He chuckled, the sound a low, sexy rumble. “Isn’t that just a little ambitious?”
“You were a teenage boy once. Wouldn’t you rather the girls saw you as a cucumber than a banana?”
His spontaneous burst of laughter brought a smile to her lips. It was no use, she suddenly realized. Fighting the sexual awareness buzzing between them was an effort in futility. Unless of course she was willing to pack up and move tomorrow to either Boston or New York, which she wasn’t. Besides, she knew he felt it as well. It was there, in his smile, in the sound of his laughter, but mostly in his eyes, a deeper shade of violet now and twice as intense when he looked at her.
“I didn’t realize cucumbers were more…anatomically correct.”
Her responding laughter was a tad too close to a nervous twitter. She set her glass aside. “Why are we having this conversation?”
He shrugged. “You started it, Doc.”
No, she didn’t. He did. “Let’s change the subject,” she suggested.
“Interesting.”
“What’s interesting?”
“That you’d want to change the subject. I had the impression you wouldn’t mind discussing…anatomy.”
She stood and started clearing the bar with trembling fingers. “You take a lot for granted, Coach.” What did he expect her to do? Roll over on her back and yell, Take me now, stud?
“Chase.”
She turned to find him standing less than two feet away from her. That made her even more nervous since he blocked her only hope for an exit. “You take a lot for granted, Chase.”
He reached for her, but she pulled away before he could touch her, leaning back until the edge of the counter bit into her lower back.
“Do I?” he asked.
Her tactical temporary escape failed. Definitely not a smart move, because he inched closer, then leaned toward her. He planted his hands firmly on the edge of the counter, bracketing her within his strong tanned arms and the muscled wall of his chest. They weren’t even touching, but the charge between them was still powerfully electric.
By some miracle, she remembered to breathe, and all she got for her trouble was an intoxicating mix of freshly showered man and a hint of musk that teased her senses. “I’m not looking to get involved,” she told him, then wet her suddenly drier than dust lips with her tongue. “I was only being, uh, I was being neighborly.”
“Then why so nervous, Doc?” he asked, his voice low and husky.
“Why are you so close?”
He lifted one eyebrow and shrugged his wide shoulders. “I dunno. It’d be kinda hard to kiss you from across the room.”
“Kiss me?” The words tangled up in her vocal cords and came out sounding like a husky whisper filled with invitation.
“I thought you’d never ask,” he said, in that same sexy rumble that had her insides quivering with sweet anticipation.
Before she could tell him he was wasting his time, that she didn’t have the time to get involved, his tongue brushed lightly across her lips.
Before she could think of the words to protest what was going to be the most promising moment of sexual awakening, he swept inside and tasted her deeply.
Before she could even summon her lost common sense and stop his gentle assault on her mouth, she tangled her tongue with his.
Moaning softly, she straightened. Her breasts barely brushed against his chest, but the contact had enough spark for hard peaks to form and rasp enticingly against her sensible cotton sports bra. Unable to resist the honeyed temptation of his mouth moving so provocatively, so seductively over hers, she wreathed her arms around his neck and just enjoyed the thrill racing through her veins.
Before she became completely swept away by the toe-curling kiss, he lifted his head and firmly set her away from him. The grin he gave her was filled with enough arrogance to let her know he hadn’t missed one iota of her body’s response.
“Thanks for the meal, Doc,” he said, then turned and walked away.
Her breath came in short pants as she watched him cross the living room to the front door. How could he just walk away after igniting sparks like that? She might have responded like a feline who’d snuck out the back door and made it into the alley, but he hadn’t exactly been unaffected, either.
“Where are you going?” she asked against her better judgment.
He swung the door open, then stopped in the threshold to look over his shoulder at her. “You’ve got an early day tomorrow. I’ll take you to dinner after your shift.”
He stepped through the door without answering her question, or waiting for a response to his invitation that hovered close to an arrogant demand. He was gone. Just like that, she thought with a snap of her fingers. He tipped her world upside down then left her, alone and feeling achingly frustrated. From a kiss!
There was more. A whole lot more and it all zeroed in on her growing sexual attraction to the new guy in town.
HE’D VERY NEARLY BLOWN IT. God, he couldn’t believe he could be so careless. Not with an investigation as important as the Romine case. And especially not with a case as important to his continued employment with the Bureau.
He stood on the forty-yard line with Crawford and Harrison, each with their feet braced for impact, their backs to the sun and each holding a blocking dummy gripped tightly in their hands. A red Cougars ball cap helped to shield Chase’s eyes from the brightness of the evening sun, but nothing could alleviate the thick humidity, except maybe a good summer storm. Between the heat, humidity and thoughts of Dee, his concentration on the Cougars’ practice was no more effective than what he’d had on the investigation Saturday evening.
Dee hadn’t mentioned her schedule to him once throughout the time they’d spent together four nights ago, and he’d gone off feeling damned cocky just because she’d responded to him. He’d been lucky he hadn’t blown the whole operation. But he’d covered. He decided some distance would be in his favor so he tacked a note to her door the next afternoon, telling her something had come up and he’d have to give her a rain check on that meal he’d promised. Then after making certain all the surveillance equipment was in top working order, he’d taken off to a neighboring town to a motel for the night. It’d been a risky choice, but he didn’t think he had any other option. Obviously his instincts had paid off, because he hadn’t seen nor heard from Dee in the past four days. By the time they did meet up again, he suspected she’d probably have forgotten the incident. At least he hoped so.
He muttered a curse as he took a rough hit from Jimmy Sanders, a defensive lineman tipping the scales at two-twenty. “Watch it, Sanders,” he complained. “You put that head down again, I’m gonna put my cleat on your backside.”
Sanders spit out his mouthpiece. “Sorry, Coach.”
Chase braced himself for the hit by the next player. After the way Dee had been sending him more signals than a faulty traffic light, he wasn’t sure what he was supposed to feel, or do for that matter. What was he supposed to do when she kissed him like she wanted him? Wanted him as badly as he wanted her. He was a good agent, even if he wasn’t above taking risks, but he doubted even the director could keep his hands, or his mouth, off someone as delightfully sensual as Dee.
She’d gotten to him. There was no other explanation, no other excuse. She’d gotten to him good and driven him practically insane with her pretty mouth and witty conversation. Every ounce of his strength had been forcefully summoned in order for him to walk away from her when all he’d wanted to do was take that kiss one step further, and another,