A Kiss in the Dark

He was right. Fine beads of moisture had gathered on Lacey’s skin and her sundress clung damply to her. In the confined room, the heat was suffocating. “It’s just for one night. I’ll find something else in the morning.”

Cole looked doubtfully at her as he fiddled with the thermostat. “I doubt you’ll survive a night in this furnace.” He flicked the wall thermometer in disgust. “Looks like the air-conditioning is on the blink.” He moved to the window and Lacey watched with renewed interest when the muscles in his arms and shoulders bunched with effort as he tried unsuccessfully to raise the sash. After a moment, he stepped back. “Unbelievable. I think they’ve permanently nailed it shut.”

He turned to look down at her, his expression inscrutable. Lacey smoothed her skirt down over her knees and tried not to think about the fact that she was alone in a motel room with an absolutely mouthwatering man. Any fantasy she might have harbored about him had been completely dashed the moment he stepped through the door. He was obviously disgusted by the seediness of the room, and the temperature alone was enough to wilt any blossoming desire. She steeled herself for his departure, unwilling to examine why she felt so depressed at the prospect of his leaving.

She’d been ready to take the plunge with this guy, to step out of her comfort zone and do something thrilling and naughty. The realization that she’d be spending the night alone in this tawdry motel room was a complete letdown. But she could at least accept the inevitable with good grace. There was no way she would let him see her disappointment.

“Well.” She pushed to her feet and stood by the door, her hand on the latch. Outside, she could hear raised voices as an argument broke out among the men playing cards. She forced a brisk, businesslike tone to her voice, but found she couldn’t meet his eyes. “Thank you so much for your help. I really appreciate everything you’ve done for me.”

There was silence, and when Lacey finally looked up, it was to find Cole standing with his hands braced on his hips, watching her with a bemused expression. He dominated the small room. Lacey’s eyes traveled slowly up the length of his body, noting how the black T-shirt emphasized the taut flatness of his stomach and the muscled planes of his chest. There was a light sheen of sweat on the strong column of his throat and she imagined tracing her tongue along that slick skin.

“You don’t actually think I’m going to leave you here, do you?” he asked.

Now it was her turn to look bemused, even as her pulse quickened. “What do you mean?”

Her eyes widened when he turned and scooped her discarded pantsuit from the back of a chair where she had tossed it. He folded it neatly in half, dropped it into her open suitcase and flipped the case shut.

“There’s really only one thing to do.” His mouth curved in a rueful grin. “I’m taking you home with me.”

3

LACEY WAS CERTAIN he had to be kidding, but there was nothing humorous in his manner as he zipped her case shut, hefted it neatly in one hand, and stepped toward the door.

“Wait a minute.” Lacey threw up a hand to forestall him. “You can’t be serious.”

“Yeah, you’re probably right.” Cole’s voice was low. “You’re definitely better off staying here. I’m sure those men out there will be more than happy to take care of you tonight.” He stabbed a finger toward the commotion outside. “From the sound of things, they’re well on their way to getting completely messed up. If I leave you here, how long do you think it’ll take for them to decide you’re fair game? Hmm? Do you really think you’re safe in this room?”

Lacey was silent. He had verbalized what she had been thinking. But to go home with Cole? Did she dare? Because she’d be lying to herself if she believed nothing would happen between them. Even now, the tension in the room was almost palpable.

“Look,” he said, interrupting her thoughts. “I know what you’re thinking.” Reaching into his back pocket, he produced a slim wallet, flipped it open and extended it toward her. “Here’s my I.D. If you want to take a look and then call somebody to let them know who you’re with, go ahead.”

Glancing at him, Lacey took the proffered wallet and looked down at the I.D. beneath the plastic protector. It was a Virginia driver’s license with a Norfolk address. The photograph had captured the incredible blueness of his eyes. She tried not to stare.

“You’re not even from around here,” she said, handing him the wallet. “Were you planning on driving back to Norfolk? That’s what—five hundred miles from here?”

Cole pocketed the wallet, frustration evident in his expression. “I grew up here in the Gap, but I moved to Norfolk after I got out of school. My family has a place not too far from here, and everyone in town knows who I am. You’re safer with me than you are here.”

