It Could Happen Again (Zulu Spectre) Read online

  “Yes.”

  He sat beside her, and she inhaled, gratefully welcoming the rich scent of him combined with the fresh crispness of the outdoors and the warmth of sandalwood.

  “How are you doing?”

  “Okay, I guess. Didn’t sleep the best last night. Apparently, I even kept Tyler up for a bit.” She shrugged. “Oh, well.”

  “Everything okay?”

  “Yeah, it usually happens when I talk to my sister.”

  “His mom? Or one of your other siblings?”

  “His mom. Carmen called me yesterday, excuse me, Tidir.” In her periphery, she noticed his eyebrows rise in silent question. “My parents named her Carmen but she is changing her name to Tidir. Her husband likes it better.”

  “Ah, this is the man you don’t like.”

  “I didn’t say that.”

  His chuckle was like warm brandy sliding down her throat. Comforting. Intoxicating. Incredible. “You didn’t have to. You didn’t mention him before just your sister. You have one picture of him in your place, and you actually have a figurine in front of his side of the frame, blocking him out.”

  She did? Another look to ensure Tyler was okay, and she stared at Dale. “And that’s what you deduced?”

  “I observe things,” he said, his accent thicker this morning. “What is it about your sister that bothers you so? I know how to read you, Allie. What is it about your sister that bothers you so?”

  Her hurt and rage raised its head, making itself known. Oh, there it is. “I don’t need to bore you with my family issues.” She clenched her teeth to keep from snapping. She had to move on. She wasn’t doing herself any favors by dwelling in the past and making it harder for her to face the future with an open mind and hope.

  “It wouldn’t bore me.” He stretched his long legs out in front of him.

  Staring at the tips of his black boots, she sniffed, deciding to give him a very whitewashed version. “Her husband doesn’t like me, and I’m not good enough in his eyes. I mean, I’m okay to watch his son but he constantly has her call me to ensure I’ve not done something to his boy. I am not supposed to call her Carmen anymore. And I should be more Algerian than American.”

  “What do your parents think about this?”

  “They just shrug. They don’t want to get in this, and I really don’t want to involve them.”

  “And your sister did this once she got married?”

  “Yes. She was a lot more fun before he came into the picture. But I can’t complain too much; I get to have a wonderful nephew.”

  “How did he get the name Tyler?”

  “Her husband wasn’t as annoying as he is now. He named him Tyler, but now, they want him to go by his Algerian name. I think I’m the only one who calls him Tyler anymore.”

  Dale didn’t ask what his other name was, and she wasn’t sure what to make of that, so she let it go.

  “You put up with it because?”

  “I want to see my nephew. Most of the time, I can tune her out but I got my ass chewed yesterday for being over in your apartment with you.” Her heart kicked up at the recollection of what happened over there. “She acted like I was off having sex, leaving Tyler alone for longer than two minutes.”

  He gave a low grunt. “Trust me, it will be longer than two minutes. You know that, though don’t you? It was hours.”

  Her belly clenched with anticipation. “That’s pretty assumptive. We have a past, Dale. Not a future.”

  Eyes watched her with predatory awareness. “That’s a fact. It doesn’t matter the years; the passion is still strong between us.”

  Grateful for her coat to keep her nipples from his sight, she ignored the pull they gave as they pebbled. “So you say.”

  “So I promise.”

  Three words laced with a decadent vow. One she desperately wanted him to keep.

  She stood and stared down at him. “Sorry, I don’t think I can take the fallout from a relationship with you more than once in a lifetime. Sex is just sex, and I can get it anywhere.” Allie walked away, hollering for her nephew as she went.

  Chapter Four

  Dale had never wanted to touch a woman so much in his entire life. Just to have the opportunity to slide his hands along her smooth skin. Feel the texture. Memorize the dips, swells, and everything. Relearn the taste of her skin, its scent.

  I mean more than the lilac smell.

