Evidence of Passion (Shadow Agents 7)
Dylan walked toward the table. It was a big table, able to hold eight. Whenever her family was in town—usually once a month—they’d get together at her place for a dinner night. The table should have looked too big for an intimate gathering of two.
It didn’t. Dylan had two plates set close together on the table. And now, two glasses of wine joined those plates.
He’d even taken out and lit one of her candles. The soft glow chased some of the chill from her. Dylan pulled back her chair. Rachel slid onto the seat, her gaze not able to leave his for long. “I didn’t...expect this.”
His hand brushed over her shoulder, and Rachel tensed. Just that little touch had her body driving into a hyperawareness of him.
He took his own seat. Dylan drank a sip of wine then, his fingers loose around the stem of the glass, he asked, voice curious, “What did you expect? That I’d tumble you into bed as soon as you stepped out of the bathroom?”
She grabbed for her wine. Took a big, fortifying gulp and replied, honestly, “Yes.”
The candlelight seemed to be reflected in his eyes. His lips—sensual, but with a slightly hard edge—curved faintly. “I’d be lying if I said that thought didn’t cross my mind.”
She had to take another gulp of her wine. So much for elegant sipping.
“But what I have in mind for us...it’s not going to be fast. It’s not going to be easy.”
Oh...wow.
“The pleasure will last all night. One time with you isn’t going to be enough for me.”
It sounded as if he was warning her.
He was.
“I’ve wanted you too long. When I get you beneath me, I won’t be letting you go anytime soon.”
She’d drained her wine.
That faint grin of his stretched a bit more. “You should eat, Rachel, before the wine goes to your head.”
She started eating, but her mind was on what he’d said to her. On him. “If you wanted me, why didn’t you say something?”
“Because at first, you weren’t ready for me.” A darker note entered his voice. “Jack made you afraid. You didn’t trust any man that you met, not in those early days.”
She still didn’t trust easily. Rachel put down her fork. “I trust you.”
He poured her more wine. “I know.” His head cocked as he watched her. “But you haven’t told me all of your secrets, have you?”
No. She didn’t drink more. Not yet. “And you haven’t told me yours.” There was a lot she didn’t know about him. A lot she hadn’t explored before.
“What do you want to know?” He’d finished his food and went back to sipping more wine.
The wine was making it easier for her to ask him. “Your lovers.” The words tumbled from her. “I’m going to assume that you’ve had your share.”
A man like him—with that aura of bad-boy danger he carried—had no hard time hooking up with the ladies. She’d witnessed him in action herself. When they’d gone on missions, the women always seemed to flock to Dylan.
“My share,” he repeated, nodding faintly. “Don’t worry, baby. If you’re trying to find out if I know my way around the bedroom, rest assured, I do.”
She needed more wine. “I know that.” She’d never doubted it for a second. The sensual promise was right there in his eyes. “I, um...” Tell him. If they were taking this step, he needed to know her secrets. “I already told you that I didn’t sleep with Jack.” Her hands slid down and curled in her lap. The silk of her robe brushed lightly against her skin.
“And I’m damn glad to know that.”
“But the thing is...I haven’t exactly had a lot of lovers in my life.” She held his gaze, waiting for his response. If he was expecting some kind of casual sophistication from her about this aspect of their relationship, well...
It won’t happen.
He’d better get used to some disappointment on that end. And, despite the little speech she’d planned in the shower, now that the moment was actually at hand, Rachel just couldn’t force herself to say those words. That wasn?