knuckles, then tilted her chin up so that their eyes met. “It’s just dinner, I promise.”
She swallowed.
Okay. Okay. Dinner, I can do dinner.
She sucked in air, forcing herself to breathe. She caught his scent. Hints of the sea, leather, and something indefinably Kostya.
“Talk to me, Lark,” Kostya whispered. She heard nothing else, just his voice. She remembered listening to him in the dark in Afghanistan; back then she could forget how big he was, how powerful, how he could snap her like a twig. But this was Kostya. The man who made her feel safe.
He took a step backward, but two of his fingers traced down from the pulse point at her temple, along her cheek, until they rested at the corner of her mouth.
“Please, Honey, say something. Anything.”
This time when she looked into his eyes, she didn’t see hunger, she saw tenderness and comfort, the same expression that had been on his face when he’d crouched down in front of little Taja and Nazy back in Afghanistan. Another small piece of ice cracked, letting in a glimmer of light. She smiled.
“Of course, dinner.” She stood up straight. “Stop looking at me like that. I’m here, aren’t I? I’m hungry and you promised food,” she said briskly.
His eyes glanced down to her relaxed hands, then back up to her face and a slow smile started. Her toes curled and she grinned back at him as she pushed by him. “Get a move on, big guy, I’m going to bankrupt you at the restaurant. You better not cheap out on me.”
Lark heard a crack of laughter behind her right before Kostya put his hand around her waist and continued on to the parking garage.
“Ms. Sorensen, I’ll have you know, the taco truck is not cheap.”
Aw, hell, he’s funny.
* * *
Damn,I like this woman.
Kostya watched her scoop up another bite of her marionberry ice cream and he practically groaned. How long had it been since he’d bedded a woman? He thought back and realized it had been too damned long. Lark’s bee-stung lips wrapped around her spoon as she sucked off the ice cream and it took everything he had not to groan. His glance swooped up to her eyes to see if she was pleased that she had his balls in a vice and he got a surprise. Her eyes were closed. Instead of studying him, she was lost in her own personal heaven.
Fuck, she wasn’t teasing him, she was just that blissed out.
How the hell am I going to end this night with just a kiss?
Kostya glared at the waiter as he placed the check on the table and ogled Lark. The man made himself scarce, fast. Kostya pulled out his credit card and continued to watch the show.
“You’re going to give me a complex,” Lark said.
“Huh?”
“You’re staring at me.”
“Lark, I’ve been staring at you all night.”
She gave him a cheeky grin. “Okay, I admit there’s been a little bit of staring going on betweenbothof us, but that’s only because we couldn’t see each other for the thirty-six hours we were hidden in the back of that godawful truck.”
Her entire body shuddered, then she smiled again.
Nope, this woman was not a victim, no rescue needed here.
“Not many people could have handled that Afghanistan situation like you did,” he said as the waiter took the bill.
“Don’t you mean women?”
“English is my second language, which means I use my words precisely. I say exactly what I mean, and I meant people, man or woman. You’re impressive, and I’m not the only one who thinks so.” A blush crawled up her neck to stain her cheeks.
“I could never do what you and your team do on a regular basis. You are the ones who are impressive.” She cleared her throat. “You realize that you’re the definition of heroes, right?”
