Always a Warrior(72)
“Remember where we left off.” With that gruff command, he turned and left her alone in the bathroom.
Stunned breathless, Laurie wandered blindly into her bedroom. Forcing her mind off the desire that burned in her gut, she rummaged in her closet.
“Dinner out,” she mused. “A date.” Her heart lurched at the idea. They had not actually gone out on a date before.
“Okay,” she murmured unsteadily, fingering various articles of clothing. “Okay.”
Never one to spend a lot of time getting dressed, she went downstairs twenty minutes later but lingered uncertainly in the living room entrance. She wore an emerald green spaghetti strap cocktail dress and black heels. Black pearls dangled from her ears. Her hair fell in soft waves past her shoulders. Damien’s casual wandering gaze caught hers and his eyes widened in shock.
“You are gorgeous,” he said slowly as he stood up from the sofa.
ALWAYS A WARRIOR Patricia Bruening
105
He looked stunned. He had never seen her in anything but jeans. Self-conscious because she rarely dressed up for anything, she fidgeted with one of the thin straps holding the silky dress on her shoulders.
“Thank you.” The words emerged in a deep sensual murmur that surprised her.
“You look great, Mommy!” Stacy piped up excitedly. “So does Damien.”
As her gaze roamed over her fiancé, Laurie had to agree with her daughter. He had taken the time to change clothes and the result robbed her of breath. He wore black trousers, a white dress shirt, and a black dinner jacket like he was born to it. He looked as comfortable as he did in jeans and his Navy uniform. Her heart thudded in her chest.
His ‘appetizing’ kiss still lingered on her lips. She wanted nothing more at that moment than to take his clothes off and have her wicked way with him. The answering flare in his eyes said he wanted to do the same to her.
“Well,” she said breathlessly. “You certainly clean up well.” She cringed at how ridiculous that sounded.
He grinned and took her hand, lifted it to brush his lips over her knuckles. Her heart fluttered at the courtly gesture. That latent romantic streak in him often surprised her but always enchanted her because it was so unexpected.
After dropping Stacy at her friend’s house to spend the night, Damien drove Laurie to an elegant Chinese restaurant in Benson, half an hour away. She admired the ease with which he drove her convertible. His skill with a standard transmission did not surprise her. More than likely, he drove any vehicle well. One hand controlled the steering wheel while the other rested on the gearshift.
He found a parking space in front of the restaurant, shut off the engine, and then reached across her to grab the door handle before she could open it herself. His arm slid, slow and deliberate, over her breasts as he shoved the door open. She caught the knowing gleam in his eyes and arched an eyebrow.
She climbed out of the car and nudged the door shut but waited for him. He rounded the front of the car to stand in front of her, his dark eyes staring into hers. The sensual gleam in his eyes sent shivers of desire through her. Instead of taking her hand, he slipped an arm around her waist and pulled her closer. His head lowered, filled her vision, and his lips slid seductively over hers. On a sudden surge of hunger, she knew that no dinner ever tasted as good as Damien.
He pulled back slowly, his eyes glittering as he peered down at her. “Hungry?”
“Starving,” she confirmed huskily.
The double entendre scrambled her pulse as he led her into the restaurant, his arm around her shoulders. The ambience inside might not have been as seductive as the raging thunderstorm and flickering candlelight at the cabin but it was as romantic as anything a romance novelist put on paper.
The subdued lighting lent an air of privacy at every table. They were led to a table in a semi-secluded corner. A fat candle glowed in tinted glass in the center of the table. A shaded lamp suspended above the table cast just enough light for Laurie to peruse the menu. She glanced up, straight into Damien’s gaze. The flickering light in his eyes brought back in full force that last erotic night in his cabin.
He must have read the memories in her eyes because his eyes blazed. Delicious tingles zipped up her spine and spread all through her. Only a slight rustle of movement at the edge of her vision shoved those erotic images to the corner of her mind and forced her gaze from him.
ALWAYS A WARRIOR Patricia Bruening
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The waitress was a small Chinese woman, with gray in her hair, who took their order without writing a single thing down. Laurie was impressed when, after bringing the bottle of wine Damien ordered, the waitress returned with exactly what they ordered. Damien poured burgundy, Laurie’s favorite wine, into both glasses then lifted his glass as his gaze met hers over the rim.