Page 9 of Shadows of Eternity

“Pick you up at seven?”

“All right.” Somewhat hesitantly, she gave him her address.

“Until then,” he said.

She was smiling when the call ended. She would have preferred to go dancing, but it was dangerous to be in his arms. His voice, the feel of those strong arms around her, the way his gaze made her insides curl … he made her feel vulnerable. Needy.

She showered, washed and dried her hair, slipped into a pair of slacks and a silky shirt, applied a bit of make-up, and all the while her heart was pounding with anticipation.

When the doorbell rang, she took a deep breath, and looked through the peephole to make sure it was him. Not wanting him to think she was over-anxious to see him, she counted to ten before opening the door.

Rohan whistled softly when he saw her. She really was lovely. Her russet-colored hair fell in careless waves over her shoulders. Her beautiful green eyes betrayed everything she was feeling. The shirt she wore matched the color of her eyes. Hisgaze moved down her slender legs, imagining them wrapped around his waist.Damn!

“Are you ready?” he asked.

Nodding, Leia grabbed her handbag from the table beside the door. She was acutely conscious of him walking beside her as they made their way through the apartment courtyard to the street where a sleek, silver Dodge Challenger awaited them.

Leia’s eyes widened. “Is this yours?”

“Of course.”

He handed her in, his fingers sliding up her arm before he released her to go around to the driver’s side.

A single touch, she thought, and her whole body tingled. She stared at his profile, his jaw square and clean-shaven. She longed to sift her fingers through his hair. Beautiful black hair any woman would envy. Tonight, he wore it tied back with a leather thong.

“So, what is this movie you wanted to see?” he asked, as he pulled away from the curb. “Leia?”

It took her a moment to gather her thoughts. Embarrassed, she admitted, “I forgot the title. It’s supposed to be a comedy.”

He smiled, aware of her scrutiny. He was used to women staring at him. It happened so often, he rarely paid much attention. But the look in Leia’s eyes pleased him more than it should have. She was fascinated by him, and more than a little wary.

He parked the car in the theater lot, opened her door for her, took her hand as they walked to the box office. “Would you care for something to eat?” he asked, his nose wrinkling against the pungent odors of buttered popcorn, sodas, hot dogs and mustard.

“No, thank you.” How could she eat when her stomach was in knots? She noticed women turning to stare at him. A fewrecognized him. One teenage girl was bold enough to ask for his autograph. He obliged by signing his name on a napkin.

The girl smiled from ear to ear as she hurried to show it to her friends.

“It must make you feel good when people recognize you,” Leia remarked.

“Well, only people who’ve recently seen the show recognize me,” he said with a shrug.

“Still, it must be nice.”

“I’ll admit it’s flattering. But you must have met a lot of real stars, considering both your parents are in the business.”

“Oh, yes,” she replied. “Mostly when I was younger and they took me to the studio in the summer.” But never anyone as outrageously handsome as he was.

The theater was crowded but they found a pair of seats close to the center of a row. A moment later, the house lights went down and the trailers started.

Leia found it hard to concentrate on the screen. Rohan’s presence was impossible to ignore. He was so blatantly male, so physically imposing. So darn gorgeous. She kept stealing looks at him, unable to believe he was beside her.

Her cheeks flamed with embarrassment when he caught her staring. His gaze locked with hers and something she couldn’t define passed between them, something so strong it was almost tangible. Her breath caught in her throat as his hand cupped her nape, drawing her closer as he leaned toward her. Fear and excitement raced through her when his mouth covered hers.

Time stopped as the theater fell away and they were standing in a grassy field beneath cloudy skies, his arms around her, his tongue plundering her mouth, nibbling at the skin along the side of her neck. She moaned softly, her hands fisted in hisshirt front as she sought to be closer. Her whole body was on fire, aching for his touch …

Abruptly, they were back in the theater, surrounded by hundreds of people.

Leia blinked and blinked again. What had just happened? Had she fallen asleep? It didn’t seem likely but what other explanation could there be? It had to have been a dream. Feeling light-headed, she stared at the screen.

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