Born of Passion

Chapter 3

“Eagle One to base.”

Joanna swallowed the yawn that had been about to take control of her mouth, and flipped the button on the radio control panel so she could respond. “Base… Go ahead, Eagle One.”

“Ah, McCreary must have taken a break.” Kyle’s voice was deep and smooth and sounded as if he were standing right next to her instead of thousands of feet in the air. “Your sweet, sexy voice is a pleasant surprise.”

Heat swept through Joanna. Drat the man, even from miles away he could set her heart to racing. What was it about him that made her feel all fluttery inside? Maybe she had indigestion.

“Just thought I’d let you know we’re coming in,” he continued. “The relief team just came into sight.”

“The ground crew is ready for you, and you’re cleared for landing,” she replied, and smiled at Jason McCreary as he resumed a seat next to her and put on a second headset. Jason was an old friend of Kyle’s and a top-notch flyer who had been assigned to ground support with Joanna for the day.

“Joanna.” Kyle’s voice came again, strong and clear over the radio. “That morning you left me in bed all alone in the hotel room…was it because I was hogging all the pillows?”

Joanna couldn’t hide her gasp of disbelief that he would ask such a thing over the radio with McCreary sitting right next to her. “Eagle One, you’re breaking up. I can’t understand you. You’re cleared for landing.”

She yanked off the headset, aware of McCreary’s amused gaze on her. She turned and glared at him. “Don’t you say a word.”

He held up his hands and grinned, his freckles appearing to dance all across his broad, open face. “I wasn’t going to say a word,” he protested, his blue eyes twinkling merrily. “Of course, I’d be lying to you if I didn’t say I wasn’t just a tad curious.”

Joanna got up from her chair. “You know what curiosity did to the cat,” she replied.

He laughed and focused his attention back on business as one of the other pilots radioed in.

Joanna had quickly taken a liking to Jason McCreary, whose round face and freckles made him look like an old version of the irrepressible Huck Finn. He was friendly and open and spent much of the day talking about his wife and his two kids, whom he obviously adored. Joanna had been totally at ease around him.

However, she had certainly not intended for him to know that she’d spent any time at all in a hotel room with his commanding officer.

Drat Kyle Ramsey, anyway. The man was beyond aggravating.

She fumed inwardly and poured herself a cup of water from the nearby cooler. Sitting in one of the chairs that surrounded a large table, she gazed at her watch. It was almost three o’clock.

The first day of their mission had zoomed by despite the fact that it had been a relatively boring one. Boring was what they wanted. Boring meant there had been no signs of aggression from Tamir, no lives at risk or crazy aerial combat dramas.

She sipped the water and realized she was ravenous. She’d eaten no breakfast, had consumed only an apple and a small bag of pretzels around eleven, and now her stomach was letting her know it required a real meal.

Officially, her duties were over for the day, and the way the schedule was set up, she wasn’t required to be back here until two the next afternoon. She pulled out one of the schedules from her paperwork and studied it.

It annoyed her that Kyle had set up the work schedule and had arranged for her to work all the same times he was. As he’d handed her the schedule, he’d mentioned that this way they could ride to and from the base together. As if he didn’t have access to other transportation. As if he couldn’t afford to rent a car…

She didn’t understand what he hoped to gain by forcing them to spend time together. Surely she’d made it clear to him that she didn’t intend to indulge in a repeat performance of the night they had spent together.

Although she’d be lying to herself if she didn’t acknowledge that for the past twenty-four hours she’d spent far too much time remembering that night.

She had a feeling that the time she’d spent in Kyle’s arms would always be a heady, powerful memory, that it was forever burned not only into her head, but into every fiber of her body.

She was still seated at the table when Kyle walked in. Instantly, as he entered through the door, the space in the room seemed to shrink and the air filled with crackling energy.

That had been one of the first things that drew her to him that night in the bar—the aura of intense energy that had emanated from him.

“Good afternoon,” he said, his gray eyes glittering brightly as he grinned rakishly at Joanna. He walked past McCreary and ruffled the man’s red hair. “Hey, McCreary, how’s that woman of yours?”

“Great,” McCreary replied as Kyle went to the cooler and got himself a glass of water.

It was obvious he was pumped with energy, and Joanna couldn’t help but notice how utterly wonderful he looked in his flight suit. The navy material pulled taut across his broad shoulders and displayed his slim stomach and lean hips to perfection.

He downed the water, crumpled the paper cup and tossed it in the trash, then grinned once again at Joanna. “Our first patrol can be written down as a success. We encountered nothing but blue skies and a fantastic view of the wonders of Montebello. You ready to go?”

She nodded and stood.

