Athena Force: Deceived Part 8

There wasn't a moment during the conversation that Lynn didn't know he was subtly seducing her. The seduction was there in his dark eyes each time he looked at her, there in the frequency of his touch to her hand when he wanted to make a point.

It was a heady experience for Lynn. She'd had men come on to her before, but never with the smoothness or the breathtaking intensity of Nick. It both excited her and made her wary. Her isolated lifestyle and unusual senses had kept her from acting on an attraction to a man so far. Perhaps it was time to take a chance.

There was no getting around it: she was hungry for a relationship. Not so hungry that she'd settle for a smooth-talking man with l.u.s.t in his eyes and nothing else on the table. She wasn't a fool.

But she found Nick easy to talk to. The shyness that normally plagued her seemed to disappear with him.

They ate at a leisurely pace, as if they had all the time in the world to enjoy each other's company.

When they'd finished eating, he got them each another gla.s.s of wine, then gestured toward the dance floor. "Ready for a spin?"

The music was soft, romantic, and the thought of being held in his arms thrilled her more than just a little. "I'm game if you are, although I can't promise I won't step on your toes."

"I think I can handle that." He rose and held out his hand to her.

She had a feeling he could handle anything. She hadn't forgotten the look in his eyes that night in the bar when he'd looked around for the creep who had backed her into a corner. Nor had she missed the way his gaze had swept the room when they'd first walked in here tonight. It had been the watchful gaze of a man with secrets.

There was something slightly dark, slightly dangerous about Nick Barnes. She wondered if perhaps it had something to do with his family. All she knew for sure was that he intrigued her.

He led her to the dance floor and pulled her into his arms. He didn't hold her so close as to be offensive, but close enough that she felt the inviting heat from his body, the warmth of his breath on the top of her head and the strength of his arm around her back.

She had a perfect view of his jawline and the hollow of his throat. His skin looked soft, and for a moment she wondered what it would be like to press her lips against it. The idea of kissing him electrified her.

He was a good dancer. He didn't just stand in place and sway, but rather moved them around the floor with an easy masculine grace, using his hand in the small of her back to guide her.

He looked down at her. "So far so good. No crushed toes."

She smiled. "You make it easy to stay off your toes. You're a good lead."

He tightened his arm around her and pulled her a bit closer. She could now feel his hard chest against her b.r.e.a.s.t.s, feel his muscled thighs against her own. A wave of warmth swept through her.

"So, what's Jonas doing in Paris?" he asked as they continued to move to the music.

"I'm not sure. He goes there pretty frequently." In fact, that's usually where he was when she did a recovery for him.

"Does he have business interests over there?"

"You know Uncle Jonas. He has business dealings everywhere."

"There's still a lot about his work that I don't know."

Lynn said nothing. There was a lot about her that Nick didn't know. She wondered if she would ever be close enough, ever feel safe enough to share with somebody the secret of her amazing physical skills. Would she ever be able to share the details of the work she did for Jonas? Would she ever find somebody with whom she could share all the pieces of herself without being afraid?

"What's this government work he does? He's never mentioned that to me before," Nick asked.

"I don't know much about it. I just know he has defense contracts with the government, but he keeps that business separate from the import/export business."

When the song ended, they returned to their table and made small talk while they each finished their gla.s.s of wine. They danced two more dances, then left.

As they were walking toward the car, Lynn noticed how beautiful the beach looked behind the restaurant. The moon was a plump round ball that shot shimmering silver across the ocean waves and the sandy beach.

"Look, Nick. Isn't it beautiful?"

"Want to take a walk?" He looked down at her high heels. "Never mind, bad idea."

"On the contrary." She walked to the edge of the sand and kicked off her shoes. "I'd love to take a walk."

He grinned at her, that slow s.e.xy grin that stole her breath. He took off his shoes and socks, and together they walked on the still-warm sand.

As they walked, he reached for her hand. "I can't imagine living anywhere else, can you?"

She shook her head. "I've traveled to so many places, seen some beautiful countries, but Miami is my home and I love it here."

"I know you like to swim, but do you enjoy other water sports? Boating? Surfing?"

"I've never tried to surf, but I enjoy being on the water. What about you? Do you surf?"

"Whenever I get a chance," he replied.

Her mind filled with a vision of him in a bathing suit, balancing on a surfboard as it flew across the waves. "I'll bet you're good at it."

His dark eyes gleamed in the moon's illumination. "I try to be good at everything I do."

"I'm sure you do," she murmured. She broke the eye contact and instead gazed out at the water. "I'd love to have a place right on the beach."

"Jonas's place is on the beach," he countered.

"Yes, and it's always been home. But now I'd like my own place. I'd like just a little cottage where n.o.body knows who I am, where n.o.body could find me unless I want them to."

They walked several steps in silence. "I have a place like that," he finally said.

She looked at him in surprise. "But I thought you said you lived in an apartment at the Heritage Arms."

"I do, but I've also got a beach house down on Harbor Road. It's just a little two-bedroom cottage that I'm renting with the option to buy. I don't get to spend as much time as I'd like there, but it's my little getaway from the world."

"Sounds marvelous," she said.

"The house number is 215. The key is under a flowerpot on the front porch. You're welcome to use it whenever you want."

The offer was unexpected, and so generous that she was momentarily at a loss for words. She squeezed his hand. "Thank you, that's very kind of you."

He shrugged. "Most of the time it just sits there empty."

They continued to walk in a pleasant silence. A balmy breeze blew off the water, and the rhythmic rush of wave to sh.o.r.e was intoxicating.

"I'm so glad I left the cell phone at home," she said, finally breaking the silence.

