"Jupiter knows some. I suppose Thor might suspect. But no." He traced her jawline. "Nothing about how I feel about you has changed. But I have, and I'm not going to give up on you so easily this time." He turned, opened the door, and snagged a basket.
He strolled through the grocery store, snagging a few of his favorites and some things he knew Lark would enjoy. Lark browsed, grabbing only items for Specs.
As they wandered through the limited selection, they didn't talk much. At checkout, she leaned on the counter and studied him. "Is this some kind of domestic fantasy? You, me, snacks, and some time to kill? Is a movie date with shared popcorn and a soda with a single straw next?"
This—groceries, snacks, the mundane shit most people took for granted—this was what he wanted with her. Not just the adrenaline and the sex and the missions. The boring, everyday moments that meant someone gave a damn whether you ate breakfast. "Only if you let me pick the movie."
"Absolutely not. Last time that happened, I ended up watching some stupid chick flick wrapped in romantic action that made me want to barf."
"That was a great movie. And I'll agree to let you pick something on streaming tonight, but no horror and definitely no clowns."
"That's no fun."
Back in the car, she kicked off her boots and curled one leg underneath her. For a few moments, the hum of the tires and the weight of dusk settled around them like a blanket. Then her phone buzzed.
She didn't move to answer it.
Buzzed again. She glanced down, and he saw her jaw tighten.
"Who is it?" he asked.
"Lorre."
"You gonna take it?"
"Can't avoid him forever." She swiped to answer, tapping the speaker button. "Colonel."
"Where the hell are you, and why haven't I gotten the AAR yet?"
She pinched the bridge of her nose. "We're working on it."
"That's not good enough. I don't know what you're trying to pull or how you got Grady to sign off on letting you leave Texas, but I need your report. I need Specs' equipment. I need everything so I can find the missing AI. Senatrix is on my ass, not to mention the DoD."
She shifted, catching Kawan's gaze. "Grady is part of the DoD." She winced. Never a good idea to push Lorre when he was in this foul of a mood.
"Lark, send me your coordinates so I can send someone to pick up what I need."
"Sorry, I can't do that."
Kawan held up his hand to his neck, giving the cut signal with a slicing gesture.
"Gotta run," she said, ending the call. "He's wound tighter than I am, and even I can admit that's hard to do."
Kawan checked the mirror. The lines between his brows deepened. "We've got company. Been tailing us since that call."
Lark snapped her gaze from her phone to the side mirror. "That black Charger? I noticed it at the grocery store."
"Not necessarily suspicious, but it makes me squirrelly."
She twisted in her seat, watching the low-slung muscle car hug the center line. "Coming up fast."
"I can see that."
The Charger gunned forward. Tires screamed. Engine growled.
Kawan's knuckles went white on the wheel. "Get the plate."
"Got it." Lark's fingers flew over her phone. "Sending to Jupiter."
