Page 29

“They are regular people. I mean, Casey’s American. She married into that life, and honestly, after so many years in exile, Erik is doing his best to walk the line between being a leader and just a good human being.”

“I don’t know that I’d be up for a job like that.”

“Me either.” He shakes his head. “I’m a lot happier being in the background. Helping quietly, in whatever way they need. We talked about moving to Limaj. Grim and I. Maybe joining the Royal Protectors.”

“They’re the special bodyguards to the royal family, right?”

He nods. “Yeah. But then Courtney and Daniil got back together, and they decided to open Shadow Security. Grim and I knew this was where we needed to be.”

“I’m glad. Otherwise, we never would have met.”

His eyes flick to mine across the table and there’s a moment of…something. It’s hard to describe. Not a lightning strike of passion or anything. More of a gentle breeze of recognition. And it speaks to a story that hasn’t yet begun.

Luckily, the waiter arrives with the bottle of wine before either of us say anything. I watch him pour the dark red liquid and take a sip when he hands me a glass.

“Oh, this is wonderful,” I say with a happy sigh. “There’s nothing better than a good glass of wine. That’s probably the one thing I’ll miss once I get pregnant.”

“If it makes you feel better, I won’t drink while you’re pregnant either.”

I blink. “You don’t have to do that,” I say in confusion.

He frowns. “It’s only fair. You’ll be doing the hard work, so the least I can do is be supportive. I don’t want to be sitting there enjoying good wine while you watch.”

I flush. For some reason, his thoughtfulness warms me. Hell, everything about him warms me. Especially now.

“The world doesn’t stop for one pregnant woman.”

“No, but I wouldn’t do it for just any pregnant woman—I’d only do it for my pregnant woman.”

His pregnant woman.

Those kinds of words are dangerous.

I need to nip this in the bud now.

“Can I be honest about something?” I ask quietly.

“Of course.”

“I…” Oh, this is hard, but maybe if I admit what I’m feeling he’ll understand. If it makes him change his mind about baby-making, that’s okay too. I’d rather know now than after I’m already pregnant. “I’ve had a crush on you for a long time.” I swallow, though I lift my chin. Honesty can’t be a bad thing under the circumstances.

To my surprise, he smiles. “That’s good to know.”

“How come?”

“Because I’ve had a crush on you for a long time.”

“You have?” I frown. Guys like Rage rarely pay attention to me, much less have crushes on me. I don’t know what to do with this information.

“Why do you look so confused? You think I’d offer to procreate if I didn’t already like you?”

“But…we barely know each other.”

“Which is why we’re taking things one step at a time. Spending time together, talking about the important things, seeing lawyers. That way, if it turns out we’re not compatible, the baby is protected. You and I will figure out the rest.”

“You mean… you actually want to…date?”

“Isn’t that what we’re doing?”