Jordan Summers (5 page)

Jack’s lips parted in a knowing smile, causing Delaney’s stomach to flutter. “I suppose that’s good enough for now.”

“S
O TELL ME ABOUT
yourself,” Jack encouraged, wanting to know more about her. She was a bit of a puzzle to him. Her actions said one thing, while her expressions and words said another. He wondered which was the true Delaney and decided he was interested enough to find out.

“Not much to tell,” she said, wetting her lips and shifting nervously in her seat.

He noted her tongue’s movements and felt his arousal grow. When he met her eyes, awareness blazed between them, then her brown gaze fell away from his face. She glanced out the window at the parking lot as if it was the most fascinating thing she’d ever seen.

“I thought most people enjoyed talking about themselves,” he said.

“Like
I said
, I’m not like most people.” A strange vulnerability overtook her features.

Jack reached out and brushed a crumb off her cheek. Delaney swallowed hard and the pulse jumped in her throat. He smiled to himself. Jack had never been around a woman who brought out so many conflicting emotions in him. One minute he wanted to protect her, while the next, the urge to ravish road him hard.

He took the opportunity to look at her face while she was distracted. Jack had been right when he noted her girl-next-door appearance. There was nothing special about her individual features, but taken together the effect was…breathtaking.

Jack had dated some of the most beautiful women in the world. He’d had to in his past profession. It was all part of the playboy image he’d carefully cultivated. No one knew that he was originally a farm boy from a small town in the Missouri Ozarks. So why did he have a sudden urge to spill everything to this prickly flight attendant?

Maybe it was the fact that she didn’t fawn over him like the others or expect him to lavish her with gifts on the first date. Was this a date? He glanced at the food on the table. It certainly qualified for one in his mind.

Jack was used to women wanting him for his money, but Delaney wouldn’t follow suit. And that, more than anything, appealed to the man who walked off that farm seventeen years ago.

He stared at her in wonder for a few seconds before remembering himself. Delaney didn’t know that he was loaded. He didn’t make a habit of telling anyone. Would her behavior change once she found out? He didn’t know and decided to delay that information for as long as possible.

She wasn’t quick to give away her secrets. The element of mystery he found in her eyes, her smile and even her laughter drew him to her. That aloofness would make getting her into his bed a challenge, but the payoff would be far sweeter than anything he’d experienced in a very long time.

“How long have you been a flight attendant?” he asked.

“Not long.” She met his gaze, brown eyes clashing with blue.

Jack felt the connection like a sucker punch to the gut. “That explains the tomato juice.”

She frowned. “I apologize for that. It really was an accident.”

“I know, but I can’t say that I’m sorry it happened.”

She cocked her head in confusion. “What do you mean?”

Jack brushed her fingertips with the back of his knuckles. The color in Delaney’s face deepened to crimson and emotion swirled in her chocolate depths. He noted the spark of desire, along with something else that wasn’t so easily identifiable. “If you hadn’t spilled the juice, we might not be having dinner together right now.”

He raised his glass of water. “Here’s to happy accidents and new friendships.”

D
ELANEY’S HAND
quivered as she clinked her glass with Jack’s. It wasn’t an accident that they’d met. They could never be friends or anything else for that matter. The thought left her decidedly unsettled. She refused to look at the reasons too closely. Why had a man with double majors in art and law chosen to become an arms dealer? He could’ve done anything with his life. Instead, to her mind, he’d thrown it all away. Delaney’s stomach soured at the loss.

“So what is it you do, Jack Gordon?” she asked.

He set his roast beef sandwich on the plate, his blue eyes piercing as they surveyed her face. Dishes clanked as someone cleared the table at the booth beside them. Delaney wondered if Jack would tell her the truth. For some reason that had nothing to do with the case, she hoped he did.

“I’m retired,” he said finally, evading the question.

Delaney released a breath she hadn’t realized she’d held. “Lucky you. I wish I could retire so young,” she said, ignoring the tinge of disappointment tightening her chest.

“I’m not
that
young.” Jack actually blushed. The color gave his face a boyish cast, despite the hint of shadow covering his firm jaw.