Lacey didn’t know about that. Her intentions where Cole was concerned could be classified as anything but safe.

He looked expectantly at her. “Okay? Are we good? Now can we please get the hell out of here before we both suffocate?”

He was right. The heat in the room was oppressive. Still, Lacey hesitated. Once she committed to going with him, there would be no turning back.

Seeing her misgivings, Cole sighed, put the suitcase down and spread his hands out in a supplicating gesture. “Look, you’re going to have to trust me on this one, okay? I promise, you’re absolutely safe with me. I’m staying just a couple of miles from here and there’s a separate guest suite so you’ll be completely private.” He gave a small snort of laughter and muttered an expletive beneath his breath. “I’ll even go spend the night at Sully’s if it’ll make you feel better. But there is no way in hell you’re staying here tonight, okay?”

Lacey had the distinct impression that if she refused to go with him, he’d throw her over one broad shoulder and haul her bodily out of the room. She knew instinctively he wouldn’t hurt her, would even put himself in harm’s way to protect her. It was herself she didn’t trust. Just the thought of being alone with this man for an entire night caused her body to react in a way she was unfamiliar with. Her knees felt shaky when she looked at him. There was a fluttering sensation in the pit of her stomach. She’d never been so acutely aware of her own body before.

“Okay,” she said, before she could change her mind. “I’ll stay at your place, but just for tonight.”

“Good.” There was no mistaking the satisfaction in his voice.

Lacey followed him outside, unwilling to look at the men as they passed, aware they had ceased arguing the moment she and Cole had emerged from the room. But when one of the men abruptly stood up, shoving the flimsy chair back and nearly upsetting the makeshift card table, Lacey understood why Cole had deliberately positioned himself between her and them.

“Hey, baby,” the man crooned, “why you want to go with him, eh?”

“Yeah, stay wi’ us,” slurred a second man. “We’ll show you a good time … a real good time.”

Lacey edged closer to Cole’s protective bulk.

“Don’t worry,” he said in a low voice, “they’re not coming near you.”

Lacey looked at the men and knew it was true. While they might muster enough courage to throw comments at hers and Cole’s retreating backs, they didn’t have the guts to confront the hard-eyed man who propelled her along with one hand at the base of her spine.

Copper lay panting on the seat where they had left him, and now he thumped his tail lazily in greeting. After stowing her gear in the back, Cole started the truck and swung out onto the road. The dog made no move to clamber to its feet and hang its head out the window, as if the heat had finally sapped what remained of his energy. Instead, he gave a jaw-splitting yawn and dropped his head onto Lacey’s thighs with a contented huff of breath.

Lacey snatched her hands from her lap and looked down in consternation at the animal. “Well, he certainly isn’t shy,” she remarked with a laugh. Her hands hovered uncertainly over the dog. “Will he mind if I pet him?”

Cole gave a laugh that was half groan, and eyed the dog with something like envy. “Are you kidding? He thinks he just died and went to heaven.”

Smiling in spite of herself, she tentatively stroked the animal’s head and ran her fingers over his long ears. “He’s so soft,” she murmured. “What kind of dog is he?”

“He’s a bloodhound.”

“Like the kind you see in movies, tracking escaped criminals?”

Cole laughed. “Yeah, except Copper’s never had that particular honor. He’s retired now, but when he was younger he had no problem tracking down kids and hikers who’d gone missing in the hills around here.”

“Really!” Lacey was impressed, and gave Copper a generous scratching behind his ears to show it. “What a good boy. I hope you got an extra treat and a nice, long tummy rub for that.”

Cole laughed, a warm sound that caused Lacey to smile back at him. “What’s so funny?”

He hesitated, then impaled her with the full heat of his aquamarine eyes. They locked gazes briefly before he returned his attention to the road. “I was just thinking,” he murmured, “what an incentive that would be for the local search-and-rescue team. Coming from you, that is.”

“What would be?”

Cole slanted her a swift glance. “An extra treat and a tummy rub. Their success rate for rescues would be about a million percent.”

