On an arm corded with muscle, the tattoo struck her as a savage work of art.
“Water would be great,” she said, finding herself suddenly parched.
He disappeared toward the rear of the house. “You might be more comfortable in here,” he called.
She trailed him into the adjoining room and found him pressing a glass to the ice dispenser on his fridge.
The kitchen had clearly been remodeled. It was a big, bright room with French windows in the eating area overlooking the backyard. Jesse jogged past her and slipped through a doggy door to enjoy the sunshine.
“Here you go.” Chase’s fingers brushed hers as he passed her the glass. “I’ll be right back.”
He gave her an intimate look, then turned and disappeared up a staircase tucked into the wall, taking the steps two at a time.
True to his word, he jogged down those stairs mere seconds later, dressed in jeans and a black T-shirt. The vision of him in casual attire was every bit as unsettling as the uniform. And she’d been right about the pierced ears. He wore two small silver hoops in his left ear and one in his right. He looked like a very, very bad boy.
Her mother had warned her about such men.
She was out of her mind to be with him.
“All set?” he asked.
She took a quick sip of her drink and put it down. “Yes.” The sooner he delivered her to the Refugee Center, the less she’d have to worry that Garret would find out about this crazy little detour.
As Chase leaned over to leave a scoop of food in Jesse’s bowl, Sarah found herself staring at his butt. She’d never ogled a man’s backside in her life. Oh, but this one was too nice to overlook.
“Let’s do it,” he said, pulling his keys out of his pocket. He made a quick but thorough inventory of her figure, then looked straight into her eyes. The breath froze in Sarah’s lungs. This was it: he was going to make the suggestion that they go upstairs.
But then he was striding toward the front door. It shocked her to the core that she was disappointed.
Once outside, they redonned their helmets. Chase assumed dominion over the metal monster and waited for her to mount behind.
They shot off again, the wind cooling Sarah’s overheated imagination. The ride from Virginia Beach to Norfolk would take a good twenty minutes. She committed herself to enjoying every second of it. She had a feeling she would regret it later. Despite her note to Garret explaining, very vaguely, that she’d been offered a lift to Norfolk, he had a gift for turning up the truth. And he wasn’t going to like what he learned.
As they drove west, Chase kept their speed moderate, passing only a few cars that poked along. Sarah closed her eyes. Traveling on the highway was not as fun as zipping along less crowded roads. But with her eyes closed and her cheek pressed to Chase’s broad back she could forget the danger and enjoy the moment.
His ponytail tickled her nose. She slitted her lids to study the color of his hair. The curls at his nape were shorter and darker than the burnished ponytail caught up with elastic. Any girl would envy such a thick head of mahogany hair. She did.
And he smelled good. She put her nose to the cotton weave of his T-shirt and inhaled a pleasant bouquet of laundry detergent and a cedarlike scent that made her think of the wood sculpture in his living room.
If only she could stop the march of time, then she would freeze this very moment, holding off the consequences forever. Odd that she would feel so giddy on the back of a Harley-Davidson going sixty miles an hour.
She ought to have done this when she was younger. Why hadn’t she taken more risks, been a little reckless, lived a little before consigning her life to someone else?
She knew why, of course. She’d wanted to be the perfect daughter to her elderly parents. And to that end, she’d succeeded. Her marriage to Garret ten years ago had been a coup de grâce in her parents’ eyes. They’d moved to a retirement community in Florida, content with their labors. Their daughter had married a lawyer. Their work was done.
A familiar bitterness encroached on Sarah’s happiness, and she pushed it away, pretending that Garret didn’t exist, that she was twenty-three again and she was free to do as she pleased.
Oh, the choices she would make!
The first of which would be to live for herself. Not for her parents. Not for anyone.
Holding Chase this close, she became aware of the heat between them. Under the cotton of his T-shirt, his muscles felt firm and dense. There wasn’t an inch of extra fat on the waist her arms encircled.
Her thoughts strayed lower. She wondered if the hair at his groin would be dark brown or auburn like his beard. Gracious, she’d never even thought such things before! Yet, once imagined, she couldn’t get the image of a naked Chase out of her head.
She wondered if he really looked like that!
Feeling her cheeks heat, she was grateful he couldn’t see her expression. After all, he seemed to have no problems reading her mind.
Too soon, they entered the city limits of Norfolk, swooping off the ramp to merge into the busy traffic. Chase seemed to know exactly where the Refugee Center was located, heading down all the right roads, taking the shortest route to the waterfront building. He pulled up in front of the metal structure and turned the motorcycle off.
For a moment, he just sat there. She wondered if he was as disappointed as she was that their interlude was over. Reluctantly, she put one foot down and struggled off. She readjusted her dress, then worked at the helmet strap. Giving up, she stepped closer so Chase could help take it off.
As he freed the clasp, he stared straight into her eyes.
“Thank you for the ride,” she said, feeling self-conscious but not uncomfortable. His gaze was so direct. She wondered what he was thinking. Had his kindness meant anything at all or was it just a decent gesture to a dull married woman?
He had no idea she would remember this ride forever, would replay it a hundred times in her head, creating different scenarios, wondering what if . . .
