She started violently when the hotel room door opened behind her. She felt the dark shadow of John Hollister glide into the room on high alert.
Everythings all right. I was just enjoying the moonrise, she murmured.
A shadow on the far side of the bed straightened into the outline of a man and detached itself from the wall. He moved over behind her chair to look out the window. A golden, glowing ball broke free of the Andes mountains and lifted majestically into the night sky, rapidly growing smaller and whiter as it went.
Beautiful, isnt it? she said.
Yes. It is.
You sound surprised.
He replied contemplatively, I dont remember the last time I watched a moonrise.
Too busy chasing the girls, huh?
A snort came from behind her. Something like that.
Did you get what you need?
Yes. Were good to go. When are you supposed to collect the final directions as to where were heading?
As soon as I call to letmy familyknow Im here.
And why do we need to get these coordinates, again? he asked lightly.
She answered in an equally light, but wholly false, tone, They move around frequently in their work. Once they know when Im arriving, then they can tell me where theyll be.
And who, exactly, are we meeting?
She sighed. Mr. Hollister-
I know. Dont ask. A pause. Call me John.
Silence fell between them. The moonlight took on a cold, metallic hue that sent a chill across her skin. She rubbed her arms to chase away the sudden goose bumps.
Hungry? he finally asked.
As a matter of fact, I am.
Youre in luck. People eat late in this part of the world. When I came in, it looked like they were still serving in the restaurant downstairs.
He held a hand down to her to help her out of her seat, and she reached up to take it. Their palms touched, and the skies opened around them. Infinite possibility soared overhead, wide open and free, inviting her to come fly. Startled, she looked up at him. His eyes blazed out of the shadows, compelling and full of dark magic. It washed over her, drawing her in and seducing her. She threw herself into the promise of his gaze, succumbing without a whimper. He gave an easy tug on her hand, and she floated to her feet before him.
He sucked in a sharp breath. Nice dress.
A genuine smile started in her toes and spread upward until it blossomed on her face. Thanks. Thanks for noticing.
He cleared his throat. Kinda hard not to. You lookdynamite.
She was going to kiss him if he kept that up. Kiss. Now there was a thought. A totally inappropriate one, but my, how tempting. She followed him to the door, feeling wobbly, and not because of the heels.
As the elevator whisked them downward he murmured, Dont forget were a couple. Youre my woman and Im your man. Got it? The door slid open and his hand landed possessively on the back of her neck, his thumb caressing the tender flesh under her hair. The promise of raw, unadulterated sex roared through his fingertips.
She glanced up at him, shock in her eyes.
He nodded, his smile sizzling her all the way to her toes. Better. Thats how a woman about to be made love to until she cant stand up should look.
Her jaw dropped. He led her across the lobby, his hand never leaving her neck, his thumb never stopping that light, possessive caress. Waves of tingling shivered through her, starting at her neck and racing outward in expanding spirals of delight. All the loneliness of the past few years slammed into her full force. How long had it been since a man touched her like that? If only it were real. Intense longing nearly brought her to her knees.
As they approached the French doors into the restaurant, she threw him a sidelong glance. You know, its not nice to tease. If youre going to say something like that to a lady, you really should mean it.
His retort stole away what little breath she had left. Who says I dont?
Chapter 3
John was startled at the effect his words had on her. A shiver raced across her skin, and her eyes went so big and dark he could see all the way to her soul. Distracted, he guided her behind the maître d to a candlelit table in a dark, secluded corner. John took one look at the table their host had selected for them and a reluctant smile tugged at his mouth. Apparently, the steamy lovers act must be working.
He stepped smoothly in front of the host and held Melinas seat for her, his hand brushing across her bare shoulders as he moved to her right and took the seat that put his back to the wall.
He leaned back, amused, as Melina made a production out of studying the menu as if she were going to have to take a test over its contents. The line of her cheek captivated him. DaVinci couldnt have drawn it more beautifully than Mother Nature had. She really was a stunning woman. Polished as brightly as a fine diamond. If she didnt come from money, and a lot of it, she faked it very well. She seriously didnt strike him as the type to want to run around in the rugged mountains of South America.
She glanced up. Do you know what youre ordering?
He nodded. Im still deciding how I want my dessert, though.
Her cheeks blossomed twin spots of pink and her chest lifted on a quick breath. Give the lady high marks for catching the subtleties of double entendre.
