Last Virgin In California. Maureen Child

      “Yeah,” he muttered thickly and was more than grateful for the sporadic moonlight. In the darkness she wasn’t likely to see exactly how much he’d enjoyed that kiss. But he could for damn sure feel it. And the discomfort was enough to make his tone a little harsher than he would have liked. “I apologize,” he said formally. “That was out of line and—Look Lilah, it’d probably be best for both of us if we just forget that ever happened.”

      Silence.

      Oh man, she was probably ready to cuss him out, or punch him or best yet, he thought grimly, report this to her father. Great. Just what he needed. What had he been thinking? His Commanding Officer’s daughter. An engaged woman.

      A nut.

      In an instant, he saw the end of his career, or being transferred to some far-flung, ice-covered base, or being busted down to Private. There was no telling what she’d do once the shock wore off.

      “I think my toes curled.”

      He blinked. “What?”

      “Seriously,” she said. “That was an amazing kiss, Gunnery Sergeant Rogan.”

      “Thanks.” What else could he say? Hell, he should have known she wouldn’t react as he’d expected her to. Any sane woman would be either furious or—well, just furious. But then, he told himself, Lilah Forrest didn’t even dress sane.

      “I mean to tell you,” she said, admiration clear in her voice, “you could give lessons.”

      He didn’t speak. Didn’t trust himself to.

      “Forget the Marines,” she added, “you could probably make a bundle being an escort.”

      “What?”

      “Just checking,” she said with a short laugh that sounded nearly as musical as the bells she wore on her wrist. “You were so quiet there for a minute, I thought maybe you were the first person to ever slip into a coma while standing up.”

      “You’re out of your mind, you know that?” Big surprise there, he thought.

      “Why?” she asked. “Because I didn’t kick you or run off to daddy to complain? Would you be happier if I was angry?”

      “Well,” he said, “yeah. At least that I’d understand.”

      “Sorry to disappoint you,” she said and started walking toward home again.

      He fell into step beside her.

      Even without the fog, the air was damp and carried the scent of the ocean. Shadowy clouds scuttled across a black sky, covering and then displaying the stars as if some giant hand were playing hide-and-seek with diamonds.

      “Not disappointed,” he said, weighing the words mentally before speaking them, “just…confused.”

      “I don’t know why,” she said, drawing the edges of her sweater closer around her. “You kissed me, I kissed you and it was terrific.”

      More than terrific, he thought, but didn’t say.

      “And that’s it,” he said. “No big deal.”

      She glanced up at him and in a snatch of moonlight, he saw the smile curving her delectable mouth. “If you want to run get a sword, I’ll fall on it for you.”

      “That’s not what I meant,” he said tightly and wondered why in the hell it bothered him so much that she wasn’t bothered.

      “Just what did you mean then?” she asked as they came up on the low, three-foot-high brick wall that surrounded the backyard of the Colonel’s house.

      He grabbed the regulation cover off his head and ran the flat of one hand across the top of his high and tight haircut. For the first time in too many years to think about, he almost wished his hair was longer. At least then, he’d have something to grab hold of and yank.

      “I don’t know what I meant. All I’m sure of is, I don’t get you at all.”

      “Ah,” she said and he heard the smile in her voice. “The mystery that is Lilah Forrest.”

      “You are that.”

      “Because I didn’t swoon or run off screaming into the fog because of one kiss?” Lilah shook her head and stared up at him. Her knees had quit shaking and she was pretty sure her heart wasn’t going to climb out of her throat. But her stomach was still pitching and quivering with excitement and it felt as though every one of her nerve endings was standing up and shouting, “Ooh-rah!”

      She shook her head. “If that’s the case, then you think either very highly of yourself or very little of me.”

      “Neither,” he said. “You’re just…surprising, is all.”

      “Is that a good thing or a bad thing?”

      “Not sure about that, either.”

      “You’ll let me know when you figure it out?”

      “You’ll be the first,” he promised. “But don’t hold your breath. You’re only going to be here four weeks and something tells me it’d take years to understand you.”

      “And sometimes,” she said softly, thinking now of her father, “not even then.”

      A moment later though, she pushed those thoughts aside. They were old aches and there was no need to reexamine them again tonight. Besides, she’d much rather think about what had happened to her only a few minutes ago.

      Granted, she wasn’t exactly the most experienced woman around, but Lilah had the distinct feeling that even if she had been, Kevin Rogan’s kiss would have stood out from the crowd. The man was an absolute master at lip manipulation. She ran her tongue across her bottom lip as if she could still taste him there and just the thought of that sent a shiver of expectation shooting down the length of her spine.

      She wanted to kiss him again and even admitting that silently, she knew just how dangerous this was. After all, he was career military. A Marine, for pity’s sake. A man, for all intents and purposes, exactly like her father. The two of them were like peas in a pod as far as their views, their goals and no doubt, the kind of woman they approved of. And that kind of woman was definitely not her kind. She’d been the bane of her father’s existence for as long as she could remember. She had no reason to think that Kevin Rogan would be any different.

      How could she be interested even slightly in a man hand-chosen by her father? This had never happened before. Every other time her dad had tossed a Marine in her path, she’d either frightened them off or been bored silly.

      Wouldn’t you know that the one time she’d come prepared—armed with a pretend fiancé—that would be the time she’d meet a man who set off alarm bells throughout her body? The key word in that sentence being alarm. If she had any sense, she’d go inside and tell her father that she couldn’t stay after all. Then she’d pack up and go home to San Francisco. Back to the world where she felt comfortable and wanted and respected.

      But she knew darn well that she wasn’t going anywhere.

      Not after a kiss like that.

      She wanted another one and then, maybe, another one after that.

      And giving in to that thought, she looked up at him, went up on her toes and slanted her mouth against his. He went rigid, as if suddenly called to attention. But electricity hummed between them, lighting up Lilah’s insides and pushing her to go for more. She wrapped her arms around his neck and tilted her head to one side, giving him more and silently asking him to return the favor.

      Moments ticked past and still she waited for a response. When it finally came, it was more than she had hoped for. His arms went around her middle, his hands fisting at the small of her back, pulling her tightly to him. She felt his need pulsing through her as he parted her lips with his tongue and reclaimed her mouth.

      Lilah