Page 28 of Her Guarded Hero

“Helping myself.”

“Stop it, we have to talk.” She made an attempt to wiggle away from him, but that only pressed her fanny against his crotch.

“Do that again,” he pleaded.

Aurora jerked around with a tub of vanilla bean ice cream in her hands and took a deep breath. He saw her eyes dilate and color suffuse her face. When she bit her lower lip, he was lost. Dalton covered her mouth with his, sliding his hand around her hip so that it dropped lower. She tasted so good.

He swept his tongue against her lips, begging for entry. It took an eternity for her lips to part, but when they did, he hurtled into a whirlwind of pleasure. Of need. Dalton slipped his hand from her hip to the tempting swell of her fanny. Everything about this woman called out to his senses, telling him that she was his.

“What the hell?!” Dalton jerked and looked down at the smear of vanilla ice cream that was dripping down on his abdomen. He looked up at eyes that were spitting fire. He couldn’t tell if she was angry, frustrated or laughing, maybe it was a combination of all three. When she lifted her hand and licked her fingers, he groaned.

“I told you we needed to talk.”

Dalton shivered as rivulets of melted cream slithered down his stomach toward the waistband of his jeans. He continued to watch Aurora’s tongue delicately lapping up the sticky white dessert. Then she had the audacity to look down, and he knew there wasn’t a chance in hell she could miss his erection.

“It’s your fault. There’s no way I can talk now,” he rasped.

“You’re a SEAL. I’ve read up on you guys, you’re trained to handle any situation, no matter how hard it is.”

Shit, this time it was obvious that she was laughing.

“Sunshine,” he began.

She turned away and wet a washcloth in the sink then threw it at him. He wiped up the mess. And buttoned his shirt.

“You’re a mean woman.”

“You shouldn’t go around flaunting your hot body and making advances when it’s time for a serious conversation.” She plopped the container of ice cream down on the table and gave it a considering look. “Dammit, I had my hand in that. Now only I can eat it. Granddad’s going to be disappointed.”

Dalton grabbed a spoon and put a big scoop on her apple brown betty, then pulled the container in front of him as he sat down. “I don’t mind eating it, I’ll enjoy the extra bit of sweetness,” he said as he took a spoonful. “What’s our topic of conversation?”

“You keeping all of this stuff just between the two of us. I don’t want Grandpa worried.”

Dalton looked at Aurora as she savored her food. He appreciated a woman who ate in front of him. Lacey hadn’t. She was constantly on some fad diet or another, her temper flaring from lack of food.

As soon as he thought that, he shut it down. He didn’t like thinking about his dead wife. Ever. Certainly not when he was admiring Aurora. The two women shouldn’t ever occupy the same part of his brain.

“Dalton? Are you listening to me? Or are you watching me eat again. This time I’m not licking my fingers.” Her smile was wicked as she sucked on her spoon.

“My God woman, you are putting out so many mixed signals, if I were a ship in the night I’d crash on the rocks.”

Aurora’s laugh was like a stroke of velvet. “Yeah, I know. I’m sorry. You mix me up. I’ve never wanted a man as much as I want you.” She immediately put out her hand, palm up. “But…before we get all hot and bothered, I have a couple of questions.”

“Shoot,” he smiled.

She looked him dead in the eye. “How old are you?”

“Thirty-three.”

“How long have you been in the Navy?”

“Since I was nineteen. I’ve been a SEAL since I was twenty-two,” he answered slowly.

She stirred the contents of her bowl until it was apple sludge. “Give me some more of that,” she nodded at the ice cream. He gave her another hefty scoop. She stirred some more, then took a big bite, swallowed and sighed. “You’ve been here for three days now, can you think of any reason why someone would target me? Are you sure this is actually happening?”

“’Fraid so.”

“If I’m in the cross-fire, what about Granddad?”