In Love and War (9 page)

Jean
’s smile dissolved. “What’s gotten into you lately? You’re either pissy or mopey. I can’t stand it.”

Ariela stared at the empty doorway after Jean stomped out, feeling more miserable than ever. She knew exactly what had gotten into her
—Dylan.

*
**

There was an e-mail waiting for Ariela on Tuesday morning when she got down to the
office. Her hand was shaking and her heart was racing when she opened it.

Knock it off, Ariela! You're
putting too much importance on something so innocent.

TO:
arielap@

SUBJECT:  Checking in

MESSAGE:  Well, I’m in Amman at the moment. I’m waiting to hook up with Jim, my friend and photographer. He won’t be here for a few hours yet, so I have a little time to catch a few winks. I nearly missed my connecting flight from London. There wasn’t much time to run from one gate to the next. Luckily I’m carrying everything. I have to. We’ll be in Baghdad tomorrow. It’s already one hundred and five degrees, and it's not even eleven in the morning. I need to power up while I can, so I’d better sign off and look for an outlet. I can't get you out of my mind. Why didn’t I bring your picture with me? We’ll have to do something about that. Dylan

The buttons above his message caught her eye. Only one interested her.
Reply
? Hell yes, she wanted to reply.

TO: 
dylanbond@

SUBJECT:  Hey there

MESSAGE:  Just read your e-mail. Hope everything's still going okay. You want a picture of me? I suppose we can work something out, but I'll expect one of you in return. I haven't been the best company since you left. I actually used alcohol to cope last night, but I don’t think that’s a practical long-term solution. I'm open to better suggestions. Feel free to make a few. The best that I can come up with is seeing you home, safe and sound. Please be careful. Ariela

That didn
’t sound presumptuous or emotional, did it? She read it again, worrying over all the ways her words could be interpreted, or misinterpreted, then hit send. It was out there now, on its way to his computer. Of course, doubts hit as soon as she’d committed to the message.

She was giving the poor guy mixed signals. One minute she says he
’s un-datable. The next, she’s boinking him on her living room floor. Now she’d just confessed, in writing, that it took alcohol to help her cope after he left? If he was confused, and he had to be, she was even more confused. She’d already decided to ease away from Dylan after her nightmare, but just seeing he’d sent an e-mail made her euphoric. She hadn’t felt this good since Saturday night. That reminder made her blood pressure spike.

As incredible as it seemed for a woman typically reserved about sex, she still couldn
’t condemn herself for sleeping with him so soon. They’d connected in so many ways. No one had ever made her feel so comfortable, yet exhilarated, in her life. She’d never experienced an attraction quite like this before. Dylan was beyond appealing, inside and out. Ariela had sensed he’d be a considerate and attentive lover. He didn’t disappoint. Recalling how his eyes had transitioned from gorgeous to downright devastating when aroused was enough to break her out in a sweat. Even half a world away, he managed to get to her.

Regret was impossible when she’d do the same thing all over again, without hesitation. She just wanted the chance. It was unfair that they’d been interrupted. Next time would be different. Next time, it would be her bed put to the test, her walls that failed to completely muffle the sounds they made during lovemaking.

***

The hot glare of the desert sunshine was killer, and the talc-like sand was already
working its way into his crevices when Dylan stepped off the Rhino bus, the armored transport used to shuttle people between the Baghdad airport and the International Green Zone.

“Bond, you bastard
.” An officer wearing the standard tan, camouflage uniform walked over sporting a big grin. “I thought I’d seen the last of you.”

Dylan grinned back.
“Couldn’t stay away, Paul.” They shook hands like old friends.

Jim
joined them, offering his hand next. “How’s it hanging, Paul?”

“Loose
, but loaded, and ready to fire, my friend.”

Jim laughed. The one thing these two had in common was a taste for double entendre.

Dylan broke in. “Are you off duty, Barnes?”

“Just. You want to head over to the Country Club?”

“We need to stop at the CPIC first. Why don’t we meet you there after we check in and get our press badges?”

“Sounds good.
I’ll snag us a table.”

**
*

Dylan and Jim joined the end of a small line outside the Baghdad Country Club and waited while soldiers, both men and women, checked their weapons at the door before heading in. When they were finally waved through, they found Paul sitting alone in a corner. Someone had taken the fourth chair, and it looked like he’d had to fight to keep the remaining two for them. The place was hopping.

