Page 43 of Legacy of Danger
Now to knock her on her ass.
"Do you honestly think I would want to see someone else?" He put as much sincerity as he possibly could into the words. Show her that he meant it. Anything to try and fix the mess he'd made. Continued to make.
Even in the shadows from the halogen parking lot lights, he could tell she looked everywhere but at him. "Well. Sure." Her hair fell forward, partially hiding her graceful jaw.
He rocked back on his heels as the blood exited his head. Whoa. Stop the bus. What the hell had just happened? "Are you crazy?"
She spun away. "All right. That's enough. This conversation is over. Good night, and thank you again for the meal yesterday and for walking me out here."
He grabbed her upper arm and rotated her toward him. "No way you can doubt my interest in you." Then he let go and stepped back.
"Frankly, I don't know what your deal is. One minute you're growly and the next minute you're... not. My neck hurts from the whiplash."
Rubbing his chin, he stared down at her. "Not that I want to go into details, and not that it's any excuse, but I've been burned before."
"You're in good company. Along with many other people in this world, I'm sure. But you can still be polite, you know. Or at least not go all over the place with your reactions."
"I know. And you're right."
"So..." She shoved her hands in the coat pockets and jiggled her keys.
"One more chance for me not to stick my foot in my mouth?"
Her eyes flicked to the ground. "It's a big foot."
Keeping his hands at his sides, he nodded. "I have a big mouth."
"Not going to argue there."
"You're tough."
A pause. "You have no idea."
It took effort to keep his distance, but he wouldn't crowd her, by God. "Oh, I have a very good idea of your toughness. I've got the invisible scars from the tongue-lashing to show for it." He lifted a hand. "Not that it wasn't deserved." When he exhaled, a puff of vapor drifted away, taking some of his past misgivings with it. "Your call, Mariah. Any chance we can try to line up our schedules and have a nice bagel and coffee like two regular people?"
"Simple?"
"Of course."
"And it's not a date, right?"
"Yes. I mean, no, it's not. If you don't want it to be a date."
"And no getting mad if the hospital calls me while we're not on a date."
"You got it."
Her bright smile chased away the cold, dark night. "I can manage that."
He barked a laugh. "You canmanageit? Like it's a chore?"
"No. It's just bagels. And coffee. Coffee is never a chore." A little wrinkle of her nose and he relaxed.
A rare chuckle rumbled through him. "Then it's a not-date?"
She tilted her head to the side. "Deal."
"And Mariah?" His heart pounded in his chest.
