Page 8 of Don't Look Back

“What’s the rush? I’d like to take you to dinner.”

She gave him a sad smile. “Because you’re hungry? Or are you asking me out on a date?”

Her words were not an exact echo of what she’d said to him in December, but it was close enough to not be accidental.

“A date, Kira. I want to date you. I have since the day we met.”

If he was hoping for a similar confession from her, he was doomed to disappointment. But her smile deepened a bit, so all hope was not lost.

“Another time, maybe. I have an early morning flight out of Dulles.”

That surprised him. One of the few things she’d told him was she didn’t travel. “Where are you off to?”

“Malta.”

“Wow. When you decide to go somewhere, you don’t mess around. Why Malta?”

“My father visited there often. I’m following up on one of his passion projects, finishing his research.”

“What’s the project?”

“I’m sorry, Rand. I really need to head north. I was supposed to fly out this morning, but Diana needed me.”

Disappointment hit him in the gut. Was she telling the truth or trying to ditch him? Was he blowing it again? “Promise me we can talk when you get back. Whenwillyou be back?”

“I’m not sure. My return ticket says two weeks, but if my research is successful, it could be longer.”

The idea of waiting two weeks or more to talk to her was a gut punch, which made zero sense. He was used to long deployments and limited communication. But he’d waited six damn months to see Kira, and now that he had, he wanted more.

Needed more.

Same as it had been that first day, when he’d kept his phone at the ready, waiting for a text from her. Then the text he’d gotten had changed everything.

A single word.

Help

He wanted to touch her. Hug her. Hell, he wanted to kiss her. But she wasn’t giving any welcoming signs, and he wasn’t about to bulldoze through her obvious walls.

She’d been abducted by a man who’d wanted to own her and who’d never once cared if she consented to his attention. Rand ran a nervous hand through his hair.

Only Kira did this to him.

“Will you let me know when you’re back? So we can go on that date?”

“Your girlfriend might not like that.”

He shook his head. “I’m not seeing anyone.”

She flinched, like she didn’t believe him. “I don’t know, Rand. I’m really not in a place to consider anything right now. I’m sorry my father put you off. But maybe that was for the best. You…aren’t my type.”

“Ouch.”

“I’m sorry I wasn’t clear about that in December.”

Actually, she had been. But he hadn’t believed her. He wasn’t sure he believed her now. But it wasn’t like he had a choice.

He turned to head down the corridor to the exit, wondering how he’d screwed this up so badly. Maybe he shouldn’t have told her about what her dad had done, but what else could he do? Let her believe he was so callous as to not reach out to her after he’d been the one to find her battered and delirious?

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