In Love and War (4 page)

Oh yes, she was definitely in trouble here.
Reaching out, she picked the berry from between his fingers and took a dainty bite while he watched. It felt naughty, full of implications.

Stop it Ariela, you’re being
ridiculous
.
It was just a damn strawberry!

Except what was happening between them, while feeling deceptively casual, was intensely intimate. It was one of the strangest dates she’d ever been on, not that it had veered far from the norm. It hadn’t. It just
felt
different.

Setting the stem aside, she dabbed her mouth with her napkin.
“Thank you.”

This was one time she
actually wanted a man to dominate the conversation. She repeatedly opened up subjects only to be drawn back in when Dylan asked questions in return. It was impossible not to feel disappointed because he was so fascinating, his experiences wildly different from hers. She pictured him as the metaphorical canteen of water in the desert, an oasis, a cool, gratifying plunge into experiences both foreign and elemental. She wanted to drink deep, get her fill, but he smoothly turned the discussion back around, leaving her thirst for more unquenched.

For some
inexplicable reason, he seemed to find her just as interesting. Imagine. They laughed like old friends, and sometimes her spontaneous trills of delight drew glances from other diners. Dylan wasn’t the least bit bothered by it either, earning even more points in his favor. He was as lost in the moment as she was.

P
icking up the thread of their earlier conversation before he could turn it back on her again, she asked, “And that’s why you haven’t settled down?”

“Not since Greece. Neither of us was ready for a commitment, especially Maria." Dylan
shook his head and chuckled to himself. "I was in and out of her life so often, when I got back from Rome the last time I found she’d given away most of my clothes to her various boyfriends. I was lucky to get away with a few pairs of underwear.”

Ariela
covered her mouth, laughing into her hand. His anecdotes were some of the best she’d ever heard. “How could you stand her?”

“Well, she was gorgeous and uninhibited. That’s a sexy combination for any guy.”

“I’ll bet,” she said dryly, studying this charmer across the table. “Do you have your passport on you?”

“As a matter of fact, I do
—habit.”

“Can I see it?”

“Sure.” He reached back and pulled it out. It was warm and curved from being in his pocket.

Ariela smothered a
nother laugh when she saw it and went to work pressing it flat before opening it. She scanned all the stamps with interest. “Where’s Tenerife?”

“It’s an island off the northwest coast of Africa, part of the Canaries.
Belongs to Spain. Very beautiful. You can climb the mountains and get lost in the clouds. Palm trees and miles of topless beaches.”

“Topless beaches, hmm?” The corner of her mouth twitched when she glanced up at him before returning to the passport. “There on business?”

“She asked knowingly,” he said with a twinkle in his eye. “No, I was doing a little research on my own time.”

“I s
uspected as much.” It was impossible to hold back her smile. “My mind is full of all kinds of possibilities.”

Now he
laughed outright and without apparent shame. “Au natural isn’t all it’s cracked up to be, I assure you. All it means is no matter what the age or physical condition of the bathers, anyone can go topless—and they do. So, for every opportunity to eyeball perky beauties, there’s an even better chance you’re going to find yourself experiencing a full-body shudder. Try and picture biting into the sourest lemon there is when you least expect it, and you’ll understand the reaction I’m talking about here.”

“I never realized public nudity could be so risky,” she teased, returning the passport.

“You have no idea.” He grinned and shifted to tuck it back into his pocket.

“I’m having such a nice time tonight
.”

The lines around his smile deepened.
“Me too. What do you say we head out, maybe take a walk?”

“I’d like that.”

“Would you mind if we picked up Max first? He’d never forgive me if word got around that I went for a walk without him. He’s been known to hold a grudge.”

“We wouldn’t want that.”

Dylan rose and came around the table to pull out her chair as Ariela set her napkin beside her empty plate. It thrilled her to finally find a true gentleman. When his hands brushed her shoulders, it was a struggle to ignore the tingles running down her spine. Unbidden, the image of her parents, so in love, flashed in her head. She pushed it away. This was only a date. No matter how charming, Dylan Bond wasn't the man for her. She could never allow herself to fall for a guy who made a career out of traipsing into treacherous situations.

Chapter 4

Ariela waited in the car while Dylan jogged up the path to the side yard.
He let himself into a chain link enclosure and disappeared. At the sound of desperate barking, she leaned across the center console and braced her hand on the driver’s seat, trying to see what was happening out there. Unfortunately, the corner of the house blocked her view.

Without
warning, Max blew through the chain-link gate and sent it crashing against the fence while he dragged his master behind him. Dylan’s impossibly long strides seemed to defy the laws of nature. Every step was more like a leap, coming alarmingly close to actual splits. It looked both painful and comical. Then Max spotted Ariela. He ran around to the passenger side and jumped up, planting both front feet on her window and gave her a friendly woof. She was laughing when Dylan wrestled the dog to the back door.

“Get in the back, you
irritating animal,” he muttered.

