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She looked uncomfortable at the compliment, and I made a note to keep the sweet talk to a minimum. Didn’t want to scare her off. She was under the impression this thing between us was going to burn itself out quickly. I knew better.

Stanley returned with a crystal glass of sparkling water and a fancy stein of beer. Classy touch. No bottled crap here. I waited until he departed to lift my glass in a salute. “To old friends, and new beginnings.”

Emma lifted her glass and tapped it against mine. The emotions playing across her face were easy to read. She was happy but scared at the same time. I wondered if the fear was of me, my club, or the feelings that she couldn’t ignore.

Time to put her at ease. I could be charming if I put my mind to it.

“What are you studying at university?”

“Medicine.” A ghost of a smile played around her lips. “The plan is to get licensed as a paramedic, and then study to become a doctor. I’d love to specialize in pediatrics.”

“That’s a children’s doctor, right?”

“Yeah.” She toyed with the stem of her glass. “I know it’s a tough specialty, watching kids in pain, but I think I could make a difference. If I could take that pain away from them, that would be great.”

The passion in her voice when she talked about working with kids wowed me. “That’s a really damn cool ambition. I know you’ll make it too. You can do anything you set your mind to.”

She wrinkled her nose. “Not sure about that. It’s expensive, and it takes dedication. That’s why I don’t have time for this.” She gestured at the two of us. “I can’t let myself be distracted.”

I reached across the table and captured her hand. “The right guy wouldn’t be a distraction. He could help you.”

I saw the trapped look in her eyes, and quickly let go of her hand. “Tell me about your job at the bar. If you plan on becoming a doctor, why did you decide to take a job like that? Wouldn’t it make more sense to do something in the medical field?”

She retracted her hand, moving it out of reach.

“Not much to tell, really. The tips can be good most nights, and the hours don’t conflict with my school courses.

Money and time are both big issues. After a day in class, it’s refreshing to just do something without having to think a lot.

” She took a sip of the water. “What about you? How did you end up the President of a motorcycle club? I would have thought you’d make a career in the Navy SEALs. ”

“I considered it.” And I had some good memories of those days, right up until that last mission went sour. “I re-upped a couple of times. Really enjoyed the comradeship and the feeling of family, you know? Then there comes a time when you know you need to get out, so I got out.”

She gazed at me soberly, and I appreciated her not asking for details. I was not ready to discuss that. Maybe I never would be.

Stanley glided back into the room and placed a dish in front of each of us. “Your appetizer. Foie gras .” With a deferential nod of his head, he quietly left the room.

Emma’s brow wrinkled as she eyed up the dish.

“You don’t like it?”

She tilted her head up. “I’ve never had it. What is foie gras ?”

I chuckled. “No idea. I usually eat at those take-out joints on the highway, but they didn’t seem like a good place to take a date I wanted to impress.”

She took a tiny spoonful of the mixture and put it in her mouth. Looking surprised, she met my gaze. “It’s good.”

Relief washed through me. This was the kind of place where you ordered in advance of the date, and I hadn’t known what the fuck we’d get to eat. I’d opted to let chef decide on the meal. Left to me, we’d have a two-course meal consisting of steak for the main and chocolate cake for dessert.

The meal progressed slowly. I’d never thought to ask how many courses it might contain. My eat-in restaurant experience was sadly lacking.

“I love fish.” Emma beamed at me when Stanley placed the plate in front of her. For the main course, Geoff had cooked some kind of fish. Sea bass, Stanley informed us, pan seared to crispy perfection.

Emma’s eyes shone softly in the flickering light. I wanted to lean across the table and kiss her. “Me too.” I picked up a fork and took a bite. “Usually, mine is cooked over a fire beside the stream where I caught it.”

“You like to fish?”

“Yes. Didn’t do all that shit when I was a kid, so I’ve been making up for lost time.”

She sighed. “Yeah. I sometimes wonder how it would have been if I’d had a normal childhood.”

“Not much point in trying to rewrite the past.” I couldn’t keep my hands to myself any longer. Reaching out, I stroked a finger down her cheek. “The future is what counts, and it’s what we make of it.”

“True, I suppose. That’s why I’m determined to make something of myself.” The melancholy look on her face tugged at my heartstrings.

“You ever think about having kids of your own?” I’d honestly never considered it until this moment. I could picture a mini-Emma running around, pigtails flying behind her.

“No.” She gave a negative shake of her head. “I’m barely managing to hold my own, or at least I was until now. Adding a kid to the mix is not a good idea.”

“Maybe not now, but someday?”

She picked at the food on her plate, avoiding meeting my eyes. “I decided a long time ago that I would not put a kid through the kind of childhood we had. When and if I decide to have kids, it’s going to be when I know they will have a chance to be happy.”

I understood her decision. I’d seen too many kids get into gangs, drugs or alcohol just because they didn’t get the love they needed at home. Hell, half of Riptide could tell you horror stories about their childhoods, and they were the lucky ones. “So, you have thought about it.”

She shrugged. “Yeah. I know all about the biological clock running out, but that doesn’t change my mind. If time runs out, and I can’t have kids of my own I could always adopt. We both know there’s a ton of kids in the foster system that could use a stable home life.”

“True.” But I still liked the idea of a little mini-Emma.

“You haven’t explained how you made the jump from upstanding Navy SEAL to biker.”

“Not as hard as you might think.” I squinted as I considered how much I could safely reveal.

“I got to talking to another ex-SEAL and he told me about Riptide. Got me an invite to see what they were about, and I liked what I saw. I felt comfortable with them. They’re a family, in a good way. We look out for each other.”

Emma forked the last of the fish into her mouth, swallowing. “Sounds like you found a home.”

“I guess I did.” I thought of all the things I’d learned from Riptide, the way they’d helped me transition back to life in the States.

“I always thought of all motorcycle clubs as criminal. You know. Murdering, pillaging, drug running. That’s not what your club is like though, is it.” She made it more of a statement than a question.

“No. Those clubs are known as the one-percenters. The other ninety nine percent of us are mostly law abiding. We don’t have anything to do with drugs, and I think pillaging went out of style a few centuries ago with the end of the Viking raids.”

“You didn’t mention murder?” she pointed out.

“Do I look like a murderer to you?”

She grimaced. “Nope. And I have a very current item to compare you to. I really must ask, how do you support yourselves if there’s no drug money and no murder for hire?”

“We run a bar in town, and we have investments. One of the guys is a whiz with the stock market thing. We all work the bar, and it’s packed most weekends. The customers like to rub shoulders with us bikers. Kind of gives them a kinky thrill. Weeknights are slower, but still bring in cash.”

“Huh.” She looked thoughtful.

“Is that a good ‘huh’?”

“It’s just not what I expected. You’re not what I expected.”

“I’ll take that as a good thing.”

We were interrupted by Stanley returning with dessert. He set the dish between the two of us, and the scent of rich dark chocolate wafted up to tease us. He set a spoon down in front of each of us, indicating the dessert would be a shared event.

“Chocolate lava cake!” Emma squealed in delight.

“Chocolate fondant,” Stanley corrected her, with a faint smile curving his lips.

“What’s the difference?”

Stanley chuckled. “The price.” He turned to me. “Would you and the lady like coffee or tea?”

I looked at Emma, who shook her head. “No, thanks. I’m already full, but I’m going to give dessert my best shot.”

“As you wish.” Another bow, and he departed.

“Is this like that spaghetti scene in the movie with the dogs?” Emma picked up her spoon and scooped a mouthful of chocolate from the dish. “Like we each start on our side and meet in the middle?”

I picked up the other spoon. “Only if I get to lick the chocolate off your mouth at the end.”