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There was a wealth of pain in the simple explanation, and suddenly it was easier to think about something other than his own gratification. “Where were you when these parties were going on?”

  “In my room. But I could hear. I used to sneak out when I was younger and watch sometimes. Then one evening a man found me and made some—” she made a disgusted face “—improper advances. My stepfather of the moment threw him out. When I got older, my mother was determined to marry me off. She started introducing me to potential husbands when I turned sixteen.”

  Sam realized his hands were clenched in tight fists on the tabletop and he made a conscious effort to relax them, taking a deep breath. “I begin to see why you dress the way you do.”

  She smiled grimly, gesturing at him with a French fry like a teacher with a pointer. “Exactly.”

  “So how did you escape?”

  “Went to college on the other side of the country from my mother. And you know the rest. I came to work for you three weeks after graduation.”

  When he’d just been starting out. He remembered it well. He’d spoken of his new business to an acquaintance whom he’d met while he was convalescing. The man had told him he knew a young woman with a new degree in Business Administration who would be an asset. Gave her glowing references.

  He couldn’t even imagine the childhood she’d described. Visions of a poorly clothed child in a filthy room fending off her mother’s drug-dealing friends troubled him. Why had he never known any of this about her before?

  He knew exactly why, he thought as he scarfed down the sandwich he’d ordered. He wasn’t the type of person to inspire confidences on the best of days. And Del, without the inhibition-lowering dose of alcohol she’d consumed tonight, wasn’t the type to share them. He gave silent thanks to whatever god had led them to this juncture tonight. Clearly, he’d been put in Del’s path to keep her from making a huge mistake.

  “Del,” he said carefully, “I can appreciate what you’ve told me. And I can understand it. But why now? If you’ve decided you’re interested in a relationship, why not go about it in a more conventional way?”

  “A relationship?” She made a sour face. “No. The last thing I want is some man trying to make me believe he loves me.” She laughed, but there was little humor in it. “My mother was a shining example of matrimonial bliss. Thanks, but I’ll pass.”

  “All right. So you don’t want a relationship. But why pick up a strange man in a bar?”

  She looked at him as if he were insane. “Where else do you suggest I go? Church?”

  “Well, maybe, but there are other ways to meet guys.”

  “Such as?”

  Damn. He couldn’t think of a single thing except—“What about online dating services?”

  She cast him a speaking glance. “Would you consider doing that?”

  “Not a chance.” Then he realized what he’d just said, and he narrowed his eyes. “That was a trick question.”

  He’d had plenty of occasions to become familiar with Del’s stubborn streak over the years. When she didn’t respond, he could tell from the mulish look on her face—the one he knew meant You can say whatever you want but I’m still doing it my way—that she wasn’t going to listen.

  “There’s nothing wrong with being a virgin,” he said desperately.

  “Are you?”

  “Of course not! But…that’s not the point.” His recovery time was a beat too slow.

  “Why? Because you’re a guy?” Suddenly there were tears in her eyes.

  Oh, hell. Tears. He hated tears. In the seven years they’d worked together he’d never seen Del cry once. “No. Of course not. Just because…because…” He was drowning, going down for the third time without a life vest, and Del wasn’t about to throw it to him.

  All of a sudden she stood up. She slung her purse over her shoulder. “See? You can’t come up with a single valid reason.” And she turned and walked away.

  Sam sat, distantly aware that his mouth was hanging open as he watched her totter toward the bar on those ridiculously high heels. Those high heels that did such wonderful things for her amazing legs. How crazy was it that this was the first time he’d ever seen those legs? No crazier than the conversation they’d just had, he decided.

  Then he realized she was sliding onto a bar stool and he stood up. No way was he going to let her do something so final. He tossed a bill on the table which would cover their drinks and his dinner along with a generous tip, and strode through the throng toward Del.