  He slapped a hand against the wall and reminded himself of Julie. Didn’t work out so well there, did it now? He needed to stay away, not get involved, and yet, Allie occupied his thoughts. I barely know her. I knew her in the past but she’s changed. We both have. It didn’t matter to his body or his heart, though. He wanted her.

  I also need to know what the hell she meant by that fallout comment.

  Readjusting his hard cock, he stood just as someone knocked on his door. He paused before he opened it and tried to think of something other than the heat in Allie’s gaze when he’d made his vow on that park bench. That had been six days ago.

  “Yes?” he asked, swinging it open.

  “I’m leaving now and wanted to say bye. Oh, and thank you for fixing my bike.” Tyler stood there, watching him with big brown eyes.

  Dale gave him a smile. “No problem, kid, glad to help out. You take care.” A woman stood behind Tyler, her features similar to Allie’s yet colder, somehow. Harder. “Ma’am,” he said.

  Her gaze moved over him, impersonal and judgmental. “Come, son. We will wait for your father in the car.”

  They headed off down the hall. Tyler snuck in a tiny wave as the elevator doors cut off his view of them. Allie’s apartment was open, and Dale could now hear, easier, voices spilling to him. Low and angry voices.

  Protective instincts kicked into high gear, he strode in without announcing he was there. Her kitchen was empty but he could see shadows in the living room. He paused in the passageway. Allie stood there, arms crossed and a look of disgust on her face. Along with irritation.

  The man she squared off with had at least a head of height advantage over her. In seconds, Dale had taken it all in and knew this man could be a problem to Allie. Every muscle in his body was tense, and his face expressed his anger.

  “You put my boy in danger again, and I will—”

  “Everything okay in here, baby?” he asked, hooking his ankles as he used the doorjamb to support him, hands in his pockets, trying to look as calm as possible.

  Allie looked at him, her brow quirked up swiftly before she smiled wanly. “Dale. What are you doing here?” She dampened her lips. “In my apartment.”

  He pushed away with a negligent shrug and approached her.

  “Who are you, and why are you in here?” the man demanded, focusing on Dale.

  Dale kept his eyes on the tanned man. He walked, however, to Allie and wrapped an arm around her, this need to claim her pulsing through him with a life of its own. Her body was tense, a fact he was less than pleased with.

  “Who is this man?”

  With a smug look, Dale brushed his lips along her cheek.

  Allie swallowed and said, “My neighbor.” She met Dale’s gaze, and he could see her question as to what he thought he was doing.

  Get used to it, baby. I plan on defending you, especially against men who make you uncomfortable.

  “This is none of your concern.” His voice rose. “Leave.”

  “You don’t get to tell people to leave my place, Hasim. This is my place.” Her entire body vibrated with the fury he knew she was trying to control.

  He—Hasim—snorted rudely. “Some place. It’s barely a house. You don’t have much to your name. You are a disgrace. Surely, you recall what happened last time you did something like this. If you were a real—”

  “If you value your life, you won’t finish that sentence,” Dale said on a low, dangerous thread.

  Angry gazes clashed, and Dale stepped forward, putting himself before Allie. Hasim tsked and said, “Your parents are going to be
so disappointed.”

  “Well, that’s your opinion,” Allie snapped, moving up beside Dale. “No matter how stupid of one. Just leave, Hasim. Before you do something that you will regret.”

  “Not likely,” he sneered. “But I have more important things to do than be in this hovel.”

  The man walked away, and the door slammed with a ferocity that had her jumping slightly.

  “What’s going on, Allie?”

  She wrapped her arms around herself and walked to the window. Head against the glass, she sighed a few times before turning to face him. “What are you doing here?”

  Her control was threadbare; any fool could see that. He approached her, not stopping until the tips of his boots hit her bare toes. “Tyler said goodbye, and I heard angry voices in here. What’s going on?”

  She clenched her jaw. “Nothing. That…was my brother-in-law.”

  “The bastard?”

  “Yes.”

  “What’s his deal with you?”

