Page 41 of Snow

Nova’s eyebrows pinched together. “Why would you be worried about me?”

“I know how fast things can go sideways in situations like this. My focus has to stay on the mission, and I guess part of me has been worried that I’ll be too busy handling whatever comes our way and miss something, or that you could be in trouble.”

For a moment she just looked at him, and then unexpectedly she smiled.

“Well, I appreciate the honesty, and I accept your apology,” she said. “But I’m not exactly the damsel in distress type.”

A teasing look danced in her eyes, and Snow found himself relaxing for the first time around her.

“Oh yeah?”

“Yeah.” She took a sip of her beer. “I can assure you that I can defend myself.”

Snow looked genuinely surprised. “You know self-defense?”

Nova laughed softly. “Trust me, when I say that, I’m more than qualified when it comes to self-defense.”

“Care to elaborate?”

A grin spread across her face. “I’ve been kickboxing for years.”

“Seriously?” he asked before he could stop himself.

She narrowed her eyes immediately. “What is that supposed to mean?”

Snow laughed, shaking his head. “Nothing, that just wasn’t what I expected.”

“Is that because you judged me before you actually knew me?”

Snow felt the heat hit his cheeks, and he laughed. “Honestly? Yeah. I did.”

She snorted. “Well, surprise. I’ve been kickboxing since I was fourteen.”

Damn, he really had her all wrong.

“I apologize again for underestimating you,” he said with a grin.

“Apology accepted, again,” she said with a smile.

“Truce?” he asked, holding out his hand.

Nova looked at his hand as if she were debating it. But then she shook it. “Truce.”

The second their hands met, Snow felt something that he couldn’t quite explain. It was like an energy traveling through him. Her fingers were soft but firm against his, and for the briefest moment he could have sworn he felt the same look of awareness from her too before she pulled her hand back.

She pointed to her beer. “Would you like one? My treat.”

Snow glanced at the bottle in front of her. “I have to admit, I didn’t see you as a beer drinker.”

She looked offended, though he saw a slight smile mixed in. “Are you judging me again?”

He chuckled. “No. Yes. I don’t know. I just had you pegged as a fancy wine girl.”

She cutely crinkled her nose. “I hate wine.”

That made him laugh again because apparently every assumption he had made about her was wrong. A waitress came over, and Nova ordered him a beer before settling back into the booth.

Snow debated asking about the text she got earlier, but he wasn’t sure how to bring it up without sounding nosy. Instead, he settled for, “You look a little better than you did earlier.”