Karen Foley - A Kiss in the Dark

“This lock is broken.” He slanted her a questioning look. “Did you realize that?”

Lacey swallowed, momentarily unable to form a response. She thought she’d gotten a good look at him in the truck. She’d thought him gorgeous then, but by the glaring light of the overhead fixture she realized she had been wrong. The man wasn’t just gorgeous.

He was magnificent.

His face was a masterpiece of lean, chiseled features paired with a sensuous mouth. For an instant, Lacey imagined feasting on those lips with her own. His blue eyes were fringed with thick, dark lashes and his short hair was a deep, rich brown. His skin was bronzed by the sun and his arms were an incredible mix of bulging muscles and lean sinews. Her hands would probably be incapable of spanning those impressive biceps. When he wasn’t smiling, like now, he had a decidedly dangerous aura. In the confines of the room, he seemed inordinately large. Lacey should have been nervous, but she wasn’t. She’d been an apt self-defense pupil, and if things began to turn sour, she was more than capable of defending herself.

“Yes.” She nodded. “I notified the front desk, but apparently there aren’t any other rooms available.”

Cole closed the door with a click and took several steps into the room. His gaze swept over the gaudy bedspread and stained carpeting, missing nothing. “It’s hot as hell in here.”

He was right. Fine beads of moisture had gathered on Lacey’s skin and her sundress clung damply to her. In the confined room, the heat was suffocating. “It’s just for one night. I’ll find something else in the morning.”

Cole looked doubtfully at her as he fiddled with the thermostat. “I doubt you’ll survive a night in this furnace.” He flicked the wall thermometer in disgust. “Looks like the air-conditioning is on the blink.” He moved to the window and Lacey watched with renewed interest when the muscles in his arms and shoulders bunched with effort as he tried unsuccessfully to raise the sash. After a moment, he stepped back. “Unbelievable. I think they’ve permanently nailed it shut.”

He turned to look down at her, his expression inscrutable. Lacey smoothed her skirt down over her knees and tried not to think about the fact that she was alone in a motel room with an absolutely mouthwatering man. Any fantasy she might have harbored about him had been completely dashed the moment he stepped through the door. He was obviously disgusted by the seediness of the room, and the temperature alone was enough to wilt any blossoming desire. She steeled herself for his departure, unwilling to examine why she felt so depressed at the prospect of his leaving.

She’d been ready to take the plunge with this guy, to step out of her comfort zone and do something thrilling and naughty. The realization that she’d be spending the night alone in this tawdry motel room was a complete letdown. But she could at least accept the inevitable with good grace. There was no way she would let him see her disappointment.

“Well.” She pushed to her feet and stood by the door, her hand on the latch. Outside, she could hear raised voices as an argument broke out among the men playing cards. She forced a brisk, businesslike tone to her voice, but found she couldn’t meet his eyes. “Thank you so much for your help. I really appreciate everything you’ve done for me.”

There was silence, and when Lacey finally looked up, it was to find Cole standing with his hands braced on his hips, watching her with a bemused expression. He dominated the small room. Lacey’s eyes traveled slowly up the length of his body, noting how the black T-shirt emphasized the taut flatness of his stomach and the muscled planes of his chest. There was a light sheen of sweat on the strong column of his throat and she imagined tracing her tongue along that slick skin.

“You don’t actually think I’m going to leave you here, do you?” he asked.

Now it was her turn to look bemused, even as her pulse quickened. “What do you mean?”

Her eyes widened when he turned and scooped her discarded pantsuit from the back of a chair where she had tossed it. He folded it neatly in half, dropped it into her open suitcase and flipped the case shut.

“There’s really only one thing to do.” His mouth curved in a rueful grin. “I’m taking you home with me.”

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