  “Besides the fact I’m not acting like a proper Muslim? I live here. Not rich enough. I’m a paramedic. Don’t have any intentions of getting hitched and start popping out kids. Speak my mind and, oh hell, the list goes on and on. Slut. Whore. Disgrace. Take your pick.”

  “A proper Muslim?” What the hell is that supposed to mean?

  “Not in his eyes. I have my own religion, and I’m not about to do things how he wants them done. I’m not Muslim but he refuses to believe that. I’m just…the disappointment of the family.”

  “According to him?”

  She nodded. “According to all of them.”

  He placed his hands on either side of her head. “Fuck him.”

  A ghost of a smile turned up her lips. “If it’s all the same to you, I’d rather not.”

  “Very well, then. Fuck me.”

  Instantly, the heat between them catapulted into the stratosphere. Her eyes, sparkling like diamonds, bore into his.

  “Been there, done that.”

  “So, you know how good it is between us.”

  Her gaze narrowed. “Life is more than what is a momentary feel-good tick of the clock, Dale.”

  “What did you mean about the fallout?” She shook her head but he captured her chin in his fingers, forcing an eye connection. “Tell me, Allie.”

  She averted her eyes. “Weren’t we talking about what you’re doing here?”

  “We moved on to a much more important topic.”

  Eyes to lips and back again. He watched her as she did the same to him, desire flowing from her. He wouldn’t push but, damn it all, he wanted her. Like he needed his next breath.

  “More important.” Her words were soft but clear.

  “Definitely.”

  “Didn’t you just get out of a relationship?”

  He recognized the change tactic. “I’d been out of that one for a while.” He brushed some hair away from her face, allowing his fingers to linger over the satiny feel of her skin. “Tell me you don’t see what’s between us, Allie. Tell me you don’t wonder what it’s going to be like. That you don’t dream about us.”

  “I can’t.”

  He nudged his leg between hers, and she whimpered. A tiny sound. One that wrapped his cock in a coat of iron. Dale pressed his lips to her forehead and breathed deeply. Her scent, lilacs and Allie, wove around him, like a weaver creating a masterpiece. There was no overly sweet bottled perfume, just honest-to-goodness floral and her. It was perfect.

  Brushing his lips along her face, he kissed her eyelids, the tip of her nose, and the corners of her mouth before he even took it. Her full lips, soft as flower petals, parted beneath his touch. He sank into her mouth with a low groan. Heaven. Something he’d been unable to attain since his dumbass decision to not even give her a chance to explain her side.

  While he wanted to take, demand, ravish, he kept the kiss light, allowing her to set the pace. It didn’t take her long. After a moment of stillness, she exploded into action. Her hands wound around his neck, drawing him closer to her. Their tongues dueled and danced, slipping and sliding along one another.

  The familiar feel of her curves pressed into him was incredible. If clothes could magically vanish, he wished hers would for he didn’t want to allow her any space. Her hold on him was ironclad. He remembered she used to hold him like that, as if she couldn’t bear to let him go. It was something he’d never allowed anyone else to do.

  He trailed his fingers down her side until he found the hem of her shirt and lifted. Her skin, still so supple and smooth, teased his pads as he inched her clothing up. She cupped him through his pants, and he groaned into her mouth. His button was undone, and she lowered the zipper before sliding her hand back in, the heat from her palm moving through the thin cotton of his boxers.

  The sound of his phone shattered the mood, and she jumped away from him, as if burned. Trembling fingers hovered over her lips as she stared at him.

  “What?” he barked into his cell. His commanding officer. Training. Time to report in. Finally, the call ended, and he got to focus on Allie again.

  Damn it! He’d lost her for the moment; he recognized the walls up around her. The polite mask settled upon her face.

  He stalked up to her, ignoring how she backed away from him to the wall. Nose to nose, he held her gaze. “You and I are far from finished.”

  “There’s nothing to be said between us,” she said, her voice containing a slight tremor.

  He wanted to disagree; however, Allie was gone before he could say another word. The door to her bedroom reverberated from the force of her retreat. He got the message. Leave.

