Page 55 of Midnight Escape

He gazed at her for a moment with a tight jaw, and she worried what she’d done. Not moving, his serious gaze bothered her. As she looked closer, it wasn’t serious—it was heated.

“Did you know you’ve got a perfect ass?” he asked

Her body tingled in pleasure, but she had no idea how to respond. Instead, she changed the subject. “Who’s open this late for takeaway?”

A quirk at the corner of his lips told her he saw through her. After a moment—too long of one—he checked his watch. “For delivery, we have Chinese or pizza.”

She wrinkled her nose. “I’d like Chinese. How about you?”

With a shrug, he agreed, “Chinese works. There’s a—”

Waving her hand to cut him off, she turned to the counter. “—menu in the drawer.”

After ordering enough food for the crew and leftovers galore, they stood, and his gaze continued to bore into her. Walking to the refrigerator, she asked, “What’d you like to drink?”

“Guinness. You’ve ruined me for American beers.” He moved to the shelf where he kept the alcohol.

Sitting, she squirmed a bit. They’d not had this stilted a silence since she’d first arrived. They’d also not spent so much time together since before, he’d worked days or weeks at a time, leaving her alone. Her nerves were getting the better of her when they shouldn’t.

Another boom of thunder shook his house before the power blinked and remained off. They remained still, her hoping the lights would return. She wasn’t afraid of the dark but preferred to avoid it unless sleeping.

A light appeared in Danny’s hand. Moving his cell phone around, he found her. “Candles,” he stated firmly. “Do you have your phone?”

She kept it in her pocket or purse, always, in case her brother called. She pulled it from a pocket.

Through the glow of her screen, she caught his nod before she turned on her flashlight app. Touching her arm, he led her to a cabinet she’d never explored.

Her mouth dropped. Was he expecting a zombie apocalypse? Accepting the handful of items, concern climbed up her throat. “What about the security system?” It’d taken days to get everything installed to Devon’s satisfaction. With it, she felt safe. When it was turned on, that was.

“Don’t sweat it. It’s got a battery backup. We’ll be fine as long as it isn’t off for long. But, remember, we’ve got Cowboy and John watching over the place. If need be, we can bring Doc and Jane back.”

Once they’d set up enough candles to leave no dark corners, she relaxed.

“Come on. Let’s sit and chat.”

As she settled on the couch, she relaxed. Whatever the scent, the candles did the job.

“First,” he started the conversation, “I’m sorry for being late. Tonight, let’s just do some good ole Q & A to learn more about each other.” He waved his hand as if he’d just called her to the stage. “Ladies first.”

Embarrassment flooded her at thinking of how she’d reacted earlier when he’d arrived. The team had said Jane would be her companion indoors when Danny wasn’t home. She should’ve realized Jane would only open the door to Danny or a team member. The agent would’ve called out had there been trouble. She also would’ve left when Danny entered. It all made sense in hindsight.

“Are you okay?” he asked with concerned eyes.

Like she’d been taught by her mother, she took a deep breath and counted to ten before releasing it. She didn’t know if this was the official fix, but it worked for her. “You can go first.”

After a pause he asked, “You’ve been here nearly four months, what do you think of America? Maybe making it your home?”

How to answer that? She’d been given no incentive to stay. She picked her words to not let her true feelings burst free. “I miss my homeland.” She shrugged nonchalantly. “But I might be convinced to stay.”

“How?” Lead balls dropped to the pit of her stomach. He didn’t act like he wanted her to stay. That kiss must’ve meant nothing to him.

Thinking quick on her feet, she chuckled. “My turn.” She hoped the takeaway would arrive soon because she didn’t want to answer that last question. Oh, she thought of a whopper that might give her a clue to his dating. “Cowboy mentioned you’d been dating a lot before I arrived. Do you really want to get married that badly to go on so many blind dates?”

Choking on the swig of Guinness he’d just taken, he coughed and coughed and coughed. She began to think he planned to do that until the food arrived, so he’d not have to answer. Granted he didn’t have to answer, but something within her, somewhere she didn’t want to yet acknowledge, wanted to know his stance on marriage. Not that she planned to marry him. Still, she wanted to know.

So they’d each hit on tender topics. If he gave her any attention as a woman—more than tonight and the kiss to hide her—she’d spill her guts to him.

“Let’s see.” He wouldn’t look at her, which she found odd. Did he plan to lie? “No, I’m not in a rush to marry. The children I babysit from time to time for my bosses’ families give me plenty of kid time. I used to do it more often before you moved in. I don’t want them interrupting you while you work.” He took another drink of Guinness and she’d throw something at him if he did that fake choking thing again. “As for the dating, Sugar’s decided I needed a woman in my life. She’s been pushing to set me up, and I’d given in. Until recently.”

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