“Wait,” I said, a slow grin forming. “I thought you said we were watching a love story?”
“I said we were watching a movie that had a love story in it,” she corrected.
I looked at her, then back at the screen, eyebrow raising. “There’s a love story in Alien Vs. Predator?”
She nodded, giving me a firm look. “No one can convince me that Scar didn’t love Lex.”
“Scar…”
“The predator she teams up with.”
“They have names?” I asked, mildly surprised. We’d watched some of these movies way back in the day, but I wasn’t sure I remembered what happened.
“Yeah, they do.” She took a bite of her enchilada, then closed her eyes. “This is delicious.”
My eyes were glued to her lips. “Thanks,” I said when she glanced over at me, expecting a response. “Pretty much the only thing I can make worth a damn.”
She set her fork down and turned toward me. “You made this?” Her eyes narrowed. “You didn’t get it from Rosa’s?”
I scoffed. “Rosa only wished she had my white chicken enchilada recipe.”
A beautiful grin spread over her face. “Well, thank you. I can’t tell you how much I appreciate that.” Her smile dimmed a little as her eyes widened. “Not that I wouldn’t have appreciated it if you’d gotten it from Rosa’s-”
Reaching over, I cupped her cheek to stop her rambling. “You’re welcome.”
We stared into each other’s eyes for a few moments while gunshots and action sounds played in the background. She looked away first. “That’s Scar.” She pointed to the screen. “And Chopper. And Celtic.”
“How did you find out their names?”
“Oh there’s books, and a whole lore for these guys. Predators, I mean.”
“You’re kidding?”
“Nope. They don’t kill the weak…unless they make themselves a threat. They only go after the strongest of a species, to test their own prowess.” She gave me a shy look. “In fact, you sort of remind me of them.”
My brows shot. “How’s that?”
She shrugged and looked away. “Big, strong. I imagine you’re a very good fighter, if that night at the bar was any indicator. And you’re honorable.”
“Those aliens kill a lot of people,” I said with a chuckle.
“They do,” she replied.
She gave me a look that said she suspected I did too. She had me there, even though she never voiced the thought.
“So…you like,” I waved a hand at the screen as the huge alien stepped into the frame.
Her smile was a little guilty. “I do. You… You wanted to know about me right?”
“I do.”
She took a deep breath and said, “One of my guilty pleasures is reading monster smut.”
I’d taken a bite of my food and nearly choked on it. Swallowing, I looked over at her. “Monster…smut. Like…”
“Orcs,” she admitted. I blinked. “Minotaurs. Sea creatures. Alien creatures.” She nodded toward the screen. “I mean it’s notallI read, but it’s high up there.”
I was going to have to get some of these books to research. That confession from her spun me so far out of my depths I didn’t know where else to begin. Making a mental note to do that, we continued talking as we ate and watched the movie. Thankfully she didn’t seem to expect that we’d be silent while her choice of film played in the background. I just wanted her here, in a quiet place, where I could learn more about her. And maybe make out on my couch like a couple of teenagers.