“Beer?” a server called over heads as they headed over to their table.

“Two
.” Dylan held up two fingers just in case she couldn’t hear him over the noise.

Paul nodded to them. “Sorry, the patio filled up early.”

“This is fine.” Dylan pulled out a chair and sat down.

“Seriously, I thought I’d seen the last of you
.” Paul leaned in, shaking his head at Dylan.

“We’re just ahead of a campaign stop.”

“Ah.” Paul kicked back and groaned. “Another high-profile visit.”

Jim shrugged.
“Tricks of the trade. They’d probably be kissing Iraqi babies if they could get close enough.”

“
Hey, I saw Amir the other day,” Paul told Dylan.

“Did you? How’s he doing?”

“He hooked up with a couple of Dutch freelancers. He’s still going.”

The
server brought their drinks, and a second for Barnes.

“I hope they’re treating him right
. He’s fantastic.”

“The guy knows what he
’s doing, no question.” Paul studied Dylan thoughtfully. “That’s what got to you, isn’t it?”

“What do you mean?”

“Sending stringers out in your place. It must have killed you not to be out there with them.”

Dylan blew out a deep breath.
“Yeah. I felt like a goddamned baby in a highchair, waiting to be fed information. But it beats the hell out of losing a good friend.”

Jim turned on him, perturbed.
“Why do you do that to yourself? You aren’t responsible for Khalid’s death. He could have been shot anywhere, at any time.”

Dylan toyed idly with his bottle.
“He was working for me.”

Now Jim glared. “You had no choice. It got too damn dangerous, and you know it. If you’d gone out, you would have put
more people at risk. Not just the ones working with you either, but civilians caught in the middle had you been spotted by the wrong people.”

Paul nodded, in total agreement with the photographer. “Jim’s right. You can go without shaving, tan yourself nice and dark, but nothing’s going to fool these guys once they get a load of your baby blues. Face it, Bond, this isn’t Bosnia. You can’t go native here like you did there.”

“That’s why I put in for a transfer.”

Paul was sympathetic. “What
are you doing now?”

Dylan
gave him a slow smile. “I’m working on holding some pretty big feet to the fire.”

Paul’s eyebrows
rose with interest. “Really? Care to share?”

“Can’t.
Not yet. But I’ll send you the article once it’s written.”

“I’ll watch for it.” Paul took a swig of beer and chuckled. “You always took your fourth-estate responsibilities seriously
. That’s why I trust you.”

“Me too,” Jim added, and they saluted Dylan with their brews.

***

After
waking much too early on Wednesday morning only to toss and turn when she couldn’t fall back to sleep, Ariela gave up and snuck downstairs to check her computer. Looking at the clock she tried to figure out Dylan’s local time. Nine
A.M
.?

A jolt of excitement shot through her chest when she saw another message waiting.
She needed to take a moment to mentally shore up the sandbags around her heart before opening it. To her surprise, she found herself smiling as soon as she started reading. Dylan’s tone was comfortable, playful, and sexy. This she could handle. Keep emotion out of it and just have fun. She could play along.

TO: 
arielap@

SUBJECT:  Thinking of you

MESSAGE:  Since you asked, masturbation is helping me handle the distance between us. When I close my eyes I can see you, feel and smell you, all over again. You should consider it, as a healthier alternative to alcohol. Maybe we should think about getting you a little toy for those lonely nights, if you don’t already have one. It should take the edge off a little until I can take care of your needs personally. Damn, now I wish I was alone instead of hanging around in a big rec room with a bunch of off-duty soldiers. The two senators should be arriving within the hour. I love how you taste. Dylan

She stared at the computer screen, reread the message, and let out a quiet chirp of glee.
Time for a reply.

TO: 
dylanbond@

SUBJECT:  I suppose I asked for it

MESSAGE:  How am I supposed to concentrate on hardwood floors now? Just so I’m not the only one at a disadvantage, you should know that your kisses are so good, you could cause long-term brain damage. What do you think of that? Ha! I do have a power tool in my drawer but, well, I’m not going to say why, it’s on temporary leave. If you don’t get back soon, conscription is definitely in its future. Weather’s lovely here. Ariela

She
was stunned and elated when her in-box blinked back with a new message from him right away.
He’s on right now, half a world away? Far out!

TO: 
arielap@

SUBJECT:  My kisses huh?