  “…work for a security firm. You know, like home alarm systems and things,” she was saying to a very interested guy next to her as Sam got within range. Even half-toasted and undoubtedly pissed at him, he noted that she was suitably low-key when discussing the business. They’d agreed long ago that the best advertising for their unique services was word-of-mouth, that not everyone would appreciate the kinds of things they offered.

  “Hey,” said Sam.

  She turned to face him, frowning. “Go away.”

  “I’d be happy to. And you’re coming with me.” In one smooth move he spun her stool around to face him and hefted her over his shoulder in a fireman’s carry.

  “Sam!” It was a half scream.

  “Hey, buddy,” said the guy beside whom she’d been sitting.

  Sam shot him a single, bring-’em-on look, the kind he’d once used in combat. “She’s with me.”

  The man put both palms up in surrender. “Okay, whatever, man. I was just making a little conversation. I didn’t know…” His voice faded as Sam turned and headed out of the bar.

  Del was wriggling and squirming and generally being a pain. For a moment he couldn’t keep his hand from lingering over the firm curve of her bottom. The skirt was so short he could slide his hand beneath it in a heartbeat—stop it, Sam! “Settle down,” he said to her. Her bare legs were smooth and muscled beneath his arm and he ran an appreciative hand down her calf as he let the outer door swing shut behind them. “Do you run or something?”

  “I am going to kill you,” she said in a muffled voice. Probably had a faceful of his shirt and her hair.

  “Nah.” He set her on her feet beside his car, trying to ignore the basic hunger that surged when she shook her hair back from her face with one of those unbelievably erotic little head tosses women did without thinking. “Tomorrow morning you’ll be thanking me.”

  “I will not.” He’d never seen her defiant before, either. She hugged her arms around herself as if she were cold, which she probably was in that skimpy outfit, and her voice quavered when she spoke again. “Tomorrow morning I’ll be even more of a dried-up old prune than I am now. No man’s ever going to want me.” Her breath was hitching and by the time she finished, he could see in the glow from the streetlights overhead the shine of tears making tracks down her cheeks.

  God, he hated it when women cried. There was nothing in life he hadn’t been trained to overcome during his years in the Navy SEAL teams—except feminine tears. “Stop bawling, dammit!” Suddenly, he was completely out of patience with her, with himself, with this whole crazy evening. Why the hell was he staying away from her? He wanted her, had wanted her for…years, maybe. He’d just never let himself acknowledge it before. “You’re not going to be a prune. If you’re so damn determined to lose your virginity tonight, then it might as well be with me.”

  “You?” It was, to his ears, a horrified whisper.

  “Me,” he repeated grimly. “I’m clean, I’m non-violent—unless called for—and I’m familiar. I’m good at sex. You’ll like it.” And oh, baby, so will I. “Now get in the car.”

  Quickly, before she could begin to argue, he put an arm around her and ushered her to the passenger side of his vehicle. “I’ll bring you down to pick up your car tomorrow. You’re not driving tonight.”

  He closed her door, rounded the hood and slid into the driver’s seat of his Jeep Cherokee. Del hadn’t moved, hadn’t even put on her seat belt, so he leaned across her and snagged it,
buckling her in. As he did, his forearm pressed against the soft, yielding swell of her breast. She made a small, panicked almost-sound and went perfectly still. His pulse raced and his body quickened, but he resisted the urge to devour her right there on the spot. For a few seconds, their faces were close together and he could smell the warm, woman scent of her, could feel her breath on his cheek, could hear the shallow gulps of air she was taking in.

  “You okay?” he asked gruffly.

  “No.” She sniffed and another tear trickled down her cheek.

  Sam lifted his hand and brushed it away with his thumb. “Yes, you are,” he said quietly. “Now let me take you home, babe.”

  She sat quietly while he started the car and headed out onto the Capital Beltway. He knew her address, though he’d never been there, and he needed little direction until the last few streets in her development.

  “Turn left here. It’s the third one on the right.”