“Sarah,” he said, cutting into her thoughts.
The dead seriousness of his tone made her eyes widen.
“What will Garret do if he finds out?”
It was a question she hadn’t wanted to ask herself. Her stomach tightened unpleasantly. She forced a smile and shrugged, wanting to give the impression that Garret wouldn’t mind. “He’ll be fine with it,” she lied, not that she planned to tell him any details.
“I don’t think so,” Chase countered. “Memorize my number.” He told it to her twice, then made her repeat it. “I want you to call if you need anything.”
Was he serious? His vivid blue gaze hadn’t wavered.
“Sure,” she said, trying to guess just what it was he wanted from her. His gaze was so astute. It was almost as if he’d guessed what her life was like. But how could he have? And why would he want to help?
“Call me this weekend,” he repeated.
She nodded as if to say yes, but she knew she wouldn’t. No matter how much she wanted to confide in him, she wouldn’t let herself be led by pipe dreams. Men weren’t creatures you could trust. She’d determined long ago to stand on her own two feet, to trust no one ever again. She didn’t need a hero to save her. She was going to save herself and Kendal, too.
“Do you need a ride home from here?” he asked, severing eye contact to sweep the area.
“No, thank you. I’ll take the bus. It goes right to my neighborhood.”
“The city bus?” He turned an incredulous frown on her.
“Um . . . yes. I take it all the time.”
He seemed stunned and angry at the same time, muttering something under his breath. “Be careful,” he said, no doubt making reference to the unsavory characters who shared her mode of transportation.
When he looked at her again, there were emotions in his eyes she didn’t understand. He stretched out a hand, and she blinked in surprise as he smoothed his thumb across her cheek. With his other hand, he gunned the motor, a
nd then he was off, ponytail streaming in the wind, wide shoulders disappearing down the busy street.
Disoriented, Sarah stared after him. In the first few years of her matrimonial hell, she’d dreamed that a stranger would come along and whisk her from her private nightmare. That dream had long since withered and died. Yet there was something about this Navy SEAL that resurrected it. He didn’t own a white steed, but the Harley came pretty close.
She shook her head at her imagination. A tattooed, pierced bad boy was the last distraction she needed in her life right now. She wasn’t about to call him. In fact, the best thing she could do was to forget about Chase McCaffrey.
No matter how good his backside looked in a pair of Levi’s.
About the Author
Daughter of a U.S. foreign officer, Marliss Melton enjoyed a unique childhood growing up overseas. As one of five children, she was encouraged to think creatively and wrote her first book at age thirteen. Following college, Marliss pursued her dream of publishing while teaching high school English and Spanish. A Golden Heart and RITA finalist, she writes both medieval romance and romantic suspense. Her husband, a warfare technology specialist, is her real-life hero. She juggles two teenage boys, three step-children, a baby girl, and an adjunct teaching position at the college of William and Mary.
THE EDITOR’S DIARY
Dear Reader,
When desire flares up, who can help but succumb? Whether it's a sexy ex or a roguish stranger, life is full of delicious surprises in our two Warner Forever titles this June.
Who would ever have thought that a smelly, featherless and flightless parrot could be so valuable? Dana Wiley in Lani Diane Rich's MAYBE BABY certainly never did. But when her mother is held by kidnappers who are demanding it for ransom, Dana has to get her hands on that bird. The only problem: Nick Maybe, the man she left at the altar six years ago, is the only person who knows where the parrot is. With kissable lips and unforgettable eyes, Nick hasn't changed a bit. And Dana can't deny he's stirring up that old black magic. But as the bird is worth a cool quarter million, they aren't the only ones on the hunt. With two thieves on their tail, Dana can't help but think: could Nick be her hero...again? New York Times bestselling author Jennifer Crusie calls Ms. Rich “a great voice,” so grab a copy and find out why.
New York Times bestselling author Lisa Jackson raves that Marliss Melton's first book is “filled with romance, suspense and characters that will pull you in and never let you go.” Well, hold on tight because her latest book, IN THE DARK, is even better. DIA Agent Hannah Geary was wrongfully thrown in a Cuban prison and left for dead. Now she wants revenge. Not just for herself, but for her partner who was killed too. All of the evidence points to a rogue SEAL commander. But to catch a bad SEAL, she needs a good one. Lt. Luther Lindstrom needs Hannah's help too, but he's used to calling the shots. And the last thing he needs in his life is a sexy, strong willed woman. But as the danger mounts and Hannah and Luther are steps away from one of the FBI's most wanted criminals, Luther's defenses break down as his desire for Hannah grows. But will it be too late for them both?
To find out more about Warner Forever, these titles and the authors, visit us at www.warnerforever.com.
With warmest wishes,
Karen Kosztolnyik, Senior Editor
P.S. Get ready for a cold shower-next month's titles couldn't be hotter! Sue-Ellen Welfonder weaves the sensual tale of a betrothed knight who's tempted by a stunning and mysterious stranger who cannot remember her identity in ONLY FOR A KNIGHT; and Toni Blake delivers IN YOUR WILDEST DREAM, the irresistibly erotic story of a woman who must infiltrate the world of high-priced escorts to find her sister-and the sexy bartender who helped her.
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