“How old are you?” she asked, wiping her suddenly sweaty palms on her pants.

“Old enough.”

Delaney shook her head. “Do you always evade direct questions?”

Jack grinned and winked at her. “Not always.”

“Right.” His playful words sobered Delaney, reminding her once again why she was here. Jack seemed like good company, but this was no ordinary dinner date. No matter how much she longed to fall into his blue depths and taste his firm lips, she couldn’t. Delaney owed it to her sister to make sure that no one else’s family had to suffer the way theirs had. If those weapons made it into the wrong hands, loss of life was guaranteed. Jack could prevent that from happening. Or at least she hoped that he could.

Delaney stared at him, giving herself time to take in his features. There was no denying the attraction she felt toward Jack. He made her want things she shouldn’t want—like sex. She reminded herself again that he was an arms dealer…or used to be. No amount of charm and wishing could change that fact.

They finished their meal, flirting occasionally and making small talk. Jack was very good at both, while Delaney had to work at it. She was a little out of practice from taking the year off. He rose to help her out of the booth, allowing an elderly woman to pass by first.

“Ma’am,” he said, giving the woman a slight nod, before turning his attention back to Delaney.

Did arms dealers respect their elders? It seemed out of character, but she could detect no ulterior motive.

“I’ll give you one thing, you do have quite an appetite.” There was no admonishment in Jack’s voice when he spoke. He stared down at her empty plate in blatant admiration. “You must exercise like a fiend.”

There was a time she’d been ashamed of her healthy appetite, going so far as to hide it, but no more. She refused to starve herself in order to impress a man. Not that it seemed to matter to Jack, since he looked genuinely pleased. “I do,” Delaney admitted.

“You’d have to because there’s not a gram of extra weight on your body.” His voice dropped, then he added, “I checked.”

Suddenly, the room seemed boiling hot. Delaney resisted the urge to tug at the blouse. For some reason, it never occurred to her that Jack would actually take the time to check her out. Sure, he’d flirted on the plane and given her his business card, but for all she knew, he handed them out like flyers on a street corner.

You are here as Delaney Carson, undercover agent, not Delaney Carter, the woman. Remember?
The reminder did nothing to cool her body.

She dug her hand into her pocket and fished out some cash. “Here,” she said, pushing the money toward him.

“I have it,” he said, glancing at the bills clutched in her fingers as if he’d never seen money before.

“But this wasn’t a date.”

His eyes moved to her mouth. “It wasn’t?”

A waitress walked by before she could answer, carrying a huge tray. Delaney stepped forward into Jack to avoid being hit. Their bodies brushed and her senses came alive. His subtle cologne surrounded her and she inhaled.

Jack’s eyes flared and he glanced around the restaurant before taking a step back. “We’d—” he cleared his throat “—better get going.”

He pressed his palm into her lower back and guided her outside after paying the bill. Delaney was proud that she managed to walk without wobbling. The touch was a simple act, not meant to evoke such a rush of sensation. Yet the heat of his fingers scalded her skin, making her nipples grow taut and heavy.

Delaney fought the urge to reach for his hand. They walked across the parking lot to her awaiting Chevy, then stopped at her door. She turned to face him.

The mild night held a hint of ocean air. Jack dropped his hand, only to brush a lock of her brown hair away from her face where a breeze had blown it. His fingertips were soft, caressing as he lingered over her skin.

“I’d really like to see you again,” he said, the deep baritone of his voice lowering a half octave as he stared hard into her eyes.

Delaney’s mouth went dry. Jack took a step closer, crowding her space. Their bodies didn’t touch, but she felt the heat radiating from his flesh nonetheless. Her heart jumped in her chest. She knew in that instant that he was about to kiss her. Even more surprising was the fact that she really wanted him to. Delaney knew this could be part of the assignment going in, but that knowledge hadn’t prepared her for the impact Jack’s nearness would have on her.

She shuddered.

“Relax, I won’t bite…unless you want me to.” His hand trailed over the side of her neck, along the pulse jumping in her throat, and down her arm before settling on her hip. He didn’t hold her tight, but his grip was firm, letting her know without words that he wasn’t about to let her escape.