When the waiter came, Melina exchanged pleasantries with the guy in perfect Spanish before ordering effortlessly in the same tongue. Where did she learn to speak that tongue so well? John wished thered been time to run a background check on her before they left Pirate Petes. But Brady Hathaway had been in such an all-fired hurry to hustle him out of there and away from that noose that hed barely had time to collect his own gear, let alone outfit Melina.
John ordered a steak-rare-salad with vinaigrette, roasted local vegetables, no mushrooms, and a bottle of wine, lightly chilled. The waiter left, and John turned his attention back to his dinner companion. Time to do his own background check. In the guise of polite dinner conversation, of course.
For an American, you speak Spanish exceptionally well.
I live in Mexico City.
What do you do there?
Her eyes clouded over. I work for a pharmaceutical company.
She didnt look particularly happy about it, though. They sipped their wine in silence while he considered her. He couldnt come up with a single reason why a cosmopolitan woman like her needed to go on a trek in the Andes that was so obviously not for pleasure. What was she up to?
Tell me about yourself, he said casually as he refilled her wine glass.
She swirled the maroon liquid, staring down into it pensively. She looked up abruptly, her reverie broken. Why dont you tell me about me? You dodged my question earlier. Lets see how your instincts stack up to mine.
Fine. Maybe he could shake loose some information out of her by playing along. He sipped his wine, studying her until she began to fidget beneath his intent gaze.
Only then did he speak. All right, here goes. My overall impression of you is that youre generally frustrated.
Her eyebrows shot straight up. Interesting reaction. He expanded on the impression. You have a decent education that youre either not using or dont like how youre using. You dont like what youre doing with your life. Youre not in a satisfying relationship, and perhaps that frustrates you most of all. And well it should. A beautiful, bright woman like you should expect to have a good man in her life.
Storm clouds drifted into her gaze.
Ahh, he said in realization. You thought you had a good man, didnt you? But you misjudged him. One of those colossal errors in judgment you mentioned earlier.
A startled look flashed through her expressive eyes. He didnt even need to attempt to read her body language. Her eyes were an open book. Hed hit it spot on. How long ago had that ugly breakup been? She wasnt giving him any clues on that. Could be recent; could be an old wound.
What else? she asked cautiously.
Youre hiding something. Something youre afraid of. You think itll shock me. She opened her mouth, obviously to protest, but he cut her off with a quick wave of his hand. For the record, youre wrong. Nothing you could say or do will shock me. Believe me. Ive seen it all.
She downed a good half-glass of wine in a single gulp. Bingo. Score another direct hit for him.
Anything else? she asked, sounding almost afraid of what else he would say.
Someone has almost got you convinced that you dont deserve the best for yourself.
She nearly dropped her glass of wine at that one. She fumbled the crystal vessel, recovered it, and downed another large gulp of liquid courage.
Left to your own devices, I bet you like to have fun. To laugh. He glanced down at where her crossed foot peeked out from under the linen tablecloth to his left. His mouth quirked up at one corner and he continued, Any woman whod wear a pair of shoes that sexy has a bit of a brazen streak lurking in her. Since you havent shown any hint of it to meyetI can only assume it means youre a fiery one in the bedroom.
Something flashed in her gaze that he hadnt seen so far. Challenge. Humor. The very fire he spoke of. A silent dare to him to find out if he was right or not.
And something flickered deep in his gut in response. A spark he hadnt felt since beforewell, before.
Their meal came, and he found himself taking inordinate pleasure in watching Melina eat. She savored every bite as if it were her last. In turn, he found himself enjoying his succulent steak immensely. It was the first time he could remember actually tasting food in a while.
They finished the bottle of wine with their meal. Melina ordered chocolate mousse for dessert and he did the same. He was surprised when she added an expensive, aged armagnac to the order.
You know brandy? he asked in surprise.
She smiled. I used to.
Some things you never forget.
She nodded. Like the taste of a fine cognac.
Or a fine woman, he remarked lightly.
Whether it was the copious alcohol or embarrassment staining her cheeks that rosy color, he couldnt tell.
The sommelier decanted the armagnac for them, and John watched Melina over his snifter while he let his palms bring the liqueur up to proper drinking temperature. She anticipated the taste of the fine beverage with almost sexual intensity. It had obviously been a long time since she drank cognac. What idiot of a man hadnt been giving it to her nightly, just to watch her enjoy herself like this? It was what he would do if she were his.