  The third one on the right turned out to be a spacious town house with a bay window. It was built into a hill that fell away in the back so that she actually had three levels, he noted as he followed the curving street around to the parking area.

  He helped Del out of the car and followed her closely as she went up the sidewalk. She still tottered a little on the heels and he wasn’t sure if it was alcohol or simply lack of practice, but he put an arm around her waist, anyway, enjoying the feel of her slender body tucked against his side while she fished for her key in her handbag. Soon, he told himself, soon you’ll know everything there is to know about the body that’s been hidden beneath those damn tents for all these years.

  When she came up with a small ring of keys and selected one, he took it from her hand. She looked up at him then and her eyes were dark, unreadable pools in the moonlight.

  “Look, ah, Sam, I had a fair amount to drink and, ah, I mean—I know you were just kidding and I do appreciate you saving me from myself—”

  “Why do you think I was kidding?”

  She bit her lip. “You don’t want me,” she said in a small voice. “You’re just trying to be nice.”

  He shook his head, stifling a strong urge to laugh at both her and himself. “I’m not nice.” He debated with himself for a moment. What the hell. “And I do want you. I’ve wanted you for a long time.”

  Her eyes were huge as she absorbed the words. Suspiciously, she said, “You have? You’re not just saying that to make me feel better?”

  “I’m not just saying that.”

  “But why—”

  “You’re stalling.” He put the key in the lock. “What was it you said? You weren’t going to wake up tomorrow morning and still be a virgin.” He opened the door, then turned to face her, taking her face between his hands and simply holding her there, examining her wide, wary eyes and trembling mouth. “You started it,” he said, and his voice was rough with need, “you can finish it.”

  Three

  He kissed her then. Holding her face cradled in his big hands, he set his lips on hers the way he’d imagined doing in countless idle daydreams. Daydreams he’d barely permitted himself to admit to having before tonight.

  Her lips were soft and warm and she made a small noise as their mouths touched. Her hands came up and wrapped around his thick wrists and to his pleased surprise, she didn’t fight him or passively accept. No, she kissed him back. Awkwardly at first, but she was definitely responding.

  She’s a virgin, he reminded himself. Take it slow. And so he did, leisurely making love to her mouth alone, molding her lips with his until she was twisting and turning to meet him. He was dying to touch her, to slide his palms down her body and cup her soft bottom, to pull her up against his aching flesh until she could have no doubt about his interest in her. But he forced himself to keep his hands lightly on her face, concentrating on arousing her first. Slowly, he tasted her with his tongue, light flicking touches along the closed seam of her lips, and glory, hallelujah, she opened to him, inviting him in and even meeting him with shy tastes of her own. Her mouth was warm and sweet; she tasted of those green things she’d been drinking, and he pushed farther into the slick, moist depths, showing her what his body longed to do.

  When he finally lifted his head, she sagged against him and her forehead dropped to rest against his broad chest. “You should be labeled ‘explosive,’” she mumbled.

  He grinned, dropping a kiss on the crown of her bent head as he let his hands fall to her bare shoulders beneath that glorious mane of hair. “May I come in?”

  She lifted her head again at that, and her lips looked swollen, glistening with his kisses. “I thought I didn’t have a choice.”

  “You don’t,” he said, brushing his thumbs along the sides of her neck. She was like a drug—now that he’d finally begun to touch her, he wasn’t sure he’d ever be able to stop. “I just wanted to make you feel better.”

  She snorted, though he noticed she didn’t move away from his caressing hands. “What if I’d said no?”

  “Then I’d have had to charm you with my irresistibility.”

  “That is not a word.”

  He was absurdly pleased to have his smart-mouthed, reliable Del back instead of the fragile, weeping woman he’d had in his car. “Wanna bet?”

  She considered. “No.”

  He chuckled. He had never really thought about the easy working relationship they’d had. They’d been in sync from the very beginning, on the same page, often thinking the same thing at the same moment.

