Page 5 of Securing His Heart

Chris wanted to push her to talk to him. He wanted to be able to help her. Fix her problems, which again, was out of character for him.

“Offer stands if you want to.” He looked at the menu and decided on a burger. The ingredients listed on it he’d never consider putting on one—beetroot and egg—nope, but he was game to try. He liked both the items, so if he had to, he’d remove them and eat them separately.

“Do you know what you’re having?” Lindy asked, after silence settled around them—which considering they were in the middle of a pub seemed unobtainable.

“Yeah. You?”

“I think so. I’m still wavering between two things. I’ll make my mind up when I go up to order.”

“Oh, I didn’t know that was how it worked here. I thought someone would come up and take our order.” Chris had seen servers deliver drinks and taking orders, why wouldn’t they take food ones as well?

“Maybe they do, I just thought it would be easier to go up. Quicker too, probably.”

The establishment had filled up. How had he not noticed?

Whenever he was out at packed public places, he was always on alert. Always scoping out the place for the closest exit. Looking for patrons that gave off the vibe that they wanted to do harm. As far as he knew, from his friend Steve and his team at Power Security, Perth didn’t have that type of problem.

Oh, they had crime, but not the type he was used to seeing. Where someone walked in and set off a bomb. The people surrounding them tonight were a mix of young and old. People coming in for a drink and something to eat after work. Others who were there to meet friends, catch up and shoot some pool.

It was Thursday night, he could understand that it would get busy. Most places back home always had more customers the closer it got to the weekend.

Lindy was probably right, if they placed their own orders instead of waiting for someone to take it, it would be quicker.

Chris pushed back from the table, picked up his menu and held out his hand for hers. “I’ll go place our order. What would you like?”

“I can do mine after you’ve done yours.” Her hand remained firmly on her laminated menu.

Everything about Lindy screamed she was an independent woman. He respected that about her, but at his core, Chris was a protector and a provider, and he’d always pay for his date’s meals.

Whoa, hold up, this isn’t a date.

They hadn’t made arrangements to meet up at this place. It’d been a chance encounter.

Even still, he’d asked her to join him for a meal so it could technically be a date.

What the actual fuck?

He was a forty-two-year-old man, who’d seen more shit than anyone in this pub could see. Things that they couldn’t even imagine. Yet, he stood in front of a beautiful woman, acting like he’d never been on a date before.

Clearing his throat, Chris leaned down until his lips almost touched her ear. “I’m sure you can, but I’d like to buy you dinner. Will you let me do that?”

Lindy looked up and their eyes met.

The noise in the room faded until it appeared they were in a bubble of silence. His heart thudded and desire rocketed through his blood stream.

Instant lust was something he was familiar with. Many a time, in his youth, he’d been attracted to women he’d met in a bar and had gone home with them.

This, though, this was different. Chris never seemed to be at a loss to know what to say. Nor had he ever forgotten where he was or lowered his guard so much he wasn’t aware of everything going on around him.

He’d been in Lindy’s company for half an hour at most and he’d done all of those things.

Her tongue darted out to swipe across her lower lip and he moved a little more, until their lips were almost touching.

The need to kiss her threatened to bring him to his knees and he slammed a hand down on the table, rattling their drinks.

The movement had been enough to break the tension between them.

Lindy’s eyes widened. “Umm, I’ve got to go.”

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