MESSAGE:  It’s nice to know I can rattle your bones from here. I’m not entirely indifferent to your kisses, either. Why the hell didn’t I take a picture of you with my phone? Dumb. You could send me a picture. Something sexy would be nice. Attach it to your next message. The politicians were here and gone in a matter of hours. I should be able to hop a ride out of here first thing tomorrow, if all goes well. I’ll keep you posted. In the meantime, I need to write my column, so I have to sign off. Watching for that naked picture—Dylan

She was upstairs and back in
five minutes, scanning a favorite photo onto her computer for him.

TO: 
dylanbond@

SUBJECT:
  Pic

MESSAGE:  This is what I have, so it’s gonna have to suffice. Sorry, but I
wouldn’t even feel comfortable asking Jean to take a picture of me naked. How, by the way, did a request for a sexy picture become a naked picture? I like your chest, almost as much as I like your firm, gorgeous ass. Sorry, my mind is wandering here. I’m so glad you’ll be back soon. Come over when you can. Ariela

To her delight, he
was still there and got right back to her.

TO: 
arielap@

SUBJECT:  That was quick

MESSAGE:  Nice picture. This will do. Don’t expect to see me until late Friday. I'm just on my way out to meet with an Iraqi interpreter. He comes highly recommended and he'll be a good contact to have for any residual work I might get in the future. The job is impossible without the right local help. Until I see your pretty smile in person, I’ll make do with your image. Missing you more each day—Dylan

Ariela stared at the last line of his message. He missed her? Did he just admit this could
be more than sex for him too? Now what was she supposed to do? Nothing. There was nothing she could do until she saw him again. Only then would she know if they were heading toward a relationship. If he was hinting at more with that closing line, it could only mean one thing—he was through taking dangerous assignments. She couldn’t have stopped the rush of optimism when it engulfed her, even if she’d wanted to.

Chapter 8

When it became obvious on Friday morning that Ariela would be
utterly useless all day, Jean decided to handle their afternoon meeting with a potential client herself and leave her partner to manage the office on her own. It was no use. Ariela lacked focus. She started out working with the new software, familiarizing herself with its features, but even that, something she loved, failed to hold her attention. She ended up playing solitaire instead.

Time slowed. Ariela was conscious of every tick of the second hand as it circled the clock. After two hours had passed without a single phone call, it was time to give up. She shut down her computer and went to turn off the big printer. Dylan walked in just as she straightened up.

Damn, he looked good, so good. His warm tan enhanced his brilliant blue eyes, giving them the intensity of lasers targeted on her. His smile, well, his smile was slow, warm, and loaded with promise. They stood motionless, gazing at each other without words. Ariela moved first, going over to the copier to shut it off without turning from him.

Then Dylan headed right for her, and she waited, watching every determined step with a pounding heart.

She half expected him to smell like the beach, warm sunshine and coconut oil. The idea lured her in. The reality was even better. He was simply clean, unadulterated Dylan. She leaned into him, and he caught her tight in his arms. She almost sobbed when his mouth covered hers. Their skin flared with heat everywhere they touched as they fed from each other.

Slowly, Dylan eased back. “You’re done here right?”
Even foggy from the kiss, she understood it was a courtesy question. What he really meant was, “You’re done here.”

She smiled, swaying against him when he nuzzled into her neck. “I’m done.”

He relaxed his hold, but didn’t let go. “My car’s out front. Do you need anything tonight?”

“Where are we going?”

“My place. You’re spending the night. I’m not putting up with a stand-in for you anymore.”

She laughed. “An overnight bag might be nice.”

“Just hurry.” He gave her another quick peck and let her go.

Ariela ran to the front door, flipped the sign, and shot the dead bolt home. Dylan was already
holding the back door open for her when she turned. They raced up the stairs, Dylan’s hands roving impatiently over her body as she led the way.

While she tossed a few things into a bag, Dylan was dispatched to the kitchen to grab her birth
-control pills. When he got back and tossed them onto her bed, he was even more impatient.

“Are you ready yet?”

She looked over in disbelief. “I thought you didn’t want to stick me like a bug in a case?”

The reminder made him
grin. “I’m over it.”

Ariela laughed. “Is that right? Well, I don’t think I’m going to mind being impaled, either.”

He shot her a look of desperation. “If you talk like that we’ll never get out of here. Have a heart.”

