“I wanted our first date to be memorable.”
“Mission accomplished.”
Kier kicked off his loafers, then held my hand while I removed my wedges. He kept holding my hand when we stepped down into the cooling sand and walked toward the tent.
“This is too much,” I said as he pulled out the white linen-covered chair for me to sit.
“I disagree.” He took the seat across from me. “It’s not nearly enough, but I was working with a bit of a time crunch. Plus, I’m being selfish. I didn’t want to share you with a crowded restaurant.”
“Good evening.” I startled when a man dressed in a dark suit approached, setting two black-and-silver menus on the table in front of us. “My name is Juan and I’ll be your server tonight. May I start you both with a drink?”
“Do you have a wine preference?” Kier asked.
“Anything white. Reds give me a headache.”
He turned to the server. “Give us a bottle of your best sauvignon blanc.”
“Very well, sir. I’ll return shortly.”
The sound of the waves crashing against the shore soothed my frayed nerves. Thinking back, it had been a long time since I’d had a first date; so long in fact I couldn’t remember the last one. It’s not like there was a plethora of men banging down my door to spend time with me. Besides, my job demanded the majority of my attention.
“What are you thinking about so hard over there?” Kier’s deep voice wrapped around me like a warm blanket. It was calming in a way I’d never experienced before.
“Life?” I blew out a breath. “Or my lack of one truthfully. My job doesn’t allow for much.”
“Neither does mine.” He tilted his head slightly; his blue eyes boring into me as if trying to see straight through to my soul. “What kind of work do you do, Waverly?”
“I’m an FBI agent.”
Shock flickered over his features at my announcement, though he recovered quickly. Normally, I would’ve given him a watered-down version of the truth. In fact, Mac was the only man who actually knew what I did on our first date, simply because we’d met on the job. Yet, there wassomething about the gorgeous man sitting opposite me that made me comfortable enough to give him full disclosure.
He grinned wide. “Beautiful and powerful; a heady combination.”
Even with the slight chill in the air as the sun dipped farther in the sky, my skin flamed with the compliment. Usually, I’d curse my red hair and fair skin for the reaction; however, when his nostrils flared and his eyes—which seemed to darken a shade—followed the blush creeping up my neck until it spread across my cheeks, I felt every bit as beautiful and powerful as he said.
“Thank you.” I cleared my throat, then blinked a few times to break the intense connection. “What about you? What do you do?”
“I dabble in the wide world of technology.” He sat forward, leaning his elbows on the table. “Software development and IT support mostly.”
“Impressive.”
Juan chose that moment to return with a bottle of wine, which he promptly began pouring into our glasses. Kier and I quickly looked over the menu, deciding to share a mango salad with a side of shrimp bruschetta as an appetizer. For our main course, I chose the karni stoba—the Caribbean version of beef stew—while he went with the chef’s special, red snapper. After collecting our menus, the waiter excused himself to place our order.
The crisp, tropical notes of the wine exploded on my tongue when I took my first sip. The subtle hints of mango along with something else I couldn’t identify—something earthy—were a refreshing combination. Taking another healthy swallow, I sat my glass back down, noticing Kier doing the same.
“Was I correct earlier when I assumed you were from Ireland?”
“I was born in Ireland, yes; in a small coastal town south of Dublin called Bray. My mother was American. She divorced my dad when I was two and moved back to the States. I spent the majority of my youth bouncing back and forth between continents.”
“That explains your lack of an accent,” I surmised.
He chuckled. “Oh, I have one, but it typically only comes out when I’m frustrated or pissed off.”
“Where do you call home now?”
“Hotels, mainly. The company I work for is in the process of searching for a new base of operations here in the States.”
“I couldn’t imagine living out of a suitcase.”
