Page 103 of One Lucky Hero (Men in Uniform 1)

“Are you sure I look all right? You’re awfully quiet.”

“I’m just waiting for one of these guys to try to snatch you away from me,” he said, only half joking.

“What?” Violet’s laughter rang out as they crossed the parking lot to his truck, and he couldn’t resist that saucy mouth anymore.

Spinning her into his body, he cupped the back of her neck and devoured her lips, running his tongue across the sweet surface. It would be so easy to just toss her up and over his shoulder and head right back up to his hotel room, strip off that tiny purple dress and make her come apart under his hands and mouth.

But he had planned this night to show her that he wasn’t just interested in a temporary thing anymore.

With her, he wanted everything.

Dean broke the kiss and reached past her to get her door. “Hop in.”

“Are you sure?” Her husky tone made his eyes nearly cross with lust.

“No, which is why you should do it. Because if we spend any more time in this parking lot, we might never make it out.”

She giggled as she climbed inside. His mouth went dry as her skirt rode up over her thighs, flashing black lacy panties that made him want to reach up and run his hand across the rough pattern.

Dean closed her door, placing his hands flat against the door and breathing hard. Man, he hadn’t been this wound up on a date since he was fourteen. Back then it was hormones, but now, it was all Violet.

Dean got into the truck and buckled up. As he entered the address into his GPS, Violet’s hand crept over and started massaging his thigh above his knee, working its way up.

“Violet . . . ”

“Yes, Dean?”

“If you don’t behave, I will not be responsible for what happens next.”

She pulled her hand back, and he concentrated on getting them to the restaurant. He’d never imagined that their date would be this torturous, but things just became more painful as the night progressed. Even after they were seated in a corner booth, she slid all the way around until she was plastered against his side.

“Dean?”

“Yeah?”

“Breathe,” she said.

He let out a breath, even as she picked up his arm and put it around her shoulders. “It’s chilly in here, isn’t it?”

Dean couldn’t agree, since he seemed to be sweating buckets, but he pulled her closer. “Better?”

“Very much.”

Dean frowned as he read through the menu descriptions, searching for a simple steak. When the waiter finally came around to take their order, he looked at Dean like he was a cockroach when he asked if they had anything without a fancy sauce on it.

When the server walked away with their order, Violet giggled. “You, sir, are an uncultured swine.”

“To be honest, Daisy chose this place. I would have probably picked that bar and grill we passed down the road.”

“Me, too,” she whispered loudly.

Dean’s eyebrows shot up, and he grinned. “We still could.”

“Yes, we could.” She held up the dessert menu to him. “But I was kind of looking forward to sharing one of these sinfully rich desserts with you.”

“Then we’ll stay. Tonight, it’s all about what you want,” he said.

“Okay, not that I mind this new and definitely improved attitude where you cater to my every whim, but it’s just not you. So are you going to explain what we’re doing here?” she asked.