***

The first thing that Ariela noticed when they exploded into his kitchen was the absence of Max.

“You didn’t stop at the kennel?” she asked, turning to Dylan.

“No. He’s not my first priority at the moment. Besides, they expected to have him through tomorrow.” He pulled Ariela’s bag out of her hand and dropped it on the floor, then drew her purse off her shoulder and dropped that too.

“Something on your mind?” she asked, helping him with the buttons o
n her blouse.

“How about a shower?” he asked with a low rumble, pressing
suggestively against her.

“Now, there’s an idea.”

Ariela’s shirt gaped open as he pulled her by the hand to the bathroom. They stopped in front of the mirror and Dylan turned her toward it. He pressed against her back and kissed her neck, his eyes locked on hers while his hands came up to unhook the front of her bra. He swept it apart and scooped her breasts into his hands, massaging them rhythmically while they watched.

Ariela groaned and reached behind her head to touch Dylan’s hair, but he moved out of reach and dipped slightly to slide his hands down her torso, stopping at the fly of her slacks. He pressed a kiss into the curve of her back as he eased the zipper down and exposed her lace panties.

“I couldn’t get you out of my mind,” he said huskily, scraping his cheek along her shoulder blade, making her shudder at the sensation.

Dylan kissed his way back to her neck while his hand slid down inside the front of her underwear. Ariela held her breath as he explored, his touch so tantalizing she moved helplessly into it. He cupped her, his fingers playing over and in her as he pressed
the heel of his hand against her mound, massaging her in a circular motion. It was delicious torture. Ariela dissolved, draping back against him like a loose garment. He moved fast, wrapping his free arm around her waist to support her.

“Ariela,” he murmured.

She forced her heavy eyelids open, and in the mirror, Dylan flashed the sexiest smile she’d ever seen in her life.

“Did you miss me?” He pressed little kisses along her shoulder, his eyes locked on her.

Ariela bit her lower lip, but she couldn’t stop the smile that gave her away. “Maybe a little.”

He
chuckled and moved his hands up to her breasts. Thank god he was holding her up. She needed his support.

Ariela’s head rolled back and forth against his shoulder. “I don’t think there’s any blood left in my brain now.”

“Good. Strip,” he ordered, then went into the shower to turn on the faucet. He tested the water and stepped back out again.

Without bothering with his buttons first, Dylan whipped his shirt up over his head and dropped it inside-out onto the floor.

They watched each other silently, intensely as they slid their pants down, exposing thigh, knee, finally calf, at the same time. Dylan’s solid erection sprang out at her, pointing to what it wanted in very explicit terms.

Ariela couldn’t resist this man. She ran her hands down his body and combed her fingers through the trail of hair bisect
ing Dylan’s chest, his torso, and his lean stomach. Her progress stalled at the top of his pubic area, and she stared at his jutting erection, fascinated and just a little nervous, yet unable to pull back or look away.

Woof!
There wasn’t a single thing wrong with him from what she could see. Then Ariela laughed at herself and looked up, finally noticing his curious expression.

“Should I be worried about the laugh?
” he asked.

Chuckling now, she
shook her head. “I stand corrected. You were right. I
was
being hasty when I said your eyes are your best feature.”

Dylan’s deep rich laugh mingled with hers, and he held open the shower door for her. “Get in
there.”

Ariela stepped under the spray and turned, completely unprepared for how fast
he moved on her. He pressed her up against the cool, tile wall, her body suddenly a living buffer between two temperature extremes.

The feel of Dylan’s chest hair brushing over her breasts made Ariela’s nipples contract even tighter. Tantalized by the sensation, she mashed herself against him,
craving full-body contact. She scuffed her chest and stomach rosy on him. His right leg invaded the space between her thighs, and she rode it slowly, brushing her calf across his coarser leg, like a cat, every point of contact making her skin more sensitive.

Dylan pinned her hands out flat against the wall and held her there. Now she was
immobile, dangling over his thigh, her toes just brushing the tiles.

Could this be what the word ravish means?

It was unbelievably hot, thrilling. Ariela’s heart thumped wildly as Dylan made slow, deliberate love to her mouth. His tongue swept over everything, tasting, teasing, and stroking her in ways she never knew were possible. She’d never been kissed like this. Then he drew her tongue into his mouth and performed a guided tour there. It was the most erotic moment of her life—so far.