Lacey’s breath hitched. She stared at his profile, unable to rid her mind of the images his words evoked. Images of her hands stroking over the taut hardness of his stomach, and lower.

She cleared her throat. “Do you happen to know the team?”

“Yeah. But forget about getting an introduction.” His mouth tilted in a small smile. “They’d eat you alive.”

Lacey laughed softly. They could try.

“So,” Cole said, changing the subject, “where are you from and what brings you to Black Stone Gap?”

Lacey couldn’t keep the amusement out of her voice. She was born in West Virginia, less than three hundred miles from Black Stone Gap, but she and her mother had moved to New England after her father’s death.

“I’m from New Hampshire,” she answered, “and part of the reason I’m here is to work with the Black Mountain Search and Rescue Team.”

There was a momentary stunned silence, and then Cole laughed ruefully. “You’re kidding, right?”

“Nope.”

“Don’t tell me—you’re here to demonstrate the GPS units.”

“Right. But how did you know that?”

Cole looked at her. “Sully mentioned something about it earlier tonight. Bringing the rescue team into the twenty-first century is big news around here. Their equipment is all but obsolete, and I understand they’re pretty excited about the new devices. But I thought the company was sending a man.” His gaze skimmed briefly over her, missing nothing. “And, sweetheart, you’re a far cry from that.”

Lacey felt herself go warm beneath his regard. “There was initially some talk about sending one of our sales reps out to demonstrate the GPS units, but I volunteered.” She sensed his curiosity. “I’m here on other business, in addition to showing the rescue team the benefits of the handheld units.”

“I see.” There was a pause. “Does Cyrus know about this?”

“Who?”

“Forget it. If he did, he’d never have allowed you to stay at the Blackwater Inn. He’d have insisted on putting you up at his place.”

“Oh, you mean Sheriff Hathaway. I was planning to talk with him in the morning and see if he could recommend somewhere else to stay.”

Cole gave a short laugh and his voice was like rough sandpaper. “There is no other place to stay, unless you don’t mind driving an hour or so each way. Even Cyrus lives a good ten miles outside of Black Stone Gap.”

Lacey digested this in silence. She didn’t want to stay an hour away, didn’t want to traverse the winding mountain roads each day. She’d stay with Cole tonight, but even if they ended up in bed together, she couldn’t assume that he’d want her living with him for the entire time she was in Black Stone Gap. That would just be awkward.

Cole swung off the main route, and they made their way up a steeply winding road, pressed close on both sides by dark forest. Twice, the headlights of the truck reflected the glowing eyes of some woodland creature before it darted into the dense underbrush.

Suddenly, they emerged into a clearing and Cole drew the pickup truck alongside a large log cabin. Lacey had envisioned him in a mountain cabin with fur-strewn floors, but even her imagination couldn’t have created this charming structure, perched on the mountain crest and bathed in moonlight.

She peered through the windshield, taking in the sweeping porch that surrounded the house, the soaring stone chimney and dramatic windows. It may have been constructed of logs, but the architecture was pure elegance.

“This is your home?” Lacey couldn’t keep the surprise out of her voice.

“Well, it’s more like the family retreat. I share ownership with my siblings.” He opened his door and looked over at her. “Don’t worry—they’re not here now. We sort of take turns coming out here. C’mon in and make yourself comfortable.”

Before she could respond, Lacey’s cell phone rang. By the time she fished it out of her bag, the ringing had stopped. “Wow,” she commented, reading the signal bar, “you get really good reception up here.”

“One of the many benefits to living on top of a mountain.” He smiled. “I’ll wait outside for you.”

Lacey scrolled through her missed calls and saw that her mother had tried calling her eleven times. She sighed. The last thing she wanted to do was to talk to her right now, but she knew her mother would fret until she called. She answered on the first ring.

“Lacey? Is everything okay?”

“Everything is great, Mom. Really.”

“I’ve been trying to call you for hours. Why haven’t you answered?” Her mother’s tone was reproachful.

“The cell phone reception is terrible, Mom. But I made it here safely and I’ll be meeting with Sheriff Hathaway in the morning. Please don’t worry about me. I’m fine.”

“Give me the name of your hotel so I can reach you on their phone.”

