Page 11 of Imminent Danger

Kaylie’s eyes flashed in irritation. “How do you ask, missy?”

Lia’s face transformed in an instant, apologetic and sweet. “Can you pick me up, please?” She drew out the last word dramatically, and Tank hid his smile behind his hand.

“Let’s get outside first so you don’t hit your head,” Kaylie said.

“Good call,” he added, wrapping Lia’s hand in his and leading her outside.

He swung her up onto his shoulders, letting her wrap her arms around his neck and tucking his arms under her knees. He bounced on the balls of his feet, jostling her enough to earn a loud giggle.

“Giddy-up,” she yelled, kicking her legs.

“I’ve been downgraded from prince to horse,” he muttered. A sidelong look at Kaylie revealed her stifling a laugh. In the sunlight, her eyes darn near sparkled. He spun in a circle, Lia dissolving into laughter. Kaylie’s attempts to hide her enjoyment of the moment were quickly forgotten and she grinned. The expression transformed her entire face. The weariness was still there, the circles under her eyes still too pronounced.

Admittedly, he thought Kaylie was beautiful every time he saw her. But with the carefree smile she wore now? She was downright stunning.

They walked the first block, Lia chattering from her perch on Tank’s upper back. He shifted her up so she sat on his shoulders instead, instructing her to hold on to his head with one arm and one of his hands with the other.

He couldn’t keep his eyes away from Kaylie. There was work waiting for him at Black Tower. He and Marshall were actually heading to Florida in a few days. But he couldn’t think of a more enjoyable way to spend the afternoon than with Kaylie and her little girl.

“Oh,” Kaylie said. “I left you some Cajun shrimp pasta and some chicken lo mein. I hope it isn’t too spicy. Oh, I should have asked if you like the heat.”

She paused for a moment, but Tank didn’t say anything.

She tugged on her lower lip with her teeth. Tank’s eyes were drawn to the movement, and he quickly lifted his eyes to the sidewalk in front of them.

“But you should probably eat the shrimp first, just so it doesn’t get fishy. I love shrimp, but it doesn’t last as long. I think it works best if you heat the noodles separately first. You can throw the shrimp in at the very end, so they don’t get overcooked.”

How had they gotten here? Tank’s mind was spinning trying to follow her instructions.

“It’s amazing how quickly a microwave can turn them rubbery, and there is nothing worse than rubbery shrimp. Well, there is. Obviously, I mean, people out there are digging through the garbage for their next meal.”

The realization struck then. She was nervous. The woman was prattling on about shrimp because he made her nervous. He stopped walking, keeping his eyes on her as she stared at her feet and kept moving.

“So in the grand scheme of things, rubbery Cajun shrimp isn’t a catastrophe or anything.”

“Kaylie.”

She stopped, realizing he wasn’t next to her anymore. Slowly, she pulled her eyes up to him. Her face flushed, an expression he couldn’t read flashing in her eyes.

“Yeah?”

“I’m sure it’ll be delicious.”

Tension seemed to drain from her body at his words. “I’m sorry. I’m just… I tend to ramble when I’m nervous.”

He stepped forward, closing the distance between them slightly.

“Why are you nervous?”

For a moment, their eyes locked. Her face was tilted up toward him, and if the weight of Lia on his shoulders hadn’t shifted at that moment, he might have very well given in to the temptation to touch her. Instead, he pulled his hand to rest on Lia’s legs, so she didn’t lose her balance.

Kaylie blushed and stepped back. “Just not used to going on walks with my boss,” she said cheerfully.

The moment was broken and they kept walking, but thankfully Kaylie no longer felt the need to fill the silence with small talk or instructions for the meals she made him.

Tank preferred the companionable silence. Although Lia was always reliable for a few well-timed questions about whether he’d rather be able to fly or be invisible.

The answer was invisible, obviously. For a large man like himself, he dreamed of being able to walk into a room and not have every eye turn to him. Lia didn’t care about the details of his answer though, simply moving on to explaining why she would fly.

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