Page 11 of Threatened

“Let’s forget about it,” she said, pouring far more dressing on her salad than was necessary. “Please. It was a mistake, that’s all.”

“Yeah, sure,” he said, after a brief pause. She hazarded a glance up at him and saw that he was scowling down at the basket of garlic bread. Somehow, he managed to look appealing despite his expression. “Of course, it was a mistake. Shouldn’t have happened. Won’t happen again.”

“No, it won’t.” She shoved a huge bite of lettuce and cheese in her mouth. Never mind her lips were still tingling and parts of her anatomy long-neglected were pulsing with need. Gage Winters was untouchable. Period. Determined not to spend one more second thinking about it, she waggled her fingers at the bread basket. “Can I have one of those pieces, please?”

He handed her a slice of bread, placing it on the edge of her place. Wise of him not to take the risk of them touching given that that was what had sparked the kiss. No contact was her new policy.

“Did the police mention when they might get back to you about the guy in the park?” Gage asked.

Relieved by the change in subject, Kylie quickly answered. “No. Well, he said they’d check into it and call me if they got anyleads, but I’m not holding out hope. I mean it could’ve been anyone. I’m sure they have bigger crimes to deal with than a diaper bag theft.”

“That paper though seems like a key clue to me.” Gage filled his plate with pasta and salad then dug in. He ate for a few minutes before speaking again. “California’s pretty diverse, but I can’t imagine many people still buy actual newspapers, and Japanese ones at that.”

“Hmm. Maybe.” Now that she’d started eating, and they’d begun talking about something other than the kiss that could not be named, her appetite was returning full force. The fact the food was excellent helped as well. “Where’d you learn to cook like this? Dinner’s amazing.”

“Thanks.” He flashed her a sexy lopsided grin that highlighted his dimples and had her toes curling in her sandals again, darn him. “I learned by the time I was in high school, mostly self-taught with the help of food blogs and old cookbooks.”

“You had to cook for yourself? Did your parents work long hours or something?”

“I moved in with my uncle after my parents died, and he couldn’t make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich without messing it up.” He spoke so matter-of-factly about the loss of his parents that she could only stare at him while he continued talking. “Once I got old enough, I started making stuff for myself and my uncle. I wasn’t a gourmet—not by a long shot—but I was able to figure some things out. It was survival instinct, I suppose. If I wanted to live, I needed to cook.” He had a half-smile on his face as he recalled the memories. “Over the years, my skills have come in handy. When we were on SEAL missions, I made meals for theguys on my team when we had a kitchen available to us. Now, with the twins here, I’m sure I’ll be cooking a lot more again.”

“What’s your specialty?” Kylie asked, hoping to keep the conversation going and enjoying this insight into him. “You’re great at Italian, obviously. Anything else?”

“I do a lot of Mexican and Asian food too. I make a mean nasi lemak.”

“Yum!” Kylie sipped her water then smiled at him, her tense shoulders relaxing for the first time since she’d fled the kitchen for the relative safety of the nursery earlier. Gage was easy to talk to when he wasn’t oozing temptation all over her. “When I was working in Tokyo, there was a Malaysian restaurant down the road from the apartment where I was living. I used to go there for satay and roti canai.”

“Girl, if you like satay, I’ll have to make you my special chicken satay with peanut sauce next time. My buddy Dan in the SEALs called it an orgasm on a stick.”

Kylie snorted. “Seriously? I’m definitely up for that then. Bring on the orgasms, baby!” And just like that they were back to awkward again. She felt a blush rise on her cheeks and would have kicked her own ass if she could have. “Sorry, I…”

Gage stared down at his plate, clearly biting back a smile. “Look. We kissed. I’m pretty sure we both liked it, but it doesn’t mean we need to repeat it againorwalk around on eggshells because of it from here on out, right? Let’s leave it in the past, as you said, and move forward. We’re adults, after all.”

She nodded. “I’d like that.”

“Me too.” He looked up and caught her eyes. “I have to admit that it’s nice to have someone besides the twins around to talk to.”

“I bet.” Her words emerged a tad softer than she’d intended because it was just so easy to get lost in his dark gaze and his smooth, golden skin, and… She cleared her throat. Down girl. Move forward, like you agreed. “It’s nice talking with you too.” She tucked her hair behind her ear and took a bite of pasta. The tang of the tomatoes and brightness of the garlic danced on her tongue, perfectly complimented by spicy andouille sausage and the hint of parmesan. Silence fell between them while she thought back over theiradultconversation. “I’m sorry about your parents. I didn’t know.”

“It was a long time ago.” Gage shrugged slightly. “I don’t remember my dad, except from photos and the stories my mom used to tell me. He died when I was a baby. He served in the Navy too.”

“Really? Is that why you joined the SEALs?” she asked around a bite of crusty, warm bread.

“Mostly. It felt like a way to form a connection with him.”

“And what about your mom?” she gently prodded.

“She passed away from breast cancer when I was four.”

“Oh, my. I’m so sorry. That must’ve been horrible for you,” Kylie said, feeling a nearly overwhelming urge to hug him. She forced herself to stay seated instead. “Is that when you went to live with your uncle?”

“Yes.” He wiped his mouth and sat back, pushing away his empty plate. “I owe him more than I can ever repay for taking me in. He was all the family I had left.”

“He sounds like a great man.”

“He did his best for me,” Gage said. “He passed away, too, after my first year of college.”

The somberness of his tone drove home the fact that Kylie was also now all alone in the world, just like Gage. Well, except for the twins. Which made staying close to them even more imperative to her. She couldn’t get over the strangeness of the circumstances, though. Just like the twins, Gage’s parents died, and he had been raised by someone else. It almost seemed like history repeating itself. No wonder he seemed to be taking instant fatherhood in stride. He’d had a role model for that.

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