Page 38 of Until The Stars Don't Shine

Bud made a noise that sounded like he was insulted. Lexi patted his head. “I wouldn’t be too pleased by that comparison either.”

Kane gave Bud the marrow bone to chew on while he unwrapped the meat and started to slice it into large chunks.

“Mind if I give myself a tour of your home?”

He nodded, but it seemed a little stiff, like he wanted her to do anything but. “Knock yourself out.”

Squeezing past them, Lexi took in the smartly designed space, marveling at how there seemed room for all the usual sections one expected in a house though in miniature.

As expected for someone living in a tiny house, Kane didn’t have many belongings, though what he did have was both comfortable and utilitarian.

The one shelving unit that she could see contained a few books — nonfiction from what she could make out — an old-fashioned record player, and framed pictures taken throughout his life.

She saw Kane as an awkward teenager, then with his military squad in different parts of the globe. Those latter pictures his eyes seemed the different, haunted by the horrors he had been forced to witness. She tore her gaze away from them, uncomfortable by how they made her feel, to examine the photographs of Bud, which took up an entire shelf of their own.

Tellingly, she couldn’t see any which held family or a love interest.

She wondered why that part of his life was so empty… even emptier than hers. At least she had her parents, but where were his family?

A guitar stood propped up against the corner with a strange padded handle screwed onto it, but other than a large plasma television screen, there wasn’t much else. The bedroom was likely to have had the same sparse treatment, though she stopped herself from prying any further: a man’s bedroom wasn’t a place one should visit without an invitation.

Kane fed Bud, then grabbed plates, cutlery, and plastic tumblers from the kitchen.

“Any objection to eating outside?”

If she said yes, he wouldn’t know what to do. This place was too small to provide any kind of distance.

“No, that sounds great. Do you need help with anything?”

He inclined his head at a throw hanging over the back of the booths that formed the dining area. “Can you bring that?”

Lexi grabbed the brown throw that was made out a hard-wearing and treated fabric. There was a simple blue criss-cross pattern on it that seemed too feminine a design for his tastes. Had this come from a previous love interest?

He dished up a plate and took it out to Johnny asking, “Are you sure you wouldn’t prefer the lovely sea view and our good company?”

He was sounding pretty desperate now but he didn’t care.

Johnny took the plate from him. “Perfectly sure. Don’t keep the lady waiting, Boss.”

Kane wasn’t sure, but was that a smile Johnny was trying to hide?

He rejoined Lexi, who was crawling around the throw, trying to smooth it out under Bud’s watchful eye. She’d already taken off her sneakers, setting them neatly to one side. It was possible that hers were the prettiest feet he’d ever seen, and he wasn’t even a foot guy.

He opened the containers of food, setting them down in a row. Heavenly smells wafted into her nose, causing her stomach to flip-flop. She was really hungry and by the looks of the spread before her she need not have worried: he’d done a fine job of ordering.

“I went for their most popular dishes. For starters we have Ahi Tuna Tartar, Octopus Seaweed Salad, Lobster Egg Rolls and Crab Cakes. For the mains, there’s Scallop Risotto, Grilled Swordfish, and Duck Two Ways. I thought we could pick and mix, have a taste of each but if that doesn’t work for you, choose whatever you want and I’ll just have the rest.”

Her eyes were as wide as saucers. “It all looks divine. I think sharing is the way to go.”

Kane let out a long, relieved breath. “Good. I was afraid I’d have to choose between the Tuna Tartar and Egg Rolls.”

Lexi laughed at the serious expression on his face. “If you were so attached to those dishes, why didn’t you just take them for yourself?”

“Because I’m a gentleman.”

He meant it, too. Taking a fork from him, she speared a piece of tuna and ate it. The delicately marinaded fish melted in her mouth, filling it with deliciousness.

“This is so good.”

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