Page 61 of Protected Hearts

Their gazes held as they each took a sip of the flavorful wine. Notes of berry burst on her tongue and warmed all the way into her veins.

“Where did you learn to be such a romantic? In the military or at home? Was your dad very romantic with your mom?”

“No.” He set his glass on the table.

She saw her mistake and quickly waved a hand. “You don’t have to tell me.”

It was probably an ex. She had plenty of stories about William too, and though not all of them were bad, she most definitely did not wish to share them.

Before the moment could get any more awkward, Layne entered the room. She carried a platter in one hand and bore a very stoic look as if she took this job seriously.

Shiloh felt a hard pinch of remorse about the things she’d said to Layne before. When she told her they were not the same, she had been wrong. She only saw a woman who led a very different life from hers, but that didn’t mean it was any easier. She didn’t know the details about what happened to Layne, only that she had been threatened and Carson saved her.

The faint scent of spiced crab wafted from the platter as she crossed the room to the table. When she set it between Shiloh and Oaks, two of the crab-stuffed mushrooms toppled over and slid off the plate.

Layne let out a groan. “I told you I’d be horrible at this, Oaks. I should have just left them in the takeout container.”

With a giggle, Shiloh grabbed her fork and scooped the little round caps back onto the platter. “No, no. You’rewonderful. Isn’t she, Oaks?”

He stared at her, eyes hooded in that come-to-bed look she wanted very much to answer.

She aimed a kick at his shin beneath the table. “Tell the woman she’s wonderful, Oaks,” she hissed through her teeth.

A laugh as lovely as Layne was inside and burst from her.

Oaks flicked his attention to her. “Thanks, Layne. We appreciate your help tonight.”

Shooting Shiloh a wide grin, she gave a small bow and walked out of the room.

Oaks picked up his fork and served a portion of the appetizer to Shiloh on a small plate. “To answer your question, my fatherwas far from romantic with our mom. Unless you consider him going on benders and her bailing him out of jail up until the time she walked out romantic.”

Shiloh stopped dead with her fork poised over the perfectly toasted crab meat mixed with spices in the center of the mushroom. “Oh god, Oaks. I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to raise bad memories for you.”

He shrugged off her apology as if he had long ago gotten over it. “To be honest, I got stuck watching a lot of romantic comedies with my little sister.”

She smiled at the vision of him and Willow watching silly romance movies and took a bite of her mushroom. Flavors filled her mouth, and she moaned quietly at the decadent treat.

Oaks stabbed an entire mushroom and popped it in his mouth whole. He chewed for a moment and his throat worked as he swallowed, his Adam’s apple shifting underneath the skin she enjoyed nuzzling so much after they made love.

Made love. She couldn’t believe she was even thinking of the sex they’d shared in those terms. She…shecouldn’tbe falling for Oaks.

Why not? Who was stopping her? She had no ties to…well, anyone. She was free to do and feel as she pleased.

She stole a peek at his handsome face, and her heart reacted with a little flip.

“Dad was an asshole, so I stepped up. I took Willow to the movies and all the daddy-daughter dances. Our old man was never going to do it, and I didn’t want her to be embarrassed, so I took her.”

She marveled at the man before her. “That was so sweet of you.”

He brushed aside her compliment. “I wanted to make sure Willow knew how she deserves to be treated. That meant Ichaperoned her dates and had to sit through these movies one row back.”

She chuckled at the picture he painted about that time. “It sounds horrible.”

“It wasn’t always so bad. Especially when Willow’s date would reach for her hand. Then I’d get to slap him alongside the head.”

Shiloh burst out laughing. He popped another mushroom in his mouth, leaving a light film of the oil on his hard lips. The man had no clue how enticing he was. If sex appeal had an image in the dictionary, it would be Oaks Malone.

He darted his tongue across his lips and then took a sip of wine to wash down the food. “When the guy went in for a kiss, I’d kick the back of his seat.”

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