"Won't your uncle wonder where you are and who you might be with?"

"I think he'll guess who I'm with. Richard must have mentioned something about seeing the two of us together yesterday morning because Jonas asked if we were seeing each other when I spoke to him this morning."

She felt the sudden tension that filled him. "What did you tell him?" he asked. "He isn't going to take me out to the swamp and feed me to the 'gators, is he?"

She laughed. "No, nothing like that. I told him that we'd gone for a drive together and it wasn't a big deal. Uncle Jonas likes you."

He stopped walking and turned to face her. "How do you know that?"

"Because he gave his approval about me seeing you."

"Let me tell you something, Lynn." That dangerous look shone from his eyes, transforming their dark depths to an almost silvery sheen in the moonlight. "If I wanted to see you I wouldn't give a d.a.m.n whether your uncle gave his approval or not. I respect and admire your uncle, and I hope to work with him for a long time to come, but there are times when a man has to go after what he wants and d.a.m.n the consequences."

There was a pa.s.sion in his eyes, a dangerous light of a man who always went after what he wanted and got it. It was that kind of pa.s.sion she hungered for, the balancing without a net, the taking chances with your life, the reaching out for what you wanted without fear of failure or pain.

He squeezed her hand. "Sorry, I didn't mean to get so carried away."

"It's all right."

"We'd better get you home. Don't you have cla.s.ses tomorrow?"

"Yes, I do," she said reluctantly. She didn't want to see the evening end.

They started walking again, back toward the car. Lynn was vaguely disappointed that he hadn't tried to kiss her. The setting, with the moonlight and the beach, had been so perfect for a romantic kiss.

She scoffed at the thought. She hadn't realized she had the heart of a romantic until this moment.

As they drove home Nick asked her about the many foreign places she'd visited in the past with Jonas. "We traveled a lot when I was younger," she said. "We'd fly to Paris or London, spend time in Switzerland and the Bahamas. We often went to Puerto Isla for visits. You name it and I've probably been there."

"Puerto Isla?"

"It's in Central America."

"Do you enjoy traveling?" he asked.

"I did when I was little, but not so much anymore. Uncle Jonas seems to thrive on the jet-setting lifestyle, on never being in one place for too long. But I'm tired of it all. I like the idea of sticking in one place and building something permanent."

"I've never done much foreign traveling, but I've never had a big desire to," he said. "Like I said before, I love Miami."

All too soon he pulled up in front of the house. Again she thought of how much she hated to see the night come to an end. It had been one of the best nights she could ever remember.

Together they got out and walked toward the house. When they reached the door she turned to face him. "Thank you, Nick. I had a wonderful time."

"So did I." He reached up and brushed a strand of her hair back from her face. "I'd like to see you again, Lynn."

A flush of pleasure washed over her. "I'd like that."

"How about tomorrow night?"

She laughed a little breathlessly. "You don't let much gra.s.s grow under your feet."

"Not when it's something I care about." He leaned closer to her. "Remember what I said about your lips? That they looked like they needed kissing badly?"

"I remember." She felt as if she was scarcely breathing.

"They're looking like that right now."

"Then maybe you should kiss them."

He dipped his head and captured her mouth with his. Initially it was a soft kiss, the mere meeting of lips. But within seconds it transformed into something more, something deeper as she opened her mouth to him.

His arms wound around her, pulling her tight against him, so tight she could feel the press of his thighs and the hint of his arousal against her. His tongue swirled with hers and she felt herself burning from the inside out.

Before she combusted into fiery flames, he released her. "I don't know how well you do anything else, but you do that extremely well," she said unsteadily, then blushed.

He laughed, a low, s.e.xy chuckle. "Can I call you tomorrow?" She nodded. "Then I'll just say good-night for now."

"Good night, Nick." She watched as he left the porch and returned to his car. She touched her lips with two fingers, the feel of his mouth still imprinted there.

Lynn had been kissed before, more than a couple of times by several different men, but none of them had affected her like Nick had. He made her want more.

She stood on the porch until his car disappeared from view, then turned to go inside. As she reached for the doork.n.o.b she heard the faint crackling of brush nearby.

"h.e.l.lo?" she called out. "Is somebody there?" She frowned and took a couple of steps away from the door. She tilted her head and listened, a wave of apprehension sweeping over her.

She could have sworn she heard footsteps...or had she? She allowed herself to listen. A breeze rustled the trees. Insects clicked and chirped. Nothing out of the ordinary. Maybe it had been a stray cat or a racc.o.o.n. "Is anyone there?" she called again. Nothing.

She went inside and locked the door behind her, her thoughts going back to Nick.

She liked him. What's more, she instinctively trusted him. Maybe it was because he worked for Jonas that trust had come so easily. Or maybe it was because he seemed to really listen to her, to ask questions that made her feel as if he was genuinely interested in her thoughts.

Whatever the reason, he excited her and she looked forward to spending more time with him. This was so much better than computer relationships, so much more real.

She went up to her room, drawn to her window by the stream of moonlight dancing in through the gla.s.s. She still tasted his kiss, felt the texture of his lips imprinted on her own. She'd wanted more...still did.

She froze as her gaze caught on a moving shadow. In the distance...in the trees. It was there only a moment, then gone. Or had it been there at all? She blinked and focused but saw nothing amiss.

Had she imagined it? Had her encounter the night before with the FBI made her imagine moving shadows and rustling leaves?

She turned away from the window, certain that if anyone who didn't belong had gotten on the property, security would have seen and responded.

Still, it was a very long time before she allowed herself to sleep that night.

Chapter 7.