“Just let me get out of these clothes,” he said, and began to unzip the flight suit. Joanna’s breath seemed to momentarily stop as she caught a glimpse of tanned chest and a sprinkling of dark hair before he turned and grabbed his clothes, then disappeared into the bathroom next door.

She released a sigh of relief, grateful he’d left when he had. She didn’t want to see any more of that hard, muscled chest, didn’t want to remember how that flesh, those muscles and that springy hair had felt beneath her fingertips.

And she certainly didn’t want to remember the pleasure of her bare breasts against his chest. The man was positively a menace to her peace of mind.

He returned dressed in the clothes he’d had on when she’d picked him up that morning. “Ready?” he asked.

“See you tomorrow,” McCreary said as Joanna grabbed her purse.

“Contact us if there are any developments or problems,” Kyle said to McCreary.

As Joanna and Kyle walked to her car, Joanna fought the impulse to tear into him about the personal, intimate information he’d relayed over the radio, but she had a feeling he wanted to get a rise out of her. She decided her best course of action was not to snap at his bait.

“This island has got to be one of the most beautiful I’ve ever seen from the sky,” he said as they got into her car. “The last time I was here, I never got an opportunity to do any sightseeing.”

“So you haven’t seen the beautiful beaches or the mountains.”

“The only things I’ve seen while here are the military base, Ramsey Enterprises and a certain hotel room.” He gazed at her meaningfully.

“Then you must find time to see the island,” she said, once again refusing to rise to his obvious baiting.

“Perhaps I can persuade you to give me an island tour when we have a little extra time.”

She smiled dryly and started her car. “Your powers of persuasion aren’t that good.”

He laughed, that wonderful deep rumble that seemed to resonate from his chest. “Could I persuade you to stop and get something to eat right now? I am absolutely starving.”

The request seemed innocent enough, and she thought of several drive-through fast-food places she could hit on the way back to his apartment. She would get herself something as well; that way she wouldn’t have to cook and could just go home and relax.

“All right,” she agreed as they drove away from the base. “I’m pretty hungry myself.”

“Great, I know a terrific little place not far from here that serves the best Mediterranean food.”

Joanna frowned. “I was thinking more of something like a drive-through.”

She felt his gaze warm on her face. “What’s the matter, Joanna? Afraid of being seen with me in public?”

“Of course not,” she scoffed, inwardly chiding herself for her uneasiness. How difficult could it be to sit across from him and eat a meal in a public restaurant? “Mediterranean sounds great to me.”

“Good.” He sat back in the seat and looked inordinately pleased with himself.

He gave her directions to the restaurant, one she’d never eaten at but had heard had excellent food. It took them only minutes to reach it.

The interior was dark and atmospheric, with small round tables set in tiny alcoves, allowing the utmost in intimacy.

Joanna’s first impulse was to back out, to tell him to forget it, but the scents of savory food wafted in the air and again she told herself it was ridiculous to be worried about a simple meal shared with Kyle Ramsey.

There were just a few diners there. It was too late for the lunch crowd and far too early for the dinner rush. Joanna and Kyle were led to a table near the back of the restaurant, where the lighting was dim and the soft strains of exotic lute music could be heard drifting in the air.

They were handed menus, then left alone. Joanna studied hers with determined concentration, far too aware of the man sitting across the table from her.

The table was so small that she knew if she stretched her legs out just a little bit, she would encounter the long, lanky length of his. She consciously kept her arms bent, the menu close to her chest, not wanting their hands to accidentally touch, or her arms to inadvertently brush his.

“If you wind yourself up any tighter, you might just disappear altogether.”

She looked up to meet his teasing gray eyes. She relaxed her arms slightly and sighed. “It’s…it’s just been a long day.”

“Any day I get to spend airborne is a terrific day.”

She closed her menu, but kept it tight against her chest. “You love flying.” It was a statement rather than a question.

He didn’t get an opportunity to reply before the waiter appeared to take their orders. Joanna asked for a vegetable pita sandwich and a soft drink. Kyle ordered as if he hadn’t eaten for months, starting with a salad, a hot appetizer and an entré of lamb chops.

He finished by asking for a bottle of wine. When the waiter took their menus, Joanna felt naked without the large laminated book to hide behind.

Kyle grinned at her as the waiter departed. “Flying always makes me hungry. It’s like all of my senses go into overdrive. Food tastes better, scents smell better…” His gaze held hers intently. “Everything is more intense.”

There was a power in those slate eyes, they held an intimate knowledge coupled with a touch of arrogance. It was impossible for her to look into his eyes and not remember that he knew every inch of her naked skin, had kissed and caressed her more intimately than anyone ever had in her life.

