Page 124 of Lethal Vengeance

“I haven’t been on a date in years,” she blurts out suddenly. “It’s been at least three, probably closer to four. I’m kind of nervous.”

“Sterling asked me tonight if I’d been on a date in the last year. I told him yes, but I honestly couldn’t remember,” I admit with a chuckle.

She turns her body towards me. “There are a million things I want to know about you. Some of them are serious and some are the usual get-to-know-you questions.”

“Really?”

“You’re not exactly an open book. When you take a break from working, which isn’t that often, you focus on someone or something around you instead of yourself,” she says with a roll of her eyes. “I know you like to cook, work out, and work. And work. Did I mention work?” She chuckles when I scowl. “You’re protective of everyone around you, but mostly of those in your house. You genuinely care about the world and the people who need your help. And you’re an incredible kisser.”

Stunned, I don’t know what to say.

“See, exactly my point,” she crows.

Intrigued to know what she finds important; I pick up a thread. “What is one of the more serious questions on your mind?”

She taps a finger on her mouth. “Your parents. Do you talk to them? Are you close?”

“I call my mother every week. She’s a spitfire. Likes to shake things up,” I say, flashing a wry look at her. “Her name is Rose, and she’ll tell you herself—she has thorns.”

“She sounds lovely,” she replies wistfully. “And your father?” Her face is carefully neutral when she asks about him.

I tilt my head. “We don’t speak.”

“I’m sorry,” she offers. “Do you have any siblings?”

“No, only child,” I tell her.

She snorts. “Probably why you’re so bossy.”

“Maybe,” I remark. “What else?”

“Have you ever been in love? Married?” Her eyes flick to mine.

“Yes, a long time ago. In my twenties. We were engaged, but she hated the military, and I wouldn’t leave,” I say softly. “What about you?”

“Hmm, never,” she replies with a sad look on her face. “Love would have interfered with my career. I vowed I wouldn’t fall in love or have babies until my mid-thirties. I dated a ton, but nothing serious.”

“Do you want children? Besides Gabriel.”

She looks surprised. “I don’t know. Haven’t even thought about it. What about you?”

A picture of her, belly extended, crosses my mind, and need rips through my gut. “I’m open to it. Gabriel’s wonderful.” Easing my grip on the steering wheel, I pull into the parking lot of the restaurant.

When I come around to help her out, she stops me. “Did you pick this place out?”

I freeze. “No, Sterling did, why?”

She looks around at the cars and people. “Would you mind if we went somewhere else? Do you have a favorite place by the beach—something more casual?”

“Is there a reason you don’t want to eat here?”

With a sigh, she waves her hand. “You’re already formal most of the time. Not in the way you dress, but in the way you conduct yourself. If we go in there, you’re going to adopt that demeanor. I’d rather keep this relaxed vibe going.” Her eyes search mine, trying to see if I’m offended or not.

I smile. “Do you like seafood?”

“Love it.”

She scoots back in and buckles her seatbelt.