Last Virgin In California (Mills & Boon Desire) (5 page)

She felt as though she’d been waiting all her life for this one moment. Here in the moonlight, with the patchy fog drifting like gossamer threads around
them, she’d found the skyrockets that all the romance novels she’d ever read had promised.

The question was, what was she going to do about it?

R
eason pushed its way into his brain and instantly, Kevin released her and took a step back. His arms felt empty without her. He still had the taste of her in his mouth and he knew that had been a big mistake. And even knowing that, it was all he could do to keep from grabbing her again and having another taste.

He slapped one hand across the back of his neck and rubbed hard enough to scrape skin off. It didn’t help.

“Wow,” she said softly, her voice reaching out for him as surely as her scent did. “That was some kiss.”

“Yeah,” he muttered thickly and was more than grateful for the sporadic moonlight. In the darkness
she wasn’t likely to see exactly how much he’d enjoyed that kiss. But he could for damn sure feel it. And the discomfort was enough to make his tone a little harsher than he would have liked. “I apologize,” he said formally. “That was out of line and—Look Lilah, it’d probably be best for both of us if we just forget that ever happened.”

Silence.

Oh man, she was probably ready to cuss him out, or punch him or best yet, he thought grimly, report this to her father. Great. Just what he needed. What had he been thinking? His Commanding Officer’s daughter. An engaged woman.

A nut.

In an instant, he saw the end of his career, or being transferred to some far-flung, ice-covered base, or being busted down to Private. There was no telling what she’d do once the shock wore off.

“I think my toes curled.”

He blinked. “What?”

“Seriously,” she said. “That was an amazing kiss, Gunnery Sergeant Rogan.”

“Thanks.” What else could he say? Hell, he should have known she wouldn’t react as he’d expected her to. Any sane woman would be either furious or—well, just furious. But then, he told himself, Lilah Forrest didn’t even
dress
sane.

“I mean to tell you,” she said, admiration clear in her voice, “you could give lessons.”

He didn’t speak. Didn’t trust himself to.

“Forget the Marines,” she added, “you could probably make a bundle being an escort.”

“What?”

“Just checking,” she said with a short laugh that sounded nearly as musical as the bells she wore on her wrist. “You were so quiet there for a minute, I thought maybe you were the first person to ever slip into a coma while standing up.”

“You’re out of your mind, you know that?” Big surprise there, he thought.

“Why?” she asked. “Because I didn’t kick you or run off to daddy to complain? Would you be happier if I was angry?”

“Well,” he said, “yeah. At least that I’d understand.”

“Sorry to disappoint you,” she said and started walking toward home again.

He fell into step beside her.

Even without the fog, the air was damp and carried the scent of the ocean. Shadowy clouds scuttled across a black sky, covering and then displaying the stars as if some giant hand were playing hide-and-seek with diamonds.

“Not disappointed,” he said, weighing the words mentally before speaking them, “just…confused.”

“I don’t know why,” she said, drawing the edges of her sweater closer around her. “You kissed me, I kissed you and it was terrific.”

More than terrific, he thought, but didn’t say.

“And that’s it,” he said. “No big deal.”

She glanced up at him and in a snatch of moonlight, he saw the smile curving her delectable mouth. “If you want to run get a sword, I’ll fall on it for you.”

“That’s not what I meant,” he said tightly and wondered why in the hell it bothered him so much that she wasn’t bothered.

“Just what did you mean then?” she asked as they came up on the low, three-foot-high brick wall that surrounded the backyard of the Colonel’s house.

He grabbed the regulation cover off his head and ran the flat of one hand across the top of his high and tight haircut. For the first time in too many years to think about, he almost wished his hair was longer. At least then, he’d have something to grab hold of and yank.

“I don’t know what I meant. All I’m sure of is, I don’t get you at all.”

“Ah,” she said and he heard the smile in her voice. “The mystery that is Lilah Forrest.”

“You are that.”

“Because I didn’t swoon or run off screaming into the fog because of one kiss?” Lilah shook her head and stared up at him. Her knees had quit shaking and she was pretty sure her heart wasn’t going to climb out of her throat. But her stomach was still pitching and quivering with excitement and it felt as though
every one of her nerve endings was standing up and shouting, “Ooh-rah!”

