“Can never be too safe.” He winked at me, pulling my hand in his and bringing it to his lips. Those damn butterflies started moving in my belly again, or maybe they’d never stopped. I wasn’t too sure of anything at that moment, accept that the way he looked at me was the way I always wanted to be looked at. Especially by him. Only him.
****
Carter
I am a man of my word. I had to keep reminding myself of that. I had told Michelle that I intended to keep my hands off of her until after dinner. Those were my intentions. But when I pulled out the chair for her in the seafood restaurant I’d chosen, and the scent of sweetness wafted past my nose, my entire body went rigid.
“Thank you,” she said just above a whisper, once she sat.
I made my way around the table, putting much needed space between us if I was going to keep my promise.
“Have you been here before?” she asked, her gaze bouncing around the dining room.
“Few times.”
“What do you recommend?” She flipped the menu open and began scanning it. I simply stared, mesmerized.
“Carter?” she called, and I snapped out of it.
“The sea bass is pretty good,” I answered her earlier question.
We ordered our food and talked about our weeks until our meals came. Michelle asked me about work and I told her of a couple of calls we’d had that day. She did this often when we talked, asking to hear about the calls we went on.
“You love what you do,” she commented.
I shrugged and tossed my napkin onto the table, finished with my meal. “It pays the bills.”
She gave me a deadpan expression. “Be serious. You love being a firefighter.”
I planted my elbows on the table and stared at her. “I do.”
“What made you become a firefighter?”
I raised an eyebrow. “You really want to know?”
Another stern look. “No, lie to me.”
I shook my head, chuckling. I peered back up at her and in all seriousness said, “I was tired of killing people.”
Shock moved across her face, replacing the deadpan expression from just a few seconds prior. “Killing people?”
I tilted my head in a nod. “In the army. We protect and serve, and a lot of times that means neutralizing anyone or anything that may be a threat to our nation.”
“Neutralizing means killing.”
“Absolutely.”
Her eyes fell to her now empty plate. I could see her processing what I’d just shared. I wasn’t ordinarily so blunt with women on dates, but like I’d told her on my parents’ property, I wanted her to know everything about me. Good and bad.
“Does that scare you?”
Her eyes met mine again, and she hesitated before answering. “It should. Most people might not think twice about dating someone with your background, but I …”
“You what?” I leaned into the table.
“I’ve been hurt in the past. I’ve seen what men with power can do when they want to.”
“I’m not a man with power.”
