WARRIOR'S HEART.

GIFTS OF THE ANCIENTS.

By Bianca D'Arc.

CHAPTER ONE.

He took her in his arms and though she teetered on the s.e.xy blue satin stilettos, he moved her around the floor as if she were born to be there. She'd never been so graceful, or so incredibly excited.

They executed a complex turn and the pulsing beat seeped into her pores. He twirled her out, then back in, curling her tight against his chest, light as a feather, her flowing skirt tangling sensually around their knees. The dance itself was color and light and his muscular body kept her safe, secure and cherished as he guided her through its intricacies.

The music broke and he tap danced. Somehow she knew the steps too. She danced perfectly in time with him as he smiled encouragement.

RING!.

Casey groaned as she lifted her head from the couch. Blearily she realized she'd fallen asleep in the middle of the day again. This had to stop.

RING!.

Dammit. The relentless ring of the phone woke her up. And it had been such a good dream too.

RING!.

She checked the caller I.D., yanking up the phone with a disgusted curse.

"Dammit, Mark. I was dancing with Gene Kelly!"

There was a slight pause before a s.e.xy male voice came over the line.

"I'd rather you danced with me."

Her knees turned to jelly. Good thing she was still sprawled partially on the couch. That wasn't Mark. It

only took her a moment to place the voice answering at her brother's familiar number. It was her brother's obnoxiously handsome friend. The one who had tormented her since she was a little kid. The one whose face still tormented her dreams.

"Hal." She sighed heavily. "When did you get back? And why are you calling me from Mark's? Where is he?"

"He's watching over the grill out back and asked me to give you a ring. I just got in and we're having an impromptu barbeque. Wanna come over and play?"

The s.e.xy purr in his voice sent shivers down her spine. Too bad he was only kidding around with her.

She'd known him for too many years to read anything into his flirty banter.

She was glad he couldn't see the disappointment written all over her face. He was the star of all her most vivid fantasies, but he'd always treated her like a pesky little sister.

"Sure. Give me an hour and I'll be over with a bottle of Merlot. I can't drink that beer he's been brewing in his bas.e.m.e.nt. It makes me sick."

"I am duly warned then, but actually it tastes pretty good."

"Oh, it tastes good at first, but watch out for tomorrow. You'll be praying to the porcelain G.o.d if your stomach is anything like mine." She chuckled, remembering the few times her brother had gotten her to drink some of his home brew and the sorry consequences.

"I like your stomach just fine, but you forget, I've been eating Army chow for the past twelve years. My stomach is cast iron."

"Well, don't say I didn't warn you."

"Yes, ma'am. Now get yourself off the couch and put on something s.e.xy. I haven't seen you in far too long, Cas."

"How'd you know I was on the couch?"

He chuckled in that masculine way of his. "Old habits die hard. I remember finding you curled up on the old couch in your parents' house in the middle of the day any number of times. You always reminded me of a little p.u.s.s.y cat, basking in the sun coming in through the picture window."

"Maybe I don't have a couch or a picture window in my apartment. Did you ever think of that?" She didn't know why she was being contrary, except that Hal had always known how to push her b.u.t.tons. Five years of not seeing him apparently hadn't changed that.

"You forget. I've been to your apartment. I know exactly what it looks like. Down to your daisy-covered couch."

"They weren't daisies. It was a lovely yellow and white paisley pattern, and it's gone now."

"What happened? I liked that couch."

"Oh, I still have the couch. I just had it reupholstered. And to answer your question, Mark happened. He got mud, oil and some kind of glue on his clothes working on his boat then flopped down on my pretty couch. No matter what I tried, I couldn't get it all out."

"The moron." His chuckle made her feel oddly better about losing her pretty fabric, even though it was a sticking point between the siblings now. "I'll have to beat him some. I've had fantasies about you on that little daisy couch."

"I'll just bet you did." She laughed, hoping she could disguise the instant heat in her veins with a joke. He was only kidding. He'd never seen her as anything more than his friend's kid sister.

But then why was he flirting so hard? That was three potential come-ons in just one conversation. Either he'd changed drastically in the last five years, or he was just trying to get her mad.

He'd changed drastically in the last five years. She decided that the moment she stepped into Mark's little house and saw Hal.

Tall, tan, fit and handsome as always, his closely cropped hair was a little longer than his usual, but his grin was the same lazy, s.e.xy spread of sensuous lips. She'd fantasized over just his smile as a teen. His arms were all man, muscular and strong as he hugged her in greeting, holding her just a little longer than propriety demanded, but it was five years since they'd seen each other so she guessed it didn't really mean anything.

