More Than a Mission - Caridad Pineiro [39]
Unbelievably delicious, she thought, as she licked his lips and tasted the pear and berries and cheese, and, beneath it all, the elusive but heady taste of Aidan.
She whimpered. Or, at least, she thought she did, which made him back away for a second until he realized it was a good kind of sound and he smiled.
She could feel that smile against her lips which in turn, made her chuckle.
He seized the opportunity then and dipped his tongue into her mouth, increased the pressure of his hand on the back of her head. She met his tongue with hers, tasting him. Exploring the different sensations of his mouth, tongue and lips. Of his warm breath coming roughly against her mouth as he expelled a ragged groan.
“Lizzy Bee,” he said, but she pulled away from him then, afraid of the intimacy in his tone.
“Don’t call me that.” She added hastily, “Please.”
The warmth in his eyes grew cold. “I guess only your friends call you that,” he said and withdrew from her.
Talk about ruining the moment, she thought and plucked at the fabric of her pants. “I’m sorry. I didn’t—”
He cut her off with the curt motion of his hand. “It’s okay, Elizabeth. Really. I remember the rules—don’t touch.”
She struggled for the right words. “It’s not that. It’s just…You’re right that only my friends call me that. And my family. And you’re—”
“Neither,” he quickly shot out and peered at her, his gaze condemning.
“Neither,” she repeated lamely. “But I’m…attracted to you and…”
Her hands searched in the air as if she might pluck her explanation from there, but could find nothing better than, “I like you. I want to get to know you. I thought I could do this right now, only—”
She didn’t get to finish as he suddenly resumed where they’d left off—kissing her with his lips and tongue until she moaned, and he finally eased away. “We need to take this a little slower, right?”
“Definitely,” she confirmed and smiled. “Sometimes you can’t rush things.”
“Right,” he said and picked up his glass. “Like a good wine—”
“It takes patience and…nurturing,” she finished for him.
“Caring,” he surprised her by saying, and, for a moment, it seemed as if he’d surprised himself by admitting it, so much so that there was almost a physical reaction on his part as his body tensed and he sat up straighter.
“Aidan?” she asked and he forced a smile.
“This is…new for me,” Aidan replied. It wasn’t a lie. It was new for him on so many levels. He had never lost control with another woman before as he had with Elizabeth. He had never lost his perspective while on an assignment, but here he was, clearly in jeopardy of doing so. Or maybe he had already, since he found himself reviewing over and over again all the things he’d learned about her in the past few days, trying to weigh them against the evidence that he knew pointed to her being the Sparrow.
When she gave him a shy smile and the blush of the sun’s kiss deepened on her face, it became even harder thinking of her as an assassin.
“It’s new for me, too,” she said.
He nodded in resignation, uncomfortable with where this was leading. “Let’s finish up and head back.”
“Let’s,” she said as if sensing that to push more right now would only cause problems. “The coast road is beautiful during the day, but at night it can be a little difficult.”
He had been so distracted by her, he hadn’t realized how much time had gone by and how quickly dusk was coming upon them. Perusing the shoreline, he caught glimpses of the road they would take back to town. It wound wickedly along the coast. In spots, the road hugged the edges of the rocky palisades before it led downward toward the two towns nestled at the base of the harbor.
He helped her put away the food that remained and fold up the blanket. Once everything was carefully stowed in the trunk, Elizabeth got back behind the wheel of the car and he slipped in beside her. As she started up the car, he said, “I had a nice time today.”
Grinning broadly, she replied, “I did, too, but the day’s not over yet. You’re going to love the views on the