Page 25 of Liam
He could think of a lot stronger words. “Fortunately, Hylar, the person responsible, is dead. And so are his followers.”
“Did he have many followers? Surely not.”
“A few, the main being another SEAL team that was led by a man named Carter. He outlived Hylar and the rest of his team. He was evil to the core. A monster. And not a day goes by where I’m not glad he’s dead.”
Her expression turned sad for him.
Fuck, what was he doing, talking about that stuff tonight? He wanted to kick his own ass. “Sorry, that’s not really a first-date discussion.”
A ghost of a smile played at her lips. “I thought this wasn’t a date?”
He shook his head, smiling. “Come on, you. I want to show you the next gallery.” He escorted her through the next doorway.
When they were finished at the museum, they locked up and walked back to the car.
“What’s part two?” she asked when they were driving again.
“You’ll have to wait and see.”
As he turned into her condo’s parking lot again, she frowned. “Um…is an early night part two?”
“No. Wanna go for a walk with me?”
“Sure.”
They slipped from the car and immediately, he reached for her hand. A part of him wondered if she’d pull away, what with this not being adateand all.
She didn’t.
Instead of moving toward the condo, he headed into the wooded area beside the building. “It’s not far, but tell me if your knee hurts.”
“It’s fine.”
Nylah said that a lot. And he almost never believed her.
“Where are you leading me?” she asked softly when they were deeper into the woods.
A couple hundred yards in, he slowed as the clearing came into view. “You wanted to learn about the history of Cradle Mountain. You also wanted to see the stars. So for part two, I’m taking you to the stars.”
Her mouth opened at the sight of the blanket and picnic basket. “Liam…”
“By the time we finish eating, I promise you, there’ll be a perfect view of the night sky.”
She was silent, and for once he couldn’t quite read her expression. “Are you okay?”
“I’m just thinking how easy you’d be to fall for.”
That was so much more honesty than he’d been expecting. “I wouldn’t have a problem with that.”
She swallowed and didn’t respond. He knew she was keeping a part of herself locked away. Why did falling for him scare her so much? Because he’d heard the fear woven through her tone, even though she’d tried to mask it.
They lowered to the ground and together took out the food.
“When did you set this up?” she asked.
“Actually, I cheated. Callum and Fiona brought it out here for us. But Ididpack it all. Do I lose points?”
“Depends on what you packed.”
