“What the hell?” They were fully dressed, his hands had yet to touch her, but he could stand like this a long time and be happy. So not his normal op.
He could feel her laugh, though it was too soft to reach his ears. “I’m as surprised as you are, if that makes you feel any better.”
Derek nipped her ear in answer, which earned him a purr of contentment. Freeing his hands, he ran them over the roughness of the unit patches representing her unlikely strength. When he slid his hand up into the loose curls of her hair, she made a small Ugh sound.
“Ugh?”
“I desperately need a shower.”
“Is that an invitation?”
Again that weird freeze. Then she shifted enough that her cheek no longer rested on his shoulder, instead her nose brushed there as if Abby was…hiding?
“Haven’t showered with a guy before?”
A small headshake.
“Do you want to?”
A long pause, then an equally small nod.
This had to be the craziest seduction he’d ever been a part of. Showers together came after getting all sweaty together, not before.
“You aren’t a virgin, are you?” He did his best to make it funny. She was a beautiful US Army captain but it wasn’t impossible.
She kneed him dead center on the outer-thigh charley horse point, though not hard enough to hurt—much.
“I take it that’s a no. Just a shower virgin. What is wrong with guys that they haven’t dragged you into one?”
“It’s not them.” She didn’t explain.
He took a hold of the shoulders of her overlarge jacket and eased her back a step so that he could look down at her. “Then what is it?”
“I…” She looked at him squarely without glancing aside but swallowed hard before continuing with what might be a subject change. “…mostly scare them off.”
“Eek,” he deadpanned, which earned him a smile. “Are all the men in your past idiots?”
“I’ve never been skilled at keeping them around for long.”
“Too smart for them or is it just because you’re better at everything than they are?”
“Not scaring off a D-boy?”
He studied her eyes. Nothing coy. Nor afraid. Maybe resigned. Based on watching his own team at play in the bars, it wasn’t hard to imagine guys being put off by a woman so competent. His own track record wasn’t exactly stellar on that point. He traced his fingers across the Night Stalkers’ Pegasus patch over her left breast. “Much to this operator’s surprise, I’m finding that the more I know about you, the more intrigued I am.”
“Not your usual ROE?” And that hint of her crazy smile teased him.
“My normal rules of engagement would not include us doing a whole lot of talking right about now.”
“Or both still having our clothes on?”
“Or that.”
26
Abby studied Derek. He looked as surprised as she felt.
Even after two nights of hard flying together, which revealed his competence and clear thinking, she hadn’t been ready for his intense inspection of her apartment. She’d been with guys interested in a quick tumble and a faster goodbye. Many stuck around for days, occasionally even weeks, but seldom months. Their interest only rarely extended beyond the bedroom, which was usually fine with her. Yet Derek had started here.