The waiter reappeared with the wine. “Would you like a glass?” Kyle asked, and raised the bottle to pour.

“No, thank you. None for me.” Her head was dizzy enough without the additional effects of a glass of wine. Besides, even though the doctor had told her an occasional glass of wine was all right, she wasn’t taking any chances with the baby.

“Would you prefer a mixed drink? A Tom Collins?”

It surprised her that he remembered what she’d been drinking the night they had met. “No thanks, I’m fine.” She took a sip of her water and watched as he poured himself a glass of the wine.

He had nice hands—large and oddly graceful despite their masculinity. “So, you’ve always enjoyed flying?” She desperately grappled for a neutral topic of conversation.

He nodded. “Always. When I was a young boy, everything about flying and planes fascinated me. I had a collection of model airplanes that hung from my ceiling no matter where we were stationed. If I’d had my way, I’d have joined the navy and become a pilot when I was seventeen, but my father refused to sign for me.”

“Why? Was it because he thought you were too young?”

Kyle paused a moment to take a sip of his wine. “No. He wanted me to go to college, get a business degree and take over the reins of Ramsey Enterprises. So I went to college, got my degree, then joined the navy anyway.”

Although his words came easily and without emotion, there was a new tension in his body that let her know this had been a source of great conflict between father and son.

“And you’ve never regretted your decision? Never wished you’d gone to work for Ramsey Enterprises?” she asked.

“Never. In fact, in less than a month my current tour of duty is over and I have every intention of reenlisting. Unlike my father, I have no desire to dabble in corporate America. I’m a career military man.”

A career military man. Just as her father had been. Kyle’s life would follow the same path as her father’s had taken. He’d leave at a moment’s notice, drop everything to fight wars in distant lands. And, like her father, his wars would be more important than his family.

His proud words merely confirmed to her what she had instinctively known after that single night with him—that there would never, ever be a future for the two of them. She had been absolutely right to sneak out and leave him sleeping in that hotel room.

Again the waiter interrupted their conversation, this time to deliver their meals. When he had once again left their table, Kyle leaned forward, his metal-flecked eyes gleaming with more than a touch of wickedness. “Was it because I snored?”

“I’m sorry, Eagle One, you’re breaking up and I can’t understand you.”

He leaned back in his chair and laughed. Goodness, but she loved the sound of his laughter. His gaze lingered on her face, then swept slowly down, warming her breasts before returning to her face once again. “You are a piece of work, lady. You definitely intrigue me.”

She forced an easy smile. “I think you wouldn’t be half so intrigued if you awakened that morning and I’d been there asking you when I’d hear from you again, if you were going to call me, when we could get together.” She leaned forward and met his gaze boldly. “I think you’re intrigued simply because I ran out on you before you could run out on me.”

Surprise lit his features, then he grinned once again, that lazy, sexy smile that shot heat through her. “Then we’ll just have to see to it that the next time, neither of us runs.”

“There is never going to be a next time,” she replied.

His grin didn’t waver, but his gaze once again swept the length of her. Hot…and intimate. She felt each and every place his gaze lingered. “Don’t be so sure about that.” He picked up his fork and focused his attention on his food.

Joanna picked up her soda and took a long drink, as if by drinking the cold liquid she could quell the fires he’d set burning inside her. There had been no threat in his words, but rather promise…the promise of being held in his arms once again, the promise of feeling his body intimately against her own.

She’d been worried about the fact that she was so acutely aware of him, but she suddenly realized that wasn’t what she should be worried about.

The danger he posed to her wasn’t so much due to the fact that he was an attractive, virile man, but rather that he made her so vividly aware of herself as a woman…a desirable woman.

All the men at the embassy looked at her as if she was asexual. They knew she was bright, that she could get the job done, that she was efficient and committed, but none of them seemed to see her as a young woman with dreams and needs. She was a machine as far as her co-workers were concerned, and there were times when she longed to be recognized simply as a woman.

Kyle was dangerous because he made her feel utterly feminine, winsomely beautiful and achingly desirable. He was dangerous to her because even though she was certain she did not want him in her life, there was a small part of her that wouldn’t mind having him in her bed one last time.

Kyle was stimulated, both by his hours in the fighter plane and by the woman who sat across from him daintily eating her sandwich.

That she was intelligent was a given. She wouldn’t be working in the embassy as a military attaché if she weren’t extremely bright.

She was also beautiful, with a slender body that was both sexy and feminine. But it wasn’t just her physical appeal that intrigued him, although he had to admit he was strongly attracted to her.

He was also drawn to her wit and surprised at how easily and astutely she’d seen into his thoughts and musings about the night they’d spent together.

