Page 18 of The Darkest Knight

“Let’s face it, cooking takes so much more than just skill. It takes creativity and patience.” He joined her and stabbed a piece of potato and egg and popped it into his mouth. He bit into a charred piece and chewed. If he’d been a weak man, he might have admitted the meal was a bit overdone, but he’d learned long ago never to complain about a woman’s cooking. He took into consideration her intention. She’d went out on a limb to make him breakfast.

However, trust didn’t come naturally for him. He couldn’t remember a time when he had a girlfriend that he didn’t suspect was with him because of the numbers in his bank account. But when he looked at her, working that bottom lip again with a certain glow in her eye, he realized she was sincere in her offering. Yet a man could never be too careful when it came to a smart, beautiful woman. The combination of both made a woman dangerous. For several reasons. She could turn a man into a bowl of jelly. He realized how she anticipated hearing his acceptance of the project, and truth be known, he was leaning that direction. The more research he did, the more he was understanding how many men and women were coming home with seizures induced by head trauma. Yet Seth had never been a man who rushed into anything, always looking at every angle, every path, before moving forward. That’s what had made him a damn good Ranger. He was taught to monitor every strategic point carefully, and at the moment, one of those happened to be his heart. He wasn’t used to feeling…well, anything. He’d closed off his emotions long ago. “You’re not hungry?”

“I’m just waiting to make sure you don’t die. You didn’t.” She stabbed a piece of potato. “By the way, I did notice that you shaved.”

She showed no signs that she was teasing. He swallowed another bite with a drink of water, then sat back into the chair. “And?” He rubbed his chin. It’d take some getting used to.

“Not that the beard did you any harm in the looks department, but with a smooth jaw line, you look less mean.”

He laughed. “Maybe I should grow it back. By the way, you do realize the cabins here are not in living order? They need work, lots of it, and I’d consider it a big renovation.”

She pushed her half full plate to the side. “It seems a waste to have all this space and cabins sitting here, homes for furry critters. When you bought the property you had a vision, you said so yourself.”

He rubbed his jaw, not used to feeling it smooth. “My dad had the vision.”

She gave a small shrug. “Okay, but if you didn’t love it here, you wouldn’t be here.”

“Oh, I love it here, but I also like the peace and quiet.”

She shifted and a tendril of hair slipped out across her cheek. He had a deep craving to help her by tucking it away, but instead he tightened his hand into a fist on his thigh. He wasn’t sure where that desire grew from, but he needed to numb the source before he had any more foolish thoughts.

“And it’s been sitting like this for how long?”

“Over five years. It was sitting empty when we bought it. The owner had passed away and because he was in debt, the land was held up in court for a while.”

“You know, people would flock here from all over. It’s beautiful. Isn’t everyone needing a respite from their daily lives?”

“Be careful, you’re supposed to be convincing me to turn it into a working retreat, not a vacation spot.” He smiled.

“I’m only saying, if we start this project and, if for some reason, it doesn’t head the direction we want, you’ll still be able to turn it into the retreat your father envisioned. And imagine the tax breaks. I’m sure you Knights know all about those. Don’t forget, you still have lots of land here. You could eventually build your personal haven in another spot.”

“Oh, so that was your strategy? Future investments and tax breaks.” The more he got to know her, he was understanding just how smart she was. He also appreciated that she could see outside of just the project.

She played with her fork. “I can appreciate the need for solace, but this,” she swung her hands around, enveloping the space around her, “is more than quiet. It’s borderline hermit.”

“There’s a difference?”

One thin brow lifted. “Exactly why you need change.”

“Change is waking up every day.” He crossed his arms. It was best they change the subject. “What made you decide to enlist?”

“I graduated from college at twenty-three and enlisted the next day. Before I knew it, I had bounced from Syria to Germany, then Pakistan to Iraq.”

“Did you miss home?” He wanted to keep asking questions because he enjoyed hearing her talk.

“I missed my grandma’s homemade chicken and dumplings and my mom’s butternut squash cake that we’d have every Sunday.” She smiled, but the shine didn’t quite reach her eyes. “Isn’t it weird how when we’re far away from home we start to think of those little things that we took for granted? Like hot showers. Late mornings in a comfortable bed. Peace.”

“I’d ask you to make the dumplings and cake, but…”

She picked up her napkin and tossed it at his head. He caught it. “I’ve officially laid down my apron.”

“Practice makes perfect.” He rubbed his jaw, realizing he was laughing and having a good time, something he hadn’t done in a long while. He quite enjoyed it. He dropped the napkin onto the table and met her gaze. Her eyes were gems and her smile socked him in the stomach with its vibrancy. He wasn’t sure why, or how, or even where these feelings came from, but one thing he was sure about, he wanted Reese here and the only way that would happen is to falter and jump into the project with both feet. “Let’s move forward with Step for Light.” He half expected his gut to twinge once the words were out, but instead he felt a jolt of excitement, another sensation he hadn’t felt in years.

Her eyes widened and she stared for a good three seconds. “Are you serious?”

“Let’s not dig too deep and just go with the flow. There’s a lot of planning to this and it won’t happen overnight.”

Before he knew what was happening, she shot up from her chair and was hugging his shoulders in the sweetest embrace. Her hair brushed his face and he caught a strong scent of flowers and something else…pure woman. That certain scent that couldn’t be explained, just experienced—straight through the body like an electrical current. She was so warm and soft…but before he could enjoy it too much, she pulled away and their gazes met. Her smile was still strong, but something flashed in her eyes, almost primal. Did she realize she’d crossed an invisible line? She stuck her hands into the back pockets of her shorts and took a step back. Redness appeared in her cheeks.

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