smile. “I’m surprised you didn’t twist my nuts off when I kissed you.”
“Yeah.” She smiled. “I was tempted.”
His dark gaze entangled with hers again, and heat shot through her like a lightning bolt. How could a man she barely knew create such a riot of excitement inside her? Twist his nuts off? No, if she was brutally honest with herself, she wanted to take him in hand. Kiss him. Touch him in ways that would make his eyes roll back in his head with pleasure. She cleared her throat, afraid what might show on her face.
“You said you’d explain what got you started with Sentry Security,” she said.
He closed his eyes, and she wondered if he planned to clam up. Finally he said, “After I left the air force, my life went into the toilet.”
“PTSD?”
His eyes opened. “No. I just couldn’t figure out for a few months what the hell I wanted to do. Finally one day something clicked. I was with friends…another pararescueman and his wife. We were in a restaurant parking lot and a drunk driver ran over my friends in a cross walk.”
“Oh, no.” She swallowed hard.
He sighed. “Yeah. I managed to keep them alive long enough to be transported by ambulance to the hospital, but they died a day later. Something inside me solidified, and I knew I wanted to get back into a profession where I could help keep people safe.”
“And you applied to work here?”
“Yep. The General had just started recruiting. Here I am.”
Silence dropped over them as for a short time. He spoke moments later. “What’s your latest novel about?”
“I’m not telling.”
One of his dark brows lifted. “Why?”
“Because if I talk about it a lot it sort of…drains my enthusiasm for the story.”
He nodded. “Makes sense. Is the story set during this world…the here and now?”
“Contemporary yes, but not during the ashfall. It’s a world like what we had before.”
“What did you do before you wrote novels?”
“I was business manager for the community college. My degree is in history, which I love, but I didn’t like the job as a manager.”
“You didn’t know what you wanted to do, you did what you thought you had to do.”
His matter-of-fact statement couldn’t be denied. “Yes. Exactly.”
Once more that smile touched his mouth, but this time it wasn’t full blown. “Sounds like hell. But things have gone to hell out there. I’m glad you’re with us.”
“I don’t understand why you wanted me to come here.”
“I already told you. To keep you safe.”
“You said you care about me, but you don’t know me that well. How can you possibly care that much?”
He leaned forward in his chair and pinned her with a dark look. There was no real hostility in his eyes, but he wasn’t happy. “All right. Have it your way. You want to believe bad things about me.”
“I don’t think you’re…I don’t believe you’re a bad person. I just…” She rubbed the bridge of her nose. “People don’t bond that fast. Sexual attraction, yes. That’s animal. Instinctive.”
“I agree. We could just keep it there. Animal. Instinctive. Sounds like fun.”
She didn’t buy it. “It has nothing to do with common sense and intellect.”
Once more he tilted his head to the side, and his eyes kept that keen curiosity. “No, it doesn’t. But then it wouldn’t be sex would it? Sex is messy, loud, primitive. It isn’t pretty.”
A low, growing arousal thrummed in her belly. Hell, this man knew how to turn everything on its head. Messy, raw sex. Oh, yeah. She wouldn’t mind having some of that . The pure intensity in his gaze assured her that sex with him would be everything he said it was and so much more.
He continued with, “Wait. You’re the kind of person who needs an emotional connection. No sweaty naked stuff until there’s meaning in a relationship.”
Heat climbed into her face. “A lot of women are like that.”
He nodded. There was no mockery and slight in his expression. “So
“Yeah.” She smiled. “I was tempted.”
His dark gaze entangled with hers again, and heat shot through her like a lightning bolt. How could a man she barely knew create such a riot of excitement inside her? Twist his nuts off? No, if she was brutally honest with herself, she wanted to take him in hand. Kiss him. Touch him in ways that would make his eyes roll back in his head with pleasure. She cleared her throat, afraid what might show on her face.
“You said you’d explain what got you started with Sentry Security,” she said.
He closed his eyes, and she wondered if he planned to clam up. Finally he said, “After I left the air force, my life went into the toilet.”
“PTSD?”
His eyes opened. “No. I just couldn’t figure out for a few months what the hell I wanted to do. Finally one day something clicked. I was with friends…another pararescueman and his wife. We were in a restaurant parking lot and a drunk driver ran over my friends in a cross walk.”
“Oh, no.” She swallowed hard.
He sighed. “Yeah. I managed to keep them alive long enough to be transported by ambulance to the hospital, but they died a day later. Something inside me solidified, and I knew I wanted to get back into a profession where I could help keep people safe.”
“And you applied to work here?”
“Yep. The General had just started recruiting. Here I am.”
Silence dropped over them as for a short time. He spoke moments later. “What’s your latest novel about?”
“I’m not telling.”
One of his dark brows lifted. “Why?”
“Because if I talk about it a lot it sort of…drains my enthusiasm for the story.”
He nodded. “Makes sense. Is the story set during this world…the here and now?”
“Contemporary yes, but not during the ashfall. It’s a world like what we had before.”
“What did you do before you wrote novels?”
“I was business manager for the community college. My degree is in history, which I love, but I didn’t like the job as a manager.”
“You didn’t know what you wanted to do, you did what you thought you had to do.”
His matter-of-fact statement couldn’t be denied. “Yes. Exactly.”
Once more that smile touched his mouth, but this time it wasn’t full blown. “Sounds like hell. But things have gone to hell out there. I’m glad you’re with us.”
“I don’t understand why you wanted me to come here.”
“I already told you. To keep you safe.”
“You said you care about me, but you don’t know me that well. How can you possibly care that much?”
He leaned forward in his chair and pinned her with a dark look. There was no real hostility in his eyes, but he wasn’t happy. “All right. Have it your way. You want to believe bad things about me.”
“I don’t think you’re…I don’t believe you’re a bad person. I just…” She rubbed the bridge of her nose. “People don’t bond that fast. Sexual attraction, yes. That’s animal. Instinctive.”
“I agree. We could just keep it there. Animal. Instinctive. Sounds like fun.”
She didn’t buy it. “It has nothing to do with common sense and intellect.”
Once more he tilted his head to the side, and his eyes kept that keen curiosity. “No, it doesn’t. But then it wouldn’t be sex would it? Sex is messy, loud, primitive. It isn’t pretty.”
A low, growing arousal thrummed in her belly. Hell, this man knew how to turn everything on its head. Messy, raw sex. Oh, yeah. She wouldn’t mind having some of that . The pure intensity in his gaze assured her that sex with him would be everything he said it was and so much more.
He continued with, “Wait. You’re the kind of person who needs an emotional connection. No sweaty naked stuff until there’s meaning in a relationship.”
Heat climbed into her face. “A lot of women are like that.”
He nodded. There was no mockery and slight in his expression. “So
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