Page 25 of Rescuing Erin

He looked my way and smiled. With my feet up on the dash and the seat back reclined a little, I could almost pretend we were on a vacation road trip. The sun was fast rising behind us, painting the sky in purples and reds.

“You.”

“Me?”

“Yep. Anyone ever tell you, you look like Brett Young?”

I couldn’t believe I’d told him that. Maybe my lack of sleep was affecting my good sense.

“Don’t know who that is, sunshine.”

“What?” I was shocked. Everyone knew who Brett Young was. “The country singer.”

“Still have no idea who that is.”

“I don’t know if we can be friends.”

Colin’s laugh filled the car, and my insides warmed. “We can’t be friends because I don’t listen to country music?”

“It depends. If you tell me you like boy bands, then no.”

His chuckle continued. “Fuck no.”

Well there was that. Maybe I could forgive him for not listening to country.

“What kind of music do you like?”

“Depends. I have hard rock playlists for working out. Some mellow shit when I’m driving. Heavy metal when I’m getting my gear ready before we go on an op.”

“Screamo stuff?”

“No. Metallica, Linkin Park, Green Day. But I also like Phil Collins, Passenger, Imagine Dragons. You know, good music.”

“Okay. I guess we can be friends. But I think we’re gonna need to introduce you to some country.”

“I’ll listen to your country if you agree to go to dinner with me when we get back to D.C.”

My breath caught, and my throat tightened. Did he just ask me out on a date?

“Dinner?” I asked tentatively.

“Yeah, you know, the meal that comes after lunch.”

“I’ll have to think about it,” I teased. “I also need to check my schedule. See if I can pencil you in.”

“You do that. And while you’re thinking about it, I’ll put on some Metallica.”

“Oh, no, you don’t.” I covered his hand when he reached for the radio. “I like this station.”

I actually wasn’t sure what type of music was playing, I hadn’t been paying attention. It could’ve been one of his heavy metal playlists for all I knew. I’d been too lost in my thoughts to listen to the music quietly coming through the speakers.

“Will there be a kiss after you take me to dinner?”

“Hell, yes.”

His answer made my belly swoosh. I couldn’t help remembering what he’d said last night about a man walking through fire for the honor of kissing me. When I’d asked him if that’s what he’d do, he said if he ever found the woman he was going to spend his life with, nothing would keep him from her. I couldn’t help wanting to be that woman. I didn’t need him to walk through fire for me, last night he’d shown me all he needed to. As frustrated as I was, he wouldn’t touch me, his reasons had solidified my feelings. Never had anyone thought I was special. Most men, would’ve taken what I was offering. But not Colin.

The rest of the ride was spent talking about inconsequential things. Likes. Dislikes. Favorites. Individually they didn’t mean a whole lot, but put all the pieces together and I had a vivid portrait of who Colin was. His life was scary and exciting. He was a man with strong convictions, who truly believed in the work he did. Colin had a heart for service and it didn’t matter how hard he tried to play down his sacrifices, he couldn’t hide them. He was humble about his accomplishments but confident in his ability to carry out any mission he was given. The mix of the two was intoxicating.