A Kiss in the Dark Read Free Page A

turn her face and her lips would brush along the smooth bulge of his biceps where they rested on the back of the seat.
    Rigid, Lacey clutched her overnight bag with both hands and forced herself to look straight ahead, but found herself staring at his thighs. They were lean and well-muscled beneath the close-fitting blue jeans. She swallowed. His hand on the steering wheel was strong, with long, tapered fingers and neat, clean nails. She noted he wore no rings and felt an unreasonable sense of relief. Sliding a sideways glance at him as he maneuvered the tow truck into position, she couldn’t help but wonder what he was thinking about her.
    * * *
    C OLE M AC K INNON COULD scarcely believe his good fortune as he jumped down from the cab and began the process of hitching the car to the tow truck. He’d been back in Black Stone Gap for less than two days and had stopped by Sully’s garage that night on a whim. They’d been kicking back with a cold beer when the call had come in. Sully, his longtime buddy, had been on another line so Cole had automatically picked up the second phone when it began to ring off the hook. He’d helped Sully out before so it was no big deal when he’d offered to tow this one in. He actually enjoyed playing the Good Samaritan. But when the headlights of the truck had first swung over the car, he’d been nearly speechless at the sight of the woman who reclined in the driver’s seat.
    She was pale and slim, with bare arms and legs, and ginger hair that fell as soft and straight as summer rain to skim her smooth shoulders. In the stifling heat of the Kentucky night, she looked as cool and refreshing as a tall glass of mint tea. When he’d reached under the dash to release the hood, he’d had to fight the urge to skate his palm along the silken length of her leg, fiercely reminding himself that he was there to help her. He had absolutely no intentions of seducing her. No way, not a one.
    None.
    He finished fastening the coupling on the hitch. As he straightened, he glanced through the rear window of the tow truck in time to see her scoop that silky hair up in both hands and pile it on top of her head, exposing the sweet, vulnerable curve of her neck.
    Damn.
    He stood transfixed, all his good intentions vanishing, scattering like so many fireflies into the heat of the night.

2
    S HE WAS UNEASY . Cole glanced over at her as he eased the truck into gear and slowly maneuvered it out of the parking lot and onto the dark main road. Hell, she should be. If she’d even an inkling of the thoughts that were racing through his head, she’d be a whole lot more nervous. She tried to act casual, but he didn’t miss how she stole furtive glances at him, and continually smoothed her fingers over the skirt of her dress.
    Everything about her, from her accent to her little designer purse, shouted Northerner. He was betting from somewhere in the Northeast. Which meant she was probably as frigid as a New York winter. She’d no doubt be shocked if she knew of the lustful imaginings he’d just had of her. She’d probably never had a fantasy in her entire life. His eyes slid to the overnight bag that rested on the seat between them. And he remembered what had been spilling out of that bag only moments before.
    Scraps of satin and lace.
    He felt a smile twitch the corners of his mouth. Okay, so perhaps she did harbor a fantasy or two. He’d give a lot to know what they were. Then do his damnedest to make them all come true.
    He’d returned to Black Stone Gap just two days earlier, having been gone for more than five years. Not even Sully knew his real reason for coming back. He’d told his friend that he was looking for work in the coal mines, knowing the word would spread quickly in the small community. A good mining engineer was worth his weight in gold.
    But what he hadn’t told Sully was that he didn’t really need the work; he was undercover for the Department of Labor, investigating an alarming spike in