Lacey hesitated. There was no way she could tell her mother the truth about where she was staying. “It’s called the Blackwater Inn, in Black Stone Gap. But I’ll hardly be there, Mom. Why don’t we just agree that I’ll call you each evening?”

“But what if I need to reach you? I need to be able to reach you, Lacey.”

She suppressed a frustrated sigh. “Then by all means try my cell phone, but I can’t guarantee that you’ll always be able to get through, or that I’ll answer.” She glanced out the window to where Cole sat on the bottom step of his porch, scratching Copper behind his ears. “Look, I have to go. I’ll call you tomorrow, okay? Good night, I love you!”

She closed the phone, pushing down the guilt she invariably felt after talking with her mother. Then, just in case her mom decided they hadn’t finished their conversation, she turned the cell phone off. Sliding out of the truck, she walked toward Cole, watching as he stood and gathered up her cases. Copper stretched lazily before plodding his way up the steps to the porch.

“Did you grow up here?” Lacey asked. “I mean, in this house?”

Cole snorted. “Not likely. My folks had a ramshackle house at the bottom of the hill, on the main road. My younger brother owns a timber-frame company. After Dad retired, we pitched in and had this place built for him and my mom.”

“Are your parents …?”

“Passed away, yeah. They had a few good years here, though.”

He spoke matter-of-factly, but Lacey thought she detected a note of regret in his voice. “You said you don’t live here year-round.” She turned to stare at him in bemusement. “Why not?”

Cole gave a shrug as he preceded her up the steps. “I couldn’t wait to get out of Black Stone Gap. I found work in Virginia, and I didn’t look back.”

Lacey followed him onto the wide porch, waiting while he opened the door. “So what brings you back now? Are you on vacation?”

“Actually, I came back because I got laid off from my job over in Norfolk, but was fortunate enough to find work here in the Gap.”

Something in his voice caused Lacey to glance sharply at him, but his expression was carefully blank. She didn’t know Cole at all, but she guessed it must be difficult for him to admit that he had been laid off.

“What kind of work?” she asked, but she suspected that she already knew.

“I got a job at the Black River coal mine.”

Lacey shouldn’t have been surprised, since the coal mines were probably the largest employer in the region, but she hadn’t envisioned him as a miner. Although, she acknowledged reluctantly, beggars couldn’t always be choosers. He probably knew people who worked in the mines; may even have asked them to pull a few strings in order to get him a job. But she couldn’t stop her imagination from conjuring up images of Cole, buried beneath hundreds of feet of earth. She shivered.

Leaning forward, he thrust the door open, leaned in to flip on a light switch, and then stood back to allow her to enter.

Lacey stepped past, unable to prevent herself from brushing against him in the confines of the door frame. She glanced up at him, and with the interior light slanting across his face, his eyes glowed with an intensity that caused a primal awareness to surge through her.

As she stepped inside she had a general impression of soaring ceilings crisscrossed with massive beams, a stone fireplace that dominated one wall, and casually comfortable furnishings strewn with throw pillows and the odd quilt. The coffee table still bore the remnants of his morning coffee, and newspapers, books and paperwork littered the end tables. The natural wood of the floor and walls lent a warm, golden glow to the entire room and Lacey gave a soft exclamation of pleasure.

“Wow,” she said. “This is nice.”

“Thanks.” Striding to the coffee table, he began gathering up the loose papers and stuffing them into a folder. He glanced at her as he shoved the entire packet into a leather attaché case. “It’s probably a little rougher than you’re accustomed to, but it’s comfortable.”

“Why would you say that?” she asked, genuinely surprised by his comment.

Cole looked embarrassed. “I don’t know,” he admitted. “I guess I just picture you in one of those expensive old brownstones in the city.”

Lacey made a noncommittal sound, neither denying nor confirming his words. She didn’t want him to know the truth; that she still lived with her mother. After her father died—she made a mental correction—after the state declared her father dead, she and her mom had moved to New Hampshire and bought a small house near the coast. Right after college, Lacey had moved into an apartment with two other girls, and she’d loved the freedom. But her mother would frequently drop in unannounced, and then spend hours redecorating the small space, cleaning, or cooking enough food to keep them fed for a week.

