Part 14 (2/2)

Antic.i.p.ation burned through him. This he wanted to hear. He'd thought he knew everything there was to know about Maggie ”Blue” Callahan. Maybe he didn't have such a big head start in the knowing game after all.

”I'm intrigued,” he said, stretching his legs out in front of him for comfort. ”Don't keep me in suspense.” Getting her mind off Lucas would help her relax, if only for a few minutes.

Her gaze traveled the length of him, then moved on to other things around the room as if looking directly at him as she spoke was too difficult. ”About six months ago I was in a little Georgetown gallery and I discovered this wonderful painting.” She closed her eyes as if imagining the work. The smile told him that it was a pleasant memory...one that she relished recalling. When she at last opened her eyes, she continued, ”I'd always a.s.sumed that I was above becoming obsessed with anything other than my work.” She laughed softly. ”Boy, was I wrong. The scene drew me in, kept me entranced for hours on end. I just couldn't get enough of looking at it.”

A new kind of tension moved through him, sending his heart into a faster rhythm...making his pulse react.

”I found myself imagining all kinds of things about the man who'd painted that haunting forest scene. It had to be a man-or maybe I just wanted to believe that. He had to be dark, of course, to convey that enigmatic mood...the forbidden sense of sensuality.” Her gaze s.h.i.+fted to his and those blue eyes glittered with unconcealed l.u.s.t. ”I was right. It was you. N.D.D.”

He needed to touch her, but he didn't dare break the spell. The air was charged with their mutual desire, edged with the raw tension of recent events. His loins tightened with the need pooling there.

She turned away for a long moment. He was afraid she might not say any more, and he so wanted to hear the rest. Finally, she allowed him to see her eyes again.

”I felt it the moment I arrived on the island. A sense of familiarity...of knowing. And then, when we met, I knew there was a connection there, something that drew me to you other than that handsome face and made-for-sin body.”

A smile crept across his lips. ”Made-for-sin body?”

She shrugged. ”I did see you in that towel, you know.”

He nodded. ”Ah, yes, you did.”

”Sin would definitely be the right word.”

He splayed his hands and shook his head. ”I wish I could claim some special connection that made me notice you, but I can't.” The uncertainty in her eyes told him she didn't know how to take his admission. ”I simply wanted you the moment I saw you. No pomp and circ.u.mstance, just plain old l.u.s.t.”

She blushed becomingly, the dusky red making the rest of her skin look even creamier. ”I see. So you didn't want a bodyguard, you just wanted a body.”

”Not just any body,” he pointed out. ”Your body.”

Her pulse skipped at the confession. Warmth spread through her immediately just sitting there looking at him. He wanted her...she wanted him. Time to find a distraction.

”I think I'll hit the shower.” She stood, stretched and sighed. ”You okay for a few minutes?”

He had her .38, not to mention a gun cabinet filled with weapons. She didn't have to ask if he knew how to use them. He was ex-military, not Special Forces but something on that order.

He nodded, saying nothing as she hurried up the stairs without looking back. If she'd looked back she was certain he would have seen the invitation to join her in her eyes.

That would not be conducive to keeping her distance emotionally. Definitely not a good thing.

Well, she was certain it would be good, physically anyway, but it wasn't the right choice.

In her room, Blue shucked her clothes. She turned on the shower and checked the soap, a new habit she'd acquired since coming here. She glanced at her reflection in the mirror, noting the bruises and healing scratches from the gla.s.s slivers. She wondered what Noah saw when he looked at her. Did he feel the depth of emotion she felt when she looked at him? Or was it still just plain old l.u.s.t? She wanted to believe he felt more now. She shouldn't allow herself to go there. She couldn't fall in love with this man. But, if she was honest with herself, she was halfway there already.

Incredibly bad timing for both of them.

She stepped beneath the warm spray and allowed the water to sluice over her. Slowly her muscles relaxed and she sighed with grat.i.tude. Her thoughts went to Lucas and she wanted to cry. She prayed fervently that G.o.d would keep him alive and that they would find him. She thought of the worry in Victoria Colby's eyes. Blue knew then and there that if Noah was wounded and missing, she'd feel much the same way.

”Idiot,” she muttered. It wasn't smart to fall in love with a man she could never have...who wanted nothing from her but a physical relations.h.i.+p. Her mother had always warned her that s.e.x without commitment was trouble. An old-fas.h.i.+oned concept, but regrettably true in most cases. In this one without doubt.

For the first time in longer than she could remember, Blue felt homesick. She wished she could hug her mother and kick back with her dad and have a beer. She even missed her brothers. Now that was saying something.

The tears came unbidden and without warning. Once they started she seemed to have no control over them whatsoever. She pressed her forehead to the slick tile and sobbed as quietly as she could. What was wrong with her? She never cried.

