Page 427 of Dark Love

There’s an odd thunk in the pantry.

Dahlia!

My first impulse is to run in, with gun drawn—I don’t even have one on me. It’s locked in the car—but there isn’t a window or door into the pantry. She probably dropped something. “Dahl, you need any help in there?”

“No. I’m fine.” Her voice is a little strained.

She’s far from fine. What changed in the last couple of minutes?

Dahlia walks out with her arms full of all sorts of sweet things. “I hope you like hot fudge.”

Even the idea of homemade hot fudge doesn’t distract me from her ashen face. What do I do? There needs to be a manual or class on how to respond when a woman smiles at you one minute and looks like she’s ready to pass out the next. If I called Payne, he’d just laugh at me. If I call Barb, she’ll quotesome complex medical terminology or hang up. Barb doesn’t do human interaction well.

She should have been a surgeon or a researcher, so that she could stay hidden in her lab all day.

Neither of them can help me now.

“Vex?” Dahlia sets the containers down on the island.

“Yes?” I’m going to give her space. Let her come to me like a street cat. Instead of asking questions to fill the silence, I dump the pre-sliced stir-fry vegetables into the sizzling pan.

The sound of Dahlia moving around the kitchen should be comforting, but it makes the need to demand answers even more intense.

“You don’t think… Just because I didn’t say… I know you don’t plan to kiss me… But...”

She’s still obsessing about that kiss.

“You don’t think…You brought your clothes…I’m not…I’m not easy.”

Easy? “What did you just say, Dahl?”

“Nothing,” she mutters into her chest as she shifts things around on the bar.

If dinner burns, I’ll order something. I step away from the stove and walk right up to her. “What did you say?”

“I’m not easy.”

A snitch afraid of getting caught would have spoken louder than Dahl just said those words. “Are you confused about the definition of easy? Because a woman worth the world, like you, is hardly easy.”

“But you plan on sleeping with me.”

“I do—”

Her head pops up as her eyes fill with shock and ire.

“—eventually.” Slowly, so as not to frighten her, I step closer, setting my hand on the soft silk of her hair. “Earlier, I gave you one of the reasons I won’t kiss you yet. But the main one is because I can see the value of the woman standing in front of me. You’re worth fighting for. You’re worth getting to know. And kissing you is worth waiting until you’re ready. Your worth isn’t based on yourlooks or how soon you have sex with someone.” I reach out and tap her head, then her breastbone as I say, “Your worth is hidden in your head and heart. If there is anyone unworthy in this relationship, it’s me.”

Oh… Oh… “Mom says never to sleep with a man until he gives you two rings.”

Even though I told her I was lacking worth, Dahlia is thinking about marrying me. That should have me running in the opposite direction. It certainly did when other women tried to talk me into marrying them. A slow grin spreads across my face. “Your mother is a smart woman.”

“Do you like milk chocolate or dark?” She lifts up one bag in each hand. “You had a piece of both yesterday.”

Dahlia notices the little things like I do. She prefers milk chocolate and any candy with fruit in it. “Milk chocolate. Why eat a sweet that tastes bitter?”

“Exactly.” She sets the other bag to the side.

“Dinner should be done in a few minutes.” I turn back to stir the vegetables in the nick of time.

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