At first, her visits had been welcome, but it wasn’t long before Lacey’s roommates began to view them as intrusive. When Lacey had tried to talk to her mother about it, to insist that she really was okay on her own, her mother would become emotional, leaving Lacey racked with guilt for even suggesting that she not visit so often. Eventually, Lacey had acknowledged that living on her own wasn’t working, and she had moved back home.

But now here she was, alone with a guy whom she found incredibly sexy, with nothing to prevent her from doing whatever she wanted. Knowing that he found her attractive, too, gave her added courage. The fact that he was a coal miner was a little disconcerting, but it wasn’t as if she was going to marry the guy, right? After what had happened to her father, and what she’d seen her mother go through following his death, she’d made a promise to herself never to get involved with a miner.

She reminded herself again that she was only here for a few days. She would deliver the handheld GPS units to the search-and-rescue team, and then work with the owner of the local mines to test STAR. And then she would return to New England. End of story. So whatever developed between her and Cole would be limited to the time she was here.

She allowed her gaze to drift over him, taking in the wide shoulders and lean hips. With her overnight bag and laptop slung over one shoulder, his T-shirt was pulled taut across a chest that was unmistakably muscular.

“I like your house.” She gave him a meaningful look. “And everything in it.”

The response was instantaneous as the heat smoldering in his eyes flared to life. A muscle worked in one lean cheek as he took a step toward her. His eyes raked her features.

Lacey stopped breathing. He was going to touch her. This was it. The moment when she would either cross the line or step back.

He stopped just short of her and his gaze held hers for a long moment. He was close enough that she could see the amazing striation of blues and greens in his irises, see the individual stubble of whiskers that shadowed his lean jaw and the small scar that bisected his upper lip and made her ache to trace her fingertip across it. His mouth fascinated her. It was a hedonistic mouth, capable of doing wicked things. She stared at it, mesmerized. As if time itself had slowed, he bent his head fractionally toward hers. Lacey’s eyes drifted closed and her lips parted slightly in anticipation.

“I’ll show you to your room.”

The words were like a dash of cold water, and her eyes flew open. He had stepped abruptly away from her and was now striding across the room.

Lacey almost sagged in disappointment. She had been so certain he was going to kiss her; couldn’t believe she had misread him so completely. With a small huff of laughter, she turned to follow Cole.

He made his way up a wide, open staircase to a loft area that overlooked the living room. There was a cozy sitting area complete with armchair, floor lamp and television. Cole pushed open an adjoining door to a darkened bedroom. She stood in the doorway and watched as he set her gear down, moved to a bedside table and switched on a small lamp, bathing the room in a soft glow. A large bed dominated the room. The vaulted ceiling was angled overhead, and through two enormous skylights, Lacey could see the stars against the velvet backdrop of the night sky.

Cole turned to look at her, and there was a taut awareness about him that was almost palpable. She hovered in the doorway, unwilling to be deceived by what she was now certain was her own cranked up libido.

“Thanks,” she said, forcing herself to smile. “It’s perfect, and just like you said—completely private.”

“Yeah, well, the bathroom’s next door and you should find everything you need. Help yourself to whatever’s there.”

“Okay, thanks.” Lacey stood back to let him pass, but he continued to stand there, watching her.

COLE KNEW HE should leave. He should go back downstairs and leave her alone, but man, oh, man, all he could think about was this woman in his bathroom. Standing naked in his shower with water sluicing down that gorgeous body.

It had taken every vestige of willpower and restraint he had not to kiss her earlier. He knew she had wanted him to, had seen the spark of heat in her eyes that said she would welcome the feel of his lips against hers. She had all but invited him free rein to that sweet, tempting mouth. He knew the attraction that smoldered between them wasn’t just in his imagination. He could practically feel her need and everything in him longed to satisfy it, but he had promised that she would be safe with him.

But there was no denying the fact he wanted her. Wanted her with a fierce urgency he couldn’t recall feeling for another woman in a long time. It was with extreme difficulty that he managed to get a grip on his rampant imagination.

“How about something cold to drink? A beer, maybe?”