CADEN DIDN’T WANT the night to end, but he did want that good-night kiss she promised. For all the worry tied up in knots in his gut, he enjoyed his night with Mia far more than he ever expected. She was smart, fun, easy to talk to, intuitive, unaware of just how beautiful she was, but secure in who she was. Exactly what he’d always wanted in a woman.
He needed to thank his aunt for setting him up. He thought giving in this once would show her that he knew best the kind of woman he wanted and that he didn’t need her meddling to help him find her. He wished he’d met Mia long before now. And yet, after one date, he felt he’d known her for a long time. He felt kind of strange and didn’t know exactly why the anticipation made him uneasy. He didn’t want to let her go. He couldn’t wait to see her again. He needed to see her again.
They stood on the sidewalk outside the restaurant. He held both bouquets of flowers in one hand. She held the potted herb in one of hers, the box of chocolates tucked under her arm.
“I’m going to eat this whole box in the morning with my coffee. They won’t last the day.”
He chuckled. “What is it with women and chocolate?”
“Never question a good thing.”
“Women and chocolate are both good things,” he agreed.
She tilted her head up and stared at the sky. “It’s a beautiful night.”
If she wanted to talk about the weather, he’d stand there all night and drag this out just so he could spend more time with her. He should check in with work. Find out if Marco had been located and locked up again. He should have joined the hunt for him, but he hadn’t wanted to miss out on the date with Mia. Anyone who saw her would understand why he’d rather be with a beautiful woman rather than hunting down some scumbag, but once they met her, they’d call him an idiot for ever leaving her again.
“I hate for it to end.”
“Me, too.” Her eyes softened on him, but he caught the unease filling them and hoped it was the building anticipation for their kiss.
He really wanted to kiss her.
“You’re worried about work.”
He scanned the quiet street and the light traffic this time of night. He didn’t think Marco stupid enough to stay in the city. Too many cops out looking for him. He wondered if someone was watching his place, waiting for him to come home.
“Work is always on my mind, but right now, there’s only one thing I’m thinking about.” He closed the distance between them and slipped his free hand around her back, the ends of her hair brushing his hand, and pulled her close. He stared down into her surprised eyes and smiled. “You promised me a good-night kiss.”
Her hand came up and rested on his chest. “Yes, I did. I’m a woman of my word.”
“I’m counting on that.”
He leaned down. She rose up to meet him in the middle. Their lips touched, and fire shot through him with a swift need that burned and consumed every thought in his head but one: Hold on to her. He pulled her closer, changed the angle of the kiss, and took it deeper, sweeping his tongue across her soft lips and diving deep when she sighed and let him in.
Completely lost in her, the chocolate soufflé he special ordered for her still on her lips from dessert, the silky dress and her firm muscles against his fingertips at her back, her breasts rising and falling against his chest, her fingers fisted in his shirt, holding him close. Craving more, he pulled her closer until her body molded to his despite the items they tried to hold out of the way so they could press against each other, their bodies lining up in perfect union.
A door rasped open beside them, but Caden didn’t pay attention. He focused on the woman in his arms. A woman he wanted more than his next breath.
His head exploded with pain and his knees buckled. Someone hit him from behind, and he fell forward, toppling Mia with his heavy weight. She tried to hold him up as a scream ripped from her kiss-swollen lips. The herb pot fell from her arms and cracked on the pavement. The box of chocolates slid into the gutter next to a van. His vision blurred. He tried to keep his head straight and protect Mia with his arms, but she scrambled away as he hit the sidewalk on his hands and knees, trying not to crush her under him. Someone grabbed him under the arms and hauled him back. The bundles of flowers got trampled under their feet. The sweet smell filled the air along with the metallic scent of blood that ran down the back of his neck.
Another man grabbed Mia, but she turned and slammed the heel of her hand into the guy’s face. Blood spurted from his nose, he bellowed in pain, and his eyes filled with rage. Mia tried to make a grab for Caden, but the dude with the broken nose shoved her into the waiting van beside them. She landed hard on her belly, slamming her hip into the van floor’s edge. Caden wanted to fight off the guy dragging him back, but the knock to the head threw off his balance and made his stomach pitch and roll. He hoped he didn’t lose his dinner.
The guy behind him tried to push him into the van. Caden planted his hand on the outside and held back with as much strength as he could muster, reaching in with his free hand to try to pull Mia out. She latched onto his arm and tried to scramble out past him, but the other guy planted his bloody hand on her chest and shoved her back again. Caden fell forward, the blackness he tried to stave off rushing in. The two guys each grabbed a leg, picked him up, and tossed him into the van. He landed in a heap, his head pounding, vision blurry.
One of the guys patted him down, finding nothing. Caden usually carried a gun even when he was off duty, but he’d left it at home because this was a date, not a raid or a bust. His bad. He should know by now he was never really off duty.
The guy shoved him farther inside the van. He rolled, hitting his back on the opposite metal wall, his pounding head thumping on the bare metal floor. The door slammed shut, leaving them in darkness. Caden couldn’t fight the blackness anymore and passed out, praying, please don’t hurt her.