Page 110 of Undeniably Enemies

Armed with our books, we walk back out into the mall and toward the food court.

“Are you sure this is a good idea?”

He shrugs and looks around at all the people. “We gotta eat.”

“Right, but I thought that would consist of a quiet, dark restaurant where we sat in the back like a couple of criminals.Not out here in the middle of the food court during Saturday traffic.”

He twists me around and takes my other hand, holding both between us. “Talk to me.”

I stare up at him, a bit bewildered. “Why aren’t you worried about this?”

“Which part?”

“Getting caught.”

“Who says I’m not?”

I shrug. “You’re not acting that way.” I widen my eyes and exaggeratedly look around at the hundreds of people swarming about us.

He sighs. “You’re right. I don’t know. I’m happy. I’m happy being with you. I’m happy doing this. I’m just… happy. I haven’t been happy in a very long time, and I haven’t had anyone I’ve wanted to hang out with like this in just as long. I know, I’m being cavalier and stupid, and we did agree on keeping this quiet for very good reasons. Should we get food and go?”

I feel like a killjoy. The man went book shopping with me. Smutty romance book shopping. He held my hand and listened to my concerns about my next rotation in trauma surgery and helped guide me through them. A specialty he wanted to be his but lost out on.Your heart is my end piece. My checkmate. The place I’d like to start calling home if you’d let me.

It’s still surreal to me to find myself here with him like this, but it’s something I shouldn’t take for granted. Not for a moment. Not after what we went through yesterday and again this morning. Not after all he did for me and the words he spoke with it.

“Maybe not the food court. I don’t want to ruin this because I’m happy too, and I’m having fun. I just don’t want anyone we know to see us andruin everything.”

His lips twitch. “That would suck. You know, since I’m your dirty mistress.”

I laugh. “I prefer dirty slut.”

His eyes sparkle. “Only for you. Okay, let’s go. We’ll grab food in a quiet, dark Irish pub somewhere. This is Boston. I’m positive we can find one. Tomorrow afternoon I’m supposed to go out to the compound and see your grandmother.”

“You are?”

“Yes. Just to check on her. I haven’t had a chance since she was discharged and I’d like to see she’s okay with my own eyes instead of hearing her feed me lines.” He hesitates. “Would it be weird if you came?”

I gnaw on my lip. “Maybe we’ll bring some others with us?”

He taps my nose. “Good idea.”

We head toward the exit, but he stops at a gourmet coffee kiosk. The man has a thing for coffee—it’s his one expensive vice—which is why I have no clue how he manages the stuff at work. He orders one for both of us, and I get the best idea of what I’m going to get him for Christmas.

The thought makes me giggle, and he throws me a side-eye as we head outside into the cold November day and cross the street at Boylston. “What?”

“Nothing. I was thinking about what I want to get you for Christmas and how weird it is that I’m even thinking that.”

“Same. I already picked out your diamond. Now all I need is your ring size.”

Coffee scalds my tongue and sprays from my mouth like a black wave, narrowly missing some people passing us, though it doesn’t stop them from giving me the dirtiest looks imaginable.

Jack tries very hard to hide his amusement even as I give him a scathing look that would make a lesser man’s balls shrivel.

“Not there yet?”

“You’re such a bastard!” I smack his arm only to think better of it and grab his sleeve to wipe my chin. It makes him laughand rub his arm all over my face until I have to shove him off. “Quit it. Since when are you like this? You’re never funny?”

“I’ve always been funny.”

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