Ever so gradually, Dylan eased back and admired Ariela, still immobilized beneath the spray.
She tried to imagine how she looked to him right then, her lips red and swollen, her eyes glazed with passion.

“You...are...stunning,” he told her
, then used his upper thigh to nuzzle between her legs. He smiled at the breathless gasp it produced.

Of course, the washing that followed was merely a pretense to touch and stroke one another, and it only exacerbated the already unstable situation. They kissed again as water rained over their faces, seeking narrow passages between their bodies.

At one point, Dylan bent Ariela forward, his hands covering hers on the tile, and slipped inside her from behind. Their groans of pleasure echoed in the enclosed space.

Ariela cried out in
protest when he withdrew. “Why are you stopping?”

“The water’s getting cold.” He reached around her and shut it off.

Still dripping, they raced to his bedroom, and Dylan threw back the covers of the imperfectly made bed. “This can’t happen soon enough for me.”

“Tell me about it.” Ariela gave him an eager stroke then dropped backward onto the bed, her arms wide in invitation.

Her knees came up around him as Dylan sank on top of her, and their bodies merged instantaneously. There was no fumbling, no positioning, and no manual guidance. He simply penetrated her, tongue and cock.

The hunger, the need to ferociously collide was palpable
, but to Ariela’s surprise, she found herself tearing up when Dylan chose a more tender approach.

What started out so reckless, so wild had turned in on itself, smothering out the ungodly need and leaving something entirely different in its
place. Ariela had expected Dylan to drive into her quick and hard and hurtle them over their first climax as fast as possible. Once he’d taken down that hard edge, they would enjoy each other at a more leisurely pace. She’d never known anyone more unpredictable.

Dylan nuzzled into Ariela’s neck
. “You smell so good.” Drawing back he smiled and visually traced around her head. “There’s a damp halo radiating out from your wet hair on the sheet. The way it frames your face is startlingly beautiful. I have to kiss you again.”

Touched and amazed,
Ariela brushed the hair back from his temple. He turned into her hand, kissing the inside of her wrist.

That simple gesture frightened her. There was more happening between them than simply sex and companionship. She was in real danger of falling fast and hard for Dylan. Ariela was afraid of needing him, longing for him, but recognized she was well on her way already. Is this what she’d always protected herself against? Not just hero types but men in general? Was fear of men and the vulnerability they brought out in her the reason she habitually sabotaged her relationships? Was she going to be as weak as her mother in the end, because she never allowed herself to be tested? Where were her calluses? Where were her scrapes and bruises? All in her head, that’s where. She was owed a day of reckoning for sidestepping true emotional entanglements for so long.

Ariela looked up at Dylan and returned his smile, clinging to his shoulders as they moved together. She knew she wasn’t going to get out of it so easy this time. He was the embodiment of everything she’d run from. He was idealistic, warm, funny, smart, interesting, and intense. She was halfway in love with him already, and that wasn’t even taking his most excellent chassis into consideration. Nope, her bare ass was hanging out there now, and she had no clue what was going to come up and bite it.

Dylan hooked Ariela’s legs back with his arms and surged over her giving her even more to think about.

Immobilized, she could only take what he gave her, which turned out to be plenty. He was still taking his time, but his thrusts were more powerful now, more purposeful. Dylan held nothing back, and she was, oh, so grateful.

***

Dylan loved how Ariela touched him, how her soft fingertips traced his areolas, how she lightly pinched his hard nipples. She liked to squeeze his earlobes too, and run her nails lightly down the sides of his neck and up into his hair. He didn’t mind the bite of her fingernails on his arms or shoulders, either. He especially loved the silky touch of her ass and thighs against him, how her eyelashes fluttered and she gasped softly whenever he rotated deep inside her. He could feel her swelling around him, tightening, and he coaxed her along, every thrust heightening her color. Heat seemed to radiate from her glowing skin.

“Dylan
.” Her voice was shaky, her eyes wide.

“Let go, Ariela. I’ll follow.”

There it was. With a sudden cry, she seized, and her fingers dug into his arms. She clenched around him in release, her head thrown back, and her mouth open in a silent scream of ecstasy. Two more forceful drives and Dylan locked hips with her and groaned as his body jerked. He felt his energy drain away with every involuntary spasm. Collapsing with exhaustion, they clung to each other and trembled for several silent minutes, their lungs gasping for air.