Oh, she wrote to him for all the major holidays and his birthday, sending him funny cards and updates on her family, since she knew her brother was a terrible correspondent. He answered when he could, but he'd been in a lot of dangerous spots around the world over the past few years and he hadn't always been able write back. When he had, he impressed upon her how much he enjoyed hearing from her so she never felt stupid shopping for just that perfect card to make him smile weeks in advance of his birthday or any other card-giving holiday. Heck, she figured she probably kept the local corner card store in business all by herself.

He smelled good too. Like hot, strong man, a bit of charcoal smoke, probably from the barbeque out back, and just a hint of masculine aftershave. She knew he couldn't wear it in the field, but when he was home, he sometimes used it. She knew his brand and loved it. Had even bought it for him a few times for Christmas and his birthday, but not anytime recently.

She was glad he still wore that brand. It was forever identified with him in her mind. Who knows, maybe she'd have a chance to buy him a new bottle this year if he was going to be home for the holidays.

"I've missed you, squirt. Why haven't I seen you in five long years?"

She pushed back from his arms, but noticed he didn't let her go completely. She had to tilt her head back to look up at him, but she didn't mind. This was as close as she'd probably get to him until he left again and she'd be granted another hug-this time in goodbye. Those hugs were always a little harder to bear.

"Well, let's see. You've only come home about once a year from wherever they've got you stationed, and each time I was either already on vacation or on a business trip out of town. We've just kept missing each other. But if you'd give us a little warning, I could've scheduled around you."

He shook his head. "It doesn't work that way for me, Cas. You know that. I don't always know when I'm going to be able to get leave and when I do, I have to go quickly, before they call me back to go to some other foreign h.e.l.lhole."

She daringly reached up and stroked his cheek, amazed at the tender look that came into his eyes at her innocent touch.

"I worry about you, Hal."

That earned her a second hug, with an extra squeeze this time, and she was glad she'd dared voice her fears. She knew he could more than take care of himself, and truly loved what he did, but that didn't make her any less worried that one day he wouldn't come back. Just the thought brought tears to her eyes, but she didn't let them fall.

He saw them anyway and bent down to kiss her eyes so softly, she thought she would melt dead away on the spot. He'd never treated her this way. Maybe what they said was true-absence really did make the heart grow fonder.

"Don't worry for me anymore, Cas. I'm out of that life now and I'm coming home to stay."

"What?" She pulled back from him, astounded.

"I've been rea.s.signed."

She wasn't sure if that was indigestion or dread on his face, but either way all that mattered was he'd be home. She couldn't hold back the joy coursing through her.

"Where to? Doing what?"

He put her aside with a firm grip around her waist, pulling a face meant to make her smile. "That's on a need to know basis, sweetheart."

"But you'll be home?"

He nodded. "I'll be nearby. Close enough to come home every weekend if I want."

"That's great news!"

Her brother Mark strolled in from the back deck with a plate of burgers in one hand. "I guess you heard.

Looks like Hal will be crashing here on the weekends until he finds his own place."

"Where'd they put you, Fort Hamilton?" She was confused, and rightfully so. Why would a heavily decorated Green Beret be given a desk job at a base where nothing really ever happened?

"No, sis, they put him on Plum Island. Can you believe it?"

"So much for keeping it quiet, bro. That's not supposed to be public knowledge." Hal shot his friend a dirty look.

"Hey! I'm not the public! I'm your best friend's sister. I have a right to know the truth." She teased him with her dimples, able to tell he wasn't really upset by the relaxed set of his firm jaw.

"All right then, but you're not to tell anyone. Understood, squirt?"

She gave Hal a mock salute and squealed when he picked her up and turned her around so he could get to the outside door and rescue the smoking steaks.

"d.a.m.n, he's strong," she mused, watching him turn the meat as her brother chuckled.

"Why would they put him on Plum Island? I thought that was some kind of hush-hush top secret biomedical facility out there, not a military installation."

"Beats me, sis. Maybe he's helping with security or something. I guess they need to have someone out

there to make sure it stays top secret, right?"

"Yeah, maybe." She wasn't convinced, but the puzzle didn't have any readily available answers, so she let it go for now.

They ate dinner out back, enjoying her brother's small backyard. He'd bought the house as a fixer-upper

and was doing the work on it himself. They talked about the renovations he was planning and she agreed to come by the next day to help paint the upstairs bedrooms. While she was doing that, the guys planned to repair the ancient fence out back.

Hal surprised her by walking her out to her car later that night, pulling her in for an unscheduled hug that left her gasping. She felt his lips brush her temple and the light caress sent her senses into orbit.

"I've missed you so much."

She reveled in his strong embrace while one part of her brain questioned why he seemed so affectionate now, instead of the chummy surrogate brother he'd always been. She'd loved him for so long, but he'd never given any indication he returned her very grown-up affection, until now.