She shook her head. “If that’s the case, then you think either very highly of yourself or very little of me.”

“Neither,” he said. “You’re just…surprising, is all.”

“Is that a good thing or a bad thing?”

“Not sure about that, either.”

“You’ll let me know when you figure it out?”

“You’ll be the first,” he promised. “But don’t hold your breath. You’re only going to be here four weeks and something tells me it’d take years to understand you.”

“And sometimes,” she said softly, thinking now of her father, “not even then.”

A moment later though, she pushed those thoughts aside. They were old aches and there was no need to reexamine them again tonight. Besides, she’d much rather think about what had happened to her only a few minutes ago.

Granted, she wasn’t exactly the most experienced woman around, but Lilah had the distinct feeling that even if she had been, Kevin Rogan’s kiss would have stood out from the crowd. The man was an absolute master at lip manipulation. She ran her tongue across her bottom lip as if she could still taste him there and just the thought of that sent a shiver of expectation shooting down the length of her spine.

She wanted to kiss him again and even admitting that silently, she knew just how dangerous this was. After all, he was career military. A Marine, for pity’s sake. A man, for all intents and purposes, exactly like her father. The two of them were like peas in a pod as far as their views, their goals and no doubt, the kind of woman they approved of. And that kind of woman was definitely
not
her kind. She’d been the bane of her father’s existence for as long as she could remember. She had no reason to think that Kevin Rogan would be any different.

How could she be interested even slightly in a man hand-chosen by her father? This had never happened before. Every other time her dad had tossed a Marine in her path, she’d either frightened them off or been bored silly.

Wouldn’t you know that the one time she’d come prepared—armed with a pretend fiancé—
that
would be the time she’d meet a man who set off alarm bells throughout her body? The key word in that sentence being
alarm
. If she had any sense, she’d go inside and tell her father that she couldn’t stay after all. Then she’d pack up and go home to San Francisco. Back to the world where she felt comfortable and wanted and respected.

But she knew darn well that she wasn’t going anywhere.

Not after a kiss like that.

She wanted another one and then, maybe, another one after that.

And giving in to that thought, she looked up at him, went up on her toes and slanted her mouth against his. He went rigid, as if suddenly called to attention. But electricity hummed between them, lighting up Lilah’s insides and pushing her to go for more. She wrapped her arms around his neck and tilted her head to one side, giving him more and silently asking him to return the favor.

Moments ticked past and still she waited for a response. When it finally came, it was more than she had hoped for. His arms went around her middle, his hands fisting at the small of her back, pulling her tightly to him. She felt his need pulsing through her as he parted her lips with his tongue and reclaimed her mouth.

Lilah sighed into him and she heard him swallow a groan that rumbled up from deep in his chest. He yanked her flush against him and instantly she became aware of the rock-hard proof of his desire for her. A flicker of something damp and hot and unbelievably exciting settled and pooled deep within her and Lilah wanted nothing more than to give in to it.

His breath puffed across her cheek, his warmth and strength surrounded her. The silence of the night crept close, making their rapid heartbeats and ragged breathing the only sounds she heard.

Then he tore his mouth from hers and stared down at her with wild-eyed, deep-rooted shock. But despite the denial she knew was coming, he couldn’t disguise the passion she saw in his gaze. Not to mention the fact that his body was telling her all she needed to know about whether or not he wanted her.

“Why’d you do that?” he demanded, sliding his hands from her back to her upper arms. His fingers pushed into her flesh, but in spite of his strength, or maybe because of it, his grip was still gentle. “Didn’t we just say that it would be better if we both forgot about that other kiss?”

“Actually no,” she said, and took a deep breath in a futile attempt to slow down her heartbeat. “
You
said that.”

“Whatever.”

“And,” she went on as if he hadn’t spoken at all, “I figured if you’re going to forget something, might as well make it memorable.”

“Memorable? If it’s memorable, you
don’t
forget.”

“Good. I don’t want to.”

“What kind of game are you playing?” he asked, releasing her and taking a long step backward.

“Who’s playing?” she asked and locked her knees to keep them from liquefying.