S
mothering her giggles, she instantly sobered when Max bounded into the back and stuck his head between the front seats. He moved up Ariela’s arm, sniffing the entire way, before finally resting his chin on her shoulder. His hot, doggie breath steamed in her hair.

“Good dog, nice dog
.” She gave the top of his bony head an uneasy pat.

Dylan climbed into the
car and reached around, shoving Max’s muzzle back with one hand. It didn’t take. The golden set his chin right back on her shoulder again.

“Sorry about that
.” Dylan tried once more with the same result. Grinning sheepishly, he said, “Don’t worry. I have a trick up my sleeve.”

Firing up the engine, he
hit the power button on his door and opened the back window. All interest in Ariela evaporated and Max took up his position behind Dylan, facing into the wind as they pulled onto the street.

While
inside, Dylan had put on a blazer. He reached into the left-hand pocket and pulled something out.

“
Here, this is for you.” He dropped it onto her lap.

Ariela
picked up the lint roller, biting her lip with amusement.

“It’s for your nice outfit,” he explained.

“So I gathered. Did I mention how weird this date is?”

He shot her a playful grin.
“Once or twice. Still a good thing?”

Ariela smiled. “It’s a very good thing.”

***

They park
ed along Scenic Lake. Even in the dying light of evening, there was a lot of activity. Families and singles were riding their bikes on the trails. The skateboard park was full of kids and the sounds carried over the hum of slow-cruising traffic. Baby strollers were still very much a part of the scene, yet soon the path lights would switch on.

Dylan
carefully opened the back door, barely catching Max’s leash before the retriever could take off without them. In the space of time it took Dylan to lock the car, the dog must have felt the slack on the leash because he yanked his owner forward. Dylan made a desperate grab for Ariela’s hand. She held on tight, stumbling after them.

Sparing her a quick glance, he apologized,
“Didn’t mean to startle you, but I don’t want to get separated.”

“
Is that right?” She gave him a skeptical smile and left her hand where it was. “Your dog needs a little training.”

“
I agree.” They both averted their eyes as the retriever lifted his leg on the first tree he came to. “We’re still getting to know each other.”

“Really?”
Why did that surprise her? Dylan said he’d been out of the country. She was jerked out of her musings when Max hauled them to the next tree and sprinkled that one as well.

“Ye
s. He was my grandmother’s dog, but he got too big for her to handle. I walked right into it when I came home. No one else was offering to take him, and since I have my own place with a fenced yard, it made sense." Dylan shrugged, his smile telling. "I don't really mind. I like the company.”

His confession made her
like him even more. “Looks like the feeling's mutual. What will you do with him while you're away?”

“
The vet recommended a kennel. I stopped to check it out—it’s pretty nice. Max is going to stay there. Aren’t you, Maxi?” His mushy tone got the retriever all worked up. Dylan chuckled and continued. “When I get back at the end of the week, we’ll look into obedience classes.”

“You’ll both probably get a lot out of it.”
Ariela smiled and skipped over a crack.

“Let’s hope.”

They crossed the grass to reach the lower path skirting the shoreline and Max slowed to a more comfortable lope.

“Look at that,” murmured Ariela, admiring the moon coming up over the water. It cast a haunting
, beautiful reflection.

He fell quiet, lost in thought for a moment while he studied it.
“Next week, when I’m halfway around the world, I’ll still be looking at that moon.”

“But it’s different.”

Pondering what she said, he shook his head. “The distance and time zones, perhaps, but there are constants in this wide universe of ours that don’t change. That’s one of them.”

They waited while Max
sniffed around an overgrown bush and lifted his leg.

Dylan took that opportunity to ask, “Can I e-mail you while I’m gone?”

“Yes, I’ll give you my address when you drop me off tonight.”

Max pulled them back to the present and onto the path. They had to rein him in
when he saw a couple with a pug coming from the opposite direction. The vicious little dog barked, straining to run at Max. The baffled retriever paused, his wagging tail frozen in midair as he looked at the other animal. Clearly, all he wanted to do was greet the little dog and share a friendly sniff. The man didn’t allow it. He scooped up his snarling pet and gave Dylan and Ariela a curt nod before he and his wife strode away, noses in the air.

Turning in offense,
Ariela stared after them. “That was frosty.”

Dylan misunderstood her,
assuming she meant the animal, not the couple. “Little dogs have more to prove, don’t they, Max?” He playfully rubbed the golden's ears and Max pepped right up, the hostility already forgotten.

They were three quarters of the way around the lake when Ariela
began to shiver.

Dylan n
oticed when she hugged herself. He tugged Max to a stop. “Here, take my coat.”

“
No. Then you’ll be cold.”

“I don’t care.”

“
I
do.”

“Women.”
Shaking his head, he raised his arm, one eyebrow arched in challenge. “Then tuck in next to me.”

Five
seconds was all she gave herself to consider the offer before she snaked her arm under Dylan’s blazer and around his waist. He pulled his jacket over her as best he could and snugged her against his warm side. It was a good fit.

“Better?”
Based on his smile, he knew the answer.

“Much.”