J
ACK PULLED HER CLOSER
.
He’d wanted to taste her since he’d first laid eyes on her, and now he was about to get his chance. His fingers flexed on her hip and she trembled.

Something primal rose inside of him. He inhaled, taking in the sweet odor of her skin. She didn’t wear perfume like the women he’d previously dated. Delaney held a more subtle fragrance. Fresh and clean with a bit of citrus thrown in. He’d bet his boat that it was the soap she’d used.

Her lips pursed and her breathing accelerated. Jack’s fingers quivered from the visceral punch. He lowered his head to her mouth, giving her plenty of time to pull away. Thank goodness she didn’t. Jack wasn’t sure if he would’ve survived the rebuff.

He skimmed her lips on first passing, a tease of things to come. The breath exploded out of his lungs as newfound urgency wrapped around his gut. He’d meant to draw out the tension and take it slow, but her soft, pliant mouth beckoned, while her taste intoxicated him. Jack groaned, giving in to temptation. He dove in, sealing their lips as his lids fell.

The kiss seared his mind, sending his blood supply south. Soft and warm, her feminine scent surrounded him, circling his head, leaving him dizzy with desire. When was the last time he experienced this sensation?

Jack frowned.

Had he
ever
felt like this? The answer left him shaken—and hungry for what Delaney could give him. Jack wanted to ravage her, take her right here in Jerry’s parking lot. Onlookers be damned.

D
ELANEY’S WORLD SPUN
.
The taste of Jack nearly drowned her senses. He was like the finest scotch and the most primitive male all rolled into one. Her fingers pressed into his arms, sinking into his strength, before sliding around his neck. The hair at his nape brushed her knuckles in a satin caress and she moaned, taking a step closer until their bodies met.

His hands tightened, bunching in her shirt as he deepened the embrace. Jack’s tongue slid along the seam of her mouth, probing, questing. Delaney opened and he plunged inside. She thought she was hot before, but she went molten as their tongues touched.

His mouth worked hers, drawing from her depths, while stoking her need. It was an expert game of give and take, while promising more to come. And oh, how she wanted more. Delaney’s fingers raked his scalp as their bodies squirmed to get impossibly closer.

Heat and ripped muscle surrounded her as his hard sex nudged her belly. Delaney gasped and stepped back out of his embrace, when everything inside of her screamed for her to continue.

Her fingers instantly moved to her mouth as she tried to calm her raging hormones. “I—I’m sorry. Not sure what came over me. I don’t normally allow men to kiss me so soon after meeting them.”

“Me, neither,” he said, laughing.

Delaney let out a nervous giggle.

Air sawed in and out of Jack’s lungs as their laughter died. His eyes had gone from Newman blue to navy and his high cheekbones were slightly reddened. He didn’t bother to hide his desire. “Will I see you again?” his voice cracked as he spoke.

“Yes,” she said, breathlessly.

“When?” He shoved his hands into his pockets.

“I have to fly back to Phoenix tomorrow.” Delaney knew Jack was scheduled on her flight.

He took a staggering breath. “I do, too. Will you be spending the night or continuing onto another destination?”

“I live there.”

His face lit up. “What a coincidence. Maybe we could go out tomorrow night, if that’s not too soon for you.”

“No, I’d like that.” Delaney pressed a button on her keys and moved to open the door. Their hands met as Jack reached the door handle before her. For a beat, Delaney didn’t move. Her heart hammered repeatedly as their eyes locked. She forced herself to pull away.

Jack opened the door and waited for her to step in. He shut it behind her after she’d buckled her seat belt. Delaney started the vehicle, then hit a button to roll down the window.

“Until tomorrow night then.” He stared, eating her alive with his eyes. She started the car and put it in gear.

“’Til then,” she agreed.

Jack knocked on the roof as she drove off.

Delaney couldn’t seem to stop shaking. She wanted to turn the car around and jump Jack’s bones. Well, one bone in particular. Her body ached with need as she forced herself to drive to the Doubletree Guest Suites. Why now? Why Jack Gordon? Of all the people she could have been drawn to, why did it have to be a sexy gunrunner, a man she couldn’t have?