The metal-on-metal slide of the shower door brought her head up. Her eyes widened as she took in the naked Adonis standing before her in all his glory. Her breath evaporated in her lungs. Before she could find her voice, Noah stepped in next to her. He pressed a gentle kiss to her forehead, then wrapped those strong arms around her. She told herself to resist, but she simply couldn't.

It felt so good to be held by him. The warmth and sinew of his body made her feel safe and at home. How could she even think of pus.h.i.+ng him away? She closed her eyes and inhaled deeply the scent of his masculine skin, resisting the impulse to burrow her face into that awesome chest. He whispered soothing words to her, his voice so soft. By contrast, his body was hard, yet welcoming. She could feel every perfect contour...every amazing plane of hot male flesh. Her heart plummeted, landing somewhere in the vicinity of her tummy and then surged upward again and thundered back to life. Her skin tingled with the caress of his. She wanted to touch him everywhere at once, but for now she was content just to hold him, to have him hold her.

And then he kissed her and all else ceased to matter.

Those full, wonderfully carved lips moved down to cover hers more completely. He angled her head for better access and her lips parted of their own volition. His hot, steamy tongue thrust into her mouth, making her whimper with need. Her whole body throbbed with that same need. Instinctively she arched into his generous, fully aroused s.e.x.

There was no denying that he wanted her, was more than ready to take her, but he held back, took his time.

Slowly, tenderly, he washed every inch of her body. Kissed every scratch and bruise. By the time he'd shampooed her hair, she was clutching at the slick walls and perched on the edge of climax. Battling for control, she returned the favor, hoping to push him to the edge while slowing her plunge toward it, all the while reveling in the marvelous textures of his body. The smooth taut skin...the dark, wiry body hair. Ridges and planes of pure, honed muscle...the velvety smoothness and arousing thickness of his s.e.x. She wanted him inside her now!

She kissed that carnal mouth and moaned at the sweetness of his taste. ”I don't think I'll live another minute if you-”

He shut off the cooling water and stepped out of the shower, bringing her with him. Taking his time he dried her body with the towel she'd placed on the sink. Then he kissed her again and she rubbed down his sleek body with that same towel. His kiss was urgent as their lips met once more, impatient almost. He was nearing that same precipice where she clung precariously. A thrill went through her at the thought that she could take him to that place. He'd been so distant...so remote and untouchable at first.

The man lifting her into his arms and carrying her to the bed was far from untouchable and remote. He was giving and tender, greedy and savage. And she wanted more.

As if their minds were linked, he settled between her thighs, not wasting time on more foreplay. She was ready for him...ready to take all that he would give her. And she knew he was ready too.

He lifted her bottom with strong, sure hands, nudged her entrance. Sweet sounds of urgency and need echoed around them, his guttural, primal, hers more high-pitched but equally desperate. Slowly, he sank into her, the delicious sensation of penetration very nearly unbearable.

Her palms flattened against his chest, she felt the beating of his heart and his name slipped past her lips on a wispy breath. Noah. He kissed her painstakingly slowly, the deep, stretching thrusts of his lovemaking equally unhurried. His body keeping a perfect tempo with that skilled mouth.

Time stood still as they climbed higher and higher together, their bodies reaching...aching for release. And when it came it was mind-blowing...with frantic words and kisses...with fingers fisted in the tangled sheets and clutching sweat-dampened skin.

When he at last lay beside her, she tried to think of the right words to say, but nothing felt right enough. A contented sigh drifted from her lips and he kissed her again.

”I wish I could see you in the light of day,” she whispered without thought, then realized her mistake. ”I'm sorry. I meant that I want to know every detail of your face.”

He turned toward her and took her hand in his then kissed her palm. ”I understand.” He placed that same hand against his jaw. ”There are other ways to see a person.”

Understanding what he meant, she reached up with her other hand, wondering why she hadn't thought of that herself. She examined every hollow and ridge...every line and angle. She traced the balanced perfection of his nose, then his slightly heavy brow and those chiseled jaws, that square chin. By the time she'd had her fill of touching his face, her body was fully aroused all over again.

As was his.

His lips found hers, teasing, tasting. ”I need to make love to you again,” he murmured, his voice husky with desire, then he stilled. ”I want to make love to you.”

The distinction he made sent her foolish heart rejoicing. Desperate to regain some form of control, she urged him onto his back and moved onto all fours over him. ”Only if I can be on top this time,” she teased brus.h.i.+ng her torso along the length of his.

The scream of an alarm shattered the moment.

Blue reared up, Noah came up with her. ”Is that-?” Her first thought was that someone had entered the house...Leberman.

<script>