  Hands in pockets, he went to the door and rested against it before he left, allowing her some space. She’d changed. Her innocence and openness were gone. He wanted to know why.

  αβ

  Allie knocked on his door and took several deep breaths. It had been two weeks since Tyler had left, and she’d not seen Dale. It wasn’t like she had been avoiding him either; they just apparently had totally opposite schedules.

  What am I doing? This is insane. Maybe he’s not home, and I can forget this ever happened.

  She gazed at the door, expecting it to open. When it did no such thing, she took advantage and snuck back to her side of the hall. She had nearly made it in to the sanctuary sought when his sexy British voice called out from behind her.

  “Allie?”

  “Damn, damn, damn,” she muttered under her breath. “So close. So blasted close. I almost made it.” Coughing to hide her nervousness, she said, “Yes?”

  “You knocked?”

  Would he believe me if I said no, it wasn’t me? Probably not.

  She pivoted on the balls of her feet and gasped. Oh, cripes. Dale had nothing on but a cream towel, slung low over his lean hips. His tanned skin beckoning her in that flashing space of a heartbeat. There was no ignoring the whimper that slid from her mouth. How could it not escape?

  The man was a specimen. No spare flesh anywhere on his body.

  Muscles never ended, they merely flowed into one another. Not merely. That word had no business being linked to Dale.

  Her gaze lingered on the washboard abdominals he had, and need rushed to life within her. I remember running my tongue along those ridges. Licking chocolate and butterscotch off them. And honey, can’t forget the honey.

  “Not that I mind you staring at me, Allie, but if you came to ask something, get to it. I’m about to go caveman on you and drag you off.”

  It’s what I was going over there for. No strings sex. Why deny he’s the one I want to scratch my itch? I’ve ignored that need for a long enough time.

  She dragged a finger along the collar of her v-neck. “You always did have a way with playing Tarzan and Jane.”

  His brown eyes darkened, and he took two large, determined steps toward her. He grasped a fistful of her purple shirt, jerking her to him. Her palms smacked with the hard expanse of his chest, the hair teasing her skin.

  Dale to
ok possession of her mouth—and soul—and her nerves exploded. His tongue surged, touching everywhere it could reach. She dug her fingers into him, eagerly meeting and tangling her tongue with his.

  Without missing a beat—or a stroke—he palmed her ass and lifted her. Allie didn’t hesitate; she wrapped her legs around his waist and her arms about his neck. His hair was damp and silken. Her slit wept, and she gyrated against him, desperate for the relief he could provide.

  Back in his apartment, he kicked the door shut then pressed her to the surface. She delved her hands into his thick locks, grasping the strands with a death grip. Eyes open, she stared at him, amazed by the raw hunger there. He’d had this way of making her feel like they were the only two in the world. That she was the only one for him.

  Right up until—

  She snapped off that thought. I’m not going there. This is about what he can give me. Sex and pleasure.

  “One time,” she panted, trusting him to hold her up and yanking off her shirt.

  “Take it all off, baby. Show me those fabulous tits of yours.”

  He’d loved her breasts, and from all appearances, he still did. She removed her peach bra and tossed it away.

  “Fuck, yeah.” The sound, almost reverent coming from him played her like a pianist on the keys, creating the perfect melody. “I’ve missed these.”

  He took a nipple in his mouth and sucked. Hard. Longing poured into her. His teeth grazed the pebbled tip.

  “Dale,” she moaned.

  He put her through exquisite torture as he laved attention on both breasts, leaving them sleek and red from his ministrations. His scruff added to the experience. Brand new in one aspect, yet on another, a totally familiar one. It allowed her to know just how much pleasure she could expect.

  “Get out of your clothes,” he ordered, releasing her nipple with a pop.

  She captured her lower lip in her teeth and held his gaze. “How do you propose I do that? My legs are hooked around you. Your cock is pressing against me. I’m wearing boots. My Timberlands, fully laced. I can’t do a damn thing from here; you’re going to have to put me down.”