Page 35 of Dangerous Rhythm

Lina eyed him curiously. “No, it was Cantonese. I just said whatever, nothing important. My parents speak primarily that dialect at home.”

“But you speak Mandarin, too. I saw you talking to Popo.”

“My circle back home spoke both, so I picked up Mandarin pretty easily growing up,” she answered. “Why didn’t you learn the language? I see your grandma and mom speak it.”

Curtis scoffed. “My mother only spoke in English to us. But my grandparents shared their culture, cuisine, and language whenever they visited or spoke to us. Unfortunately, they didn’t live close enough to us, so we kinda lost some of our connections to that side of our heritage—the language, especially.

“I never thought about it, really,” he added. “Until the other night, when Dad said his parents disliked Mom for being a Chinese immigrant. Her obsessiveness to instill in us we are Americans now kinda made sense.”

Lina tilted her head. “That must be hard—to be told you weren’t right for the person you loved just because you were different. Did your father’s parents ever come around in their marriage?”

“Probably not.” Curtis thought back. “We rarely saw them.”

“Sorry to hear that.” She lightly squeezed his arm. “It must’ve been hard for you and Callie, too, not to have a relationship with that side of your family.”

“I never really thought about it.” Curtis shrugged. “Your family’s close?”

“We are.” She smiled. “But every family has their issues.”

“What’s yours?” Curtis prodded.

Lina chuckled, shaking her head.

“Oh, c’mon. We’re spending a lot of time together. We have no idea when you’ll be free of me. I can’t be the only one talking,” Curtis said. “You know more about me than I do about you.”

“It’s a necessity.”

“Getting to know the person whose hands you put your life into is more than necessary, don’t you think?” He put a hand on top of hers.

Her brown eyes met his. He could see her brain was weighing her answer, but he knew she would give him something. She might tell him they had to stay professional, but he was starting to realize that the formidable Lina Cheung had a weakness.

And that weakness was him.

fifteen

Lina looked into Curtis’ eyes. They were almost as dark as hers, except for a hint of gold on the outer rim of his irises. She might consider them too beautiful if not for their hint of mischief. That should be one of the red flags that kept her far away from Curtis Bisset.

But she found herself as weak as any woman in his vicinity, like Marie, Jill, and the groupies who flocked to the back door of every venue Canis Major had played at. Especially when he focused those eyes solely on her.

“So, what is your family’s issue? Mine can’t be the only dysfunctional one. Growing up, I always envied Brandon’s family. They’re perfect.”

“No family is perfect,” Lina said.

“The Rossis are close to perfect. Brandon complains from time to time about his mom embarrassing him, but he loves his mom to death.”

“So do you. You wouldn’t make me get your parents if you didn’t. And though Callie’s relationship with your parents isn’tthe best, she didn’t hesitate to take them into her home,” she pointed out.

“Dysfunction doesn’t mean there isn’t love. I think my parents thought they were doing what was best for us. But sometimes what they had in mind wasn’t always the right path for us. I could never be happy as a hedge fund manager.”

“You were a hedge fund manager?” Lina asked, shocked.

Curtis shrugged. “Never got there, but wasted money on a degree and my early twenties in that line of work.”

“I never would’ve guessed.”

“Well, now you know. But I want to know about you.” His thumb caressed her skin, making her aware he’d never let go of her hand.

The lulling caress eased her muscles, and Lina bent her rules. “My parents didn’t approve of me joining the military.”

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