“I should have thought of it sooner.”

“I wouldn’t have accepted it sooner. My grandmother would not approve.”

Nodding, he gave Ariela a squeeze. “Over dinner you mentioned you were raised by your grandmother. Do you want to tell me about it?”

“
Maybe another time.”

“
Okay.”

She
liked that he backed off and didn’t push her.

**
*

They drove Max home first then continued on to Ariela
’s. Pulling into the empty parking space behind the house, Dylan cut the engine. Would she ask him in? He hoped so.

She didn
’t disappoint. “Would you like to come up?”

“What about your roommate?”

“Jean’s out tonight.”

Sweet!

“Wait there.”
He hopped out of the car and came around to open her door.

Ariela
graciously accepted his hand when she got out. Her self–conscious laugh was cute as hell.

“
I feel pampered. I’m not used to gallant gestures from my dates.”

“
It’s a standard service when you sign on to the Dylan Bond plan.” That earned another soft chuckle. He could get used to those.

The motion lights flashed on as they walked to the back stoop. Ariela fumbled with her keys in the lock, but then the door swung open and she stepped inside. He followed.

Dylan had no complaints as he climbed the stairs behind her. He had a perfect view of her tempting little ass. If anything, he was struggling with the urge to dive right into her, face first. There was something very appealing about getting up close and personal with a woman’s derriere, pressing your lips against the sexy dimple that set off the top of her pretty bottom. Of course, it was best not to mention those kinds of impulses at the beginning of a relationship.

Ariela turned just inside her apartment door
and flicked on the lights. “I think there’s beer in the fridge. You interested?”

Loaded
question. Better play it straight
. “What kind?”

“Ron likes his Guinness.”

“A Guinness would be great.”
And who the hell is Ron?

“Good. Sit down. I’ll be right back.” She disappeared into the kitchen.

Dylan sank onto the Jetsons’ funky, teal sofa and waited.

“Do you want it in a glass?” she called.

“Please—but I’ll pour it.”

She returned, carrying two bottles and one glass. He smiled as she handed one to him, and he took his time pouring the stout
. Noticing how amused she was by his careful technique, he explained, “You have to understand, this isn’t just alcohol—a six-pack to slam while you munch cheese puffs and watch the game—but rather the result of years of masterful devotion to a craft. Think of it as a fine wine, with many levels of enjoyment possible. You have the nose, the rich color, and finally the complex flavors on the tongue. It would be an insult to the brewer to drink it like swill.”

Admiring the contents of
his glass first, he savored the first swallow.

**
*

Being witness to that kind of pleasure felt
downright indecent. Ariela could feel herself blushing all the way to her roots. She tipped back her bottle of juice, hiding behind it, but he noticed her embarrassment anyway. His smile was infectious and her lips spread against the mouth of her clear bottle.

“I love your blush,” he
told her. “Very cute. Come on.” He patted the cushion next to him. “Have a seat.”

Ariela lowered the bottle, but not the corners of her mouth
, and sank slowly beside him.

He set
his glass on the end table then turned with a request. “Forgive me?”

“For what?” she asked, mildly alarmed.

“For this.”

He reached out and captured her face
in his hands, then moved in. Ariela stopped breathing, held spellbound by how the intense blue of his eyes deepened even more as he closed the distance. When the brush of his lips came, it was so gentle, so right. They both smiled without disconnecting.

Ariela fumbled to put her juice on the floor without spilling it. Dylan
helped her out. He took it and set it next to his glass.

“You know,
” he whispered, his voice low and rough. “I wouldn’t be offended if you felt like touching me too,” Then his hand was back, caressing her face, her cheek, tracing her jaw and throat. “If I touch you where it hurts, let me know, okay?” he murmured against her ear.

She shuddered at the heat of his breath on her sensitive skin
, yet somehow managed to nod. She wanted to stretch under Dylan’s hands like a cat, almost as much as she wanted to run hers all over him. Her hands made the decision for her, pressing against his chest and feeling the shape of him under his shirt. His nipples tightened beneath her palms and she pressed them with the heels of her hands. But there was more, so much more she needed to explore so she moved on, riding over his collarbone, curling over his shoulders, and sending her fingers into the silky hair at the nape of his neck. They moved together, their lips meeting and retreating, cautiously tasting until he finally stopped the nonsense. His next kiss was relentless—hungry and demanding. He coaxed her lips apart and thrust his tongue inside. Her head swimming, her body pliant, Ariela moaned, drunk on the subtle taste of Guinness on his breath.

Somehow
Dylan managed to shed his jacket without breaking the kiss. When his hands found her body again, they were so hot they could have ironed cotton. She gripped his hair, her knuckles pressing against his scalp as she held on tight, drinking desperately from his lips as if he truly was that canteen she’d pictured during dinner.

Her prediction he’d be one hell of a kisser was dead accurate
. He knew exactly where and how to touch a woman. When they broke apart, they were both panting for air, shaken, and stunned. The last thing Ariela expected to see were her own confused emotions flashing across Dylan’s face.