Page 36 of Fierce-Colson
“Comfort and trust,” she repeated.
“Why me?”
“Why not you?”
“Don’t play those lawyer games with me. I’m good at interrogating people just the same.”
“It could be fun, but why not just table that. Why you, you asked? Because I can’t help the way I felt earlier this week and maybe it’s time to explore some more.” She leaned closer to him. “And just maybe I’ve been looking for a while at you, but you’ve had other people by your side.”
“Interesting.”
She pointed. “Now you’re just saying that to be funny.”
He laughed, the sound of it heating up even more than she wanted to admit. “You got me. But those other women at my side, they didn’t stick.”
“Can I ask why?”
“That is where the baggage is going to come into play. Hell, I’ve got the marriage part too, but no longer.”
“You do,” she agreed, nodding her head. “Yet, we are still here.”
“If you want to know, I might as well tell you. It’s not a secret.”
“Good, then lay it on me.”
“Oh, I’d love to lay something on you.”
His eyebrows wiggled some. The charm coming through just enough for her to say, “And you might get that chance if we get through this date the way I’m hoping.”
The heat that leapt into his eyes said she should have worded that better.
“Now I’m stunned.”
“Don’t be. I didn’t mean it that way. I mean, in the future.”
He held his hand to his heart adorably. “Bummer. I thought I had some kind of magic touch in the courthouse.”
He did. But she’d never admit it.
9
COMFORT AND TRUST
They never got to his baggage.
Not because he didn’t want to say it, but because their dinner had been interrupted too many times to carry on that kind of conversation.
He probably should have thought better of coming here tonight. Or anywhere.
He wasn’t sure why he didn’t think she’d be noticed.
Or even interrupted.
Not so much that being noticed bothered him, but that people might have the common courtesy to see she was out on a date and leave her alone.
When the bill came, he reached for it quickly and put his card down without looking. She only grinned.
She had a much better job, childhood, life in general than he did, but he could see she might think he’d be insulted if she even tried to pay for dinner.