And he wondered how right she was. If he’d been the one to disappear that morning, would he be as intrigued with her?

“You mentioned earlier that your mother was from Montebello. Do you still have family here?” he asked as they continued to eat.

She nodded. “A grandmother and an aunt and her children. That’s what brought me back to Montebello when my father passed away. I wanted to be near what was left of my family.” Joanna frowned, a trace of something he thought might be sadness darkening her eyes. Perhaps he was not the only one burdened by family conflicts.

“Where were you living before that?” he asked, wanting to change the subject, remove the shadows from her lovely eyes.

“Washington, D.C. I was working as an assistant to Senator Bolin.”

“Quite a different pace here on Montebello than in Washington,” Kyle observed.

She nodded, her hair a shiny waterfall escaping the plain brown barrette at the nape of her neck. His fingers itched to release the clasp, allow all the strands to fall free. “But I have to say, the pace here has changed. Tensions are much higher now, especially since the recent bombing.”

“Yeah, I heard about the bomb, but haven’t heard all the details.” Kyle frowned, the loveliness of her hair momentarily forgotten.

“It was about a month ago. The bomb exploded in a civilian square. It completely destroyed a restaurant and trapped people inside the rubble. People died in the blast.” Once again her eyes were dark and troubled.

“I read in one of the newspapers that nobody has been found responsible yet for the bombing.”

She shook her head. “That’s true, however King Marcus is certain that Sheik Ahmed is responsible for the bomb. Sheik Ahmed, of course, denies any involvement, but the whole thing has made tensions so much higher. And it has made the people of Montebello afraid.”

“There is nothing more frightening than the threat of a bomb.”

“Bombs are so indiscriminate in taking victims,” she replied. She looked down at her half-eaten sandwich, as if she’d lost her appetite because of the seriousness of their discussion.

“We got a little heavy here, didn’t we,” he said, wanting to see her smile again. She had a smile that warmed him to the pit of his stomach. “How about you tell me what you like to do in your spare time.”

She shrugged and used her fork to toy with the last bit of her sandwich. “I don’t get a lot of spare time. I work pretty long hours, and lately often six or seven days a week. But when I do get a little spare time, I enjoy going to the beach. I like to read and do crossword puzzles and I enjoy watching old movies.” Her sensual lips moved into a wry smile. “I lead a very boring, quiet life, Kyle.”

“Unless you’re dancing in a bar after having indulged in several Tom Collinses,” he teased.

He loved watching her blush, and she didn’t disappoint him. Red stains appeared on her cheeks. “I told you, that night was completely out of character for me. That was the first time I’d been in that club and in that hotel.”

“So, what exactly made you act so out of character that night?” Although he kept his tone light and teasing, he genuinely wanted to know the answer.

She looked down at her plate, a thoughtful frown creasing her forehead. When she looked back up at him, the frown was gone. “Let’s just say I’d had an unusually rough day and decided to kick up my heels a little.”

He had a feeling it was much more than that, that there were a hundred things she was not confiding to him, and his interest in her only increased.

For the first time that he could ever remember he was as eager to get into a woman’s head as he was to get her into his bed. And for the first time in his life, he wasn’t sure of the odds of accomplishing either.

Chapter 4

The ringing telephone startled Kyle from a deep sleep. He shot up in the bed and quickly grabbed the nearby receiver, adrenaline pumping. His first impulse was to expect trouble. Had a plane encountered problems? Had Tamir made a move? Had one of his men gone down?

“Yes?” he barked into the phone.

“Kyle? Darling, is that you?”

The adrenaline drained out of him and he flopped back on the bed at the sound of his mother’s familiar voice. “Yeah, Mom, it’s me.”

“Oh dear, I woke you, didn’t I? I’m sorry. It’s almost bedtime here so it must be just after noon there. I assumed you’d either be at work or awake.”

“I’ve got a crazy schedule at the moment. I’m working all hours of the day and night.” Kyle looked at the clock on the nightstand and saw that it was just after one. He wasn’t due at the base until eleven that night. “What’s up?”

“Does something have to be up for me to want to hear my eldest son’s voice?”

Kyle smiled as a vision of his mother filled his mind. Beatrice Ramsey had always been a stay-at-home mom. She’d raised her three sons with discipline, love and a sense of humor. There was no woman on earth Kyle loved and respected more than his mother. “It’s good to hear your voice, too, Mom.”

“Are you taking care of yourself? Eating proper meals and getting your rest?”

His smile widened. Even though he was thirty-one years old, his mother still worried about him as if he were ten. “Don’t worry. I’m taking good care of myself.”