  From the very first, Del hadn’t been afraid to voice her opinion, to stand toe to toe and argue with him when she felt she was right. As she’d gained experience and knowledge, he’d had to concede to her more often. Hell, at least half the time her business sense was better than his.

  They made a good team, he and she, he thought as he slid his hands from her shoulders down her back to her waist. He had the knowledge to offer their clients the specialized kinds of help they needed. Del had company management capabilities. They’d taught each other a lot, and their very different styles meshed well.

  He knew at least half the employees were scared stiff of him. He wasn’t terrific with people. Okay, get real, Sam. The truth was, he sucked at interpersonal stuff. He had no patience, no sense of finesse. He left that to Del. She was sympathetic, empathetic, all that “-etic” stuff, but she had a core of iron as well as a keen nose for bull and he’d bet on her in a verbal exchange of fire any day of the week.

  Yes, they were a good match, playing little games like the one they just had.

  And it had relaxed her. Her body wasn’t tense and stiff against his anymore, but soft and pliant. He was the one with the stiff body now, he thought with grim amusement. And it was going to be a while until he wasn’t anymore.

  “Sam?” Del’s head had settled on his shoulder, her temple at mouth level. Without her shoes, he was pretty sure he could have rested his head atop hers.

  “Yeah?”

  “Can I ask you some questions?”

  “Maybe,” he said, “we should go inside and get comfortable.”

  “Okay.”

  For answer, he bent and slid an arm beneath her knees, the other around her back, and lifted her into his arms.

  “Whoa!” She clutched at his neck. “What’s with you carrying me tonight? Although I have to say this method beats the last one.”

  He stepped into her house and kicked the door shut behind him. There was a small nightlight of stained glass in shades of rose giving off just enough glow for him to get his bearings, and he headed for a couch along one wall. When he reached it, he pivoted and sank down with her in his lap. Not a bad arrangement, he thought to himself, tugging her closer as he yanked off his glasses and tossed them on her coffee table.

  Then he remembered her words. “Okay. You wanted to ask me something?”

  “Several somethings, actually.” She took a deep breath that pressed her body against his and added fuel to the fire raging through his system. Her arms were
still linked around his neck and he could feel her idly playing with the hair at his nape. It was an intimate, erotic action and his body responded immediately. And then her words sank in.

  “Give me a break.” He sat up straighter. “You were going to pick up a stranger and now you’re interviewing me? I don’t think so.” Dropping his head, he sought her lips again.

  Del was laughing but she quickly wound her arms around his neck, pressing her upper body against his as she opened her mouth and kissed him back. He plunged his tongue deep, seeking out the unique flavor that was Del. It seemed impossible that he really could be sitting here with her in his arms.

  Not just in his arms, he thought. The rounded curve of her hip and bottom were pressed against the bulge behind his zipper, exciting him even more as the soft flesh yielded, cushioned his insistent arousal.

  His free hand rested at her waist, and he spread his fingers wide, covering her flat belly. Slowly he smoothed his palm upward but before he reached the soft pillowed flesh he sought, he slid his hand back down and repeated the action, stopping just short of the swell of her breast each time.

  Finally, she tore her mouth from his. “Touch me,” she breathed. She took his wrist and urged it higher, and he breathed out a sigh of relief as the firm, soft mound of feminine bounty filled his hand. He shaped her breast with his fingers, then began to brush his thumb back and forth across the tiny bud of her nipple until it peaked and rose, the taut outline clearly visible through the thin fabric of the dress.

  “It’s time to get you out of this dress.” He gathered her into his arms, then rose. She was surprisingly light, as he’d noticed before. He supposed he didn’t think of Del as a small and delicate woman, but that’s exactly what she was beneath all that businesslike competence. “Where’s your bedroom?”

  “Back down the hall on the left.” She touched a finger to his bottom lip, tracing a light path around his mouth. “I didn’t know a bed was required.”

  He strode back down the hallway and entered her bedroom. “For your first time, it’s a damn good idea.”