Page 159 of Dark Angel
“Not before I complete my mission. I need to find out why the ambassador, Dmitri Petrov, and Natasha were looking at a map of the US. I’ve already risked a lot. I’m not giving up now.”
They ate in silence for a few.
“This is delicious,” she said after swallowing down the pasta. “Better than the restaurant.”
He smiled. “You must be in love.”
“In love.” Her smile fell away. “There’s one more thing. The ambassador knows you’re in the US.”
A flicker of anger darkened his eyes. “Tell me.”
“He told me that someone tracked Gabriel Santini to the area and that Bob Smith is looking for you. Once he finds you?—”
A wicked smile filled Gabriel’s handsome face. “That won’t happen.”
“G, this is serious,” she said. “I’m supposed to get close to you and find that thumb drive.”
“Like I’ve said, there is no thumb drive.”
“Aren’t you worried? Bulgrov mentioned you by name.”
“You’re the one who should be worried,” he replied.
“Why is that?”
“Now that you’ve met me, I’ve ruined you for any other man. You’ll fall so deeply in love with me, you’ll want to work for me.”
Despite everything going on, she couldn’t help but smile. “Is that so? My god, you’re cocky.”
He stroked her arm, tingles fluttered through her. She wanted him. She needed him.
“I can see it in your eyes,” he said.
“That’s just lust. Lust doesn’t last.”
“Ask me in thirty years if I still lust you,” he said.
She stilled. That was a crazy-ass comment for him to bring up now.
“In thirty years, I will,” he said. “I will lust you for the rest of my life, Halston. Whatwillchange is my love for you. That will either grow or die, but it won’t stay constant. Your dad’s advice was rightandwrong. Most people don’t change, but some do. Some strive for self-growth or to overcome an addiction or a demon that haunts them. For some, their lives are a constant journey of improvement, whether it be in their own lives, or the lives of those around them.”
“Is that you?”
“That’s both of us.”
“How do you know that about me? We haven’t known each other that long.”
“I know enough… for now.”
More silence while she digested his words and savored the meal he’d made with love.
“Thank you for dinner,” she said. “It’s the best chicken parm I’ve ever had.”
After dinner, she insisted on cleaning up. Being with him, in this simple way, felt joyous. In this turbulent time, she found someone she cared about. Someone she was willing to take a risk with. Never did she think it would be a man like Gabriel Santini. She thought she’d been searching for stability. Someone who would be her anchor. Someone reliable and constant. A good man who kept her grounded, gave her a place she could call home.
Is that you, Gabriel?
He was someone who pushed himself to the extreme. He wanted more. When he achieved it, that wasn’t enough. Was he chasing a dream or chasing his own tail? Was he smart enough to get out of his own way when that was needed? She didn’t have all the answers. For now, she knew she cared about him, had fallen in love with him. For her, that was enough.