“Look,” he ground out, “you’re here for a few weeks. You’re my Commanding Officer’s daughter
and
you’re engaged to some poor guy who probably thinks you’re missing him.”

She imagined Ray, no doubt at home, having dinner with Victor and not giving her a second thought. Ah, the old “tangled web” parable about deception had just risen up to bite her in the rear.

If she told him that she wanted him, then she was a cheating fiancée. If she told him the truth, that she wasn’t engaged to Ray, then she was a liar. Hmm. No way to win there.

Which was probably for the best, she told herself as her blood cooled and her brain cleared. No matter how good a kisser Kevin Rogan was, the plain fact was that there could be nothing between them. He was military and she just didn’t do military very well.

Nodding to herself, she said, “You’re right.”

“I am?”

“Don’t sound so surprised,” she quipped. “Even a blind squirrel finds an acorn once in a while.”

“Thanks,” he said dryly.

“So we’re agreed then?”

“On?”

“On the fact that there’s going to be no more kissing between us.”

He nodded shortly. “Yeah, we’re agreed.”

“Okay then.”

“Fine.”

“Fine.” She looked up at him, then shifted her
gaze to the house behind her. “I guess I’d better go inside.”

“Yeah, you probably should,” he said.

She was freezing on the outside and bubbling hot on the inside. It just didn’t seem fair. But then, this was probably just punishment for allowing herself to get so turned on in the first place.

After all, she should know better. She’d long ago accepted her unofficial title of the Last Virgin in California.

She sat down on the edge of the low wall, swung her legs over and stood up in the middle of her father’s rose bushes. A stray thorn or two tugged at the folds of her sweater, but she ignored them.

“I’ll see you tomorrow?”

He took a step back from the wall. “I’ll be here.”

“All right then. Good night.” Lilah turned, paused, then looked over her shoulder at him. In the indistinct wash of moonlight, with the fog stretching out behind him, he looked impossibly gorgeous and as unreachable as the stars overhead. So she couldn’t resist saying, “Just for the record, you’re a great kisser.”

He scowled at her and she headed for the house. She could feel Kevin’s gaze locked on her. Heat blasted through her as surely as if she’d been standing with her back to a roaring fire. It was all she could do not to shiver again.

She was in some serious trouble, here.

So it was a good thing she didn’t hear Kevin mutter thickly, “You’re not a bad kisser yourself.”

One week.

She’d only been on base one lousy week and Kevin’s world was pretty much shot to hell. He wasn’t even getting any sleep. Every time he closed his eyes, he saw her face, heard her voice, listened to the faint sound of those blasted bells that were as much a part of her as that long blond hair.

Scowling fiercely enough to keep all but the bravest souls at arm’s length, Kevin stepped into the PX. He nodded to the cashier, then walked straight to the back of the room. He opened the refrigerator door, pulled a soda off the shelf and turned to leave.

“Hello. Gunnery Sergeant Rogan, isn’t it?”

He froze, looked to his right and managed to give the older woman striding up to him a tight smile. If not for Lilah, Frances Holden wouldn’t have known him from Adam. But because the Colonel’s daughter had insisted on touring the child-care facility on base, he was now acquainted with the gray-haired woman in charge of the place.

She had a no-nonsense walk, a twinkle in her eyes and a short, square body that the base children seemed to love to cuddle up to.

“Ma’am,” he said, gripping the neck of his soda bottle in one tight fist, “it’s good to see you again.”

She laughed, a booming sound that he swore
rattled some of the glassware on the nearby shelves. “Liar.” She held out her right hand and he took it in a firm grip. When she let him go again, she said, “Right now you’re thinking, ‘what does this old bag want and how long will it take.’”

“No, ma’am,” he argued quickly, though he was wondering if the nursery school teacher did a little mind reading on the side.

“I won’t keep you but a minute,” she said, lifting one hand to wave away his objections. “When I saw you, I just had to say something.”

“Ma’am?”

“The next time you see Lilah, will you thank her for me again?”

“Again?” he asked, before he could help himself.

“Oh, yes,” she said. “I thanked her once, but it just isn’t enough, though she’ll argue with me on that point, I’m sure.”