Chapter 1 #3
Brain noticed the blush on her cheeks, but she kept going.
“You walked in and looked like you wanted to be anywhere but here. And you might think you’re ‘only’ the brain on your team, but it’s more than obvious how much your friends admire you.
If they only cared about you because of what you know, they wouldn’t joke so easily with you.
And Gillian and Kinley wouldn’t have spoken so highly of you when we all went to the restroom.
“I don’t know you, and I’m probably overstepping, but I’ve learned that life is too short to not say what I’m thinking…
and I think you’re pretty amazing, Kane, and I’ve only known you for a few hours.
I haven’t even heard you speak anything but English.
” She grinned. “You’ve already saved me from a very uncomfortable situation too, and the fact that you don’t have a girlfriend is both confusing as hell and pretty damn lucky for me. ”
Her words echoed in Brain’s mind, and he knew that he wanted—no, needed—to get to know this woman better. “Want to go out sometime?”
He promptly winced at the abruptness of his request.
But Aspen didn’t laugh at him. “Yes,” she said simply.
“Tomorrow?”
Now she did chuckle. “Yes,” she said again.
Brain narrowed his eyes. “You aren’t just saying yes because of Derek, are you? Because as much as I like you, I’m not into pity dates.”
Her grin faded. “Seriously?”
He nodded.
Aspen rolled her eyes. “Kane, I’ve sat next to you all night holding your hand.
I just told you that I picked you out of all the men who’d entered this bar tonight.
Hell, I offered you twenty bucks if you would kiss me.
” She leaned forward and poked him in the chest as she said her next words.
“I haven’t met a man who intrigues me like you do in a very long time.
I spend every day of my life living and working with men, and frankly, it’s almost turned me off the opposite sex altogether.
But the second you bent me backward over your arm tonight, I was putty in your hands.
” Then she straightened. “Maybe this isn’t a good idea,” she mumbled.
Brain panicked. He couldn’t let her pull back now. Somewhere deep inside, the confidence he’d seemed to be missing when it came to the opposite sex roared to the forefront. He wasn’t letting the most interesting woman he’d met in ages get away so easily.
He reached out and grabbed the finger she’d been poking him with and shook his head.
“Nope. You already said yes. Twice. I’m not letting you go back on your word now.
Since we don’t know each other, I’m happy to meet you somewhere if that will make you more comfortable, or you can trust me to pick you up tomorrow evening around six. ”
“Are you really Delta Force?” she asked.
Confused, Brain nodded. “I wouldn’t lie about that.”
She snorted. “Other people would. And I guess if the Army and our government can trust you with their secrets, I can probably tell you where I live.”
Brain relaxed a fraction.
“Can I have my finger back now?” Aspen asked.
Brain grinned. “Depends on if you’re going to use it to poke me some more.”
“Are you going to continue to say stupid shit?” she retorted.
“Probably,” Brain said honestly. “I seem to do that a lot. I might be smart, but I do seem to have a bad habit of saying stupid shit around pretty women.”
Aspen pulled on her hand and Brain immediately let it go. But instead of pulling away from him, she rested her palm on his chest and leaned closer.
“You smell so good,” Brain blurted—then mentally chastised himself. He was supposed to be suave, not spewing out shit like that.
“Thanks,” she said without seeming to miss a beat.
“I don’t wear perfume a lot because I roll around in the mud and work with guys all the time, but every now and then I break it out.
It’s gardenias. They remind me of Hawaii.
I’ve only been there once, but I loved the scent of the flowers.
And…shit…now I’m going on and on about something that you probably don’t care about. ”
“I care,” Brain told her immediately. He made a mental note about the gardenias.
“Anyway,” Aspen said, leaning even farther into his personal space, “I was going to thank you for not thinking I was a crazy person tonight when I approached you.”
“You’re welcome,” Brain told her, his eyes on her lips.
“I want to kiss you again,” she whispered.
Inwardly, Brain was jumping up and down and screaming yes at the top of his lungs, but he simply reached out and palmed the side of Aspen’s face. She was near enough that all he had to do was lean forward a fraction of an inch and their lips would be touching…but for some reason, he wanted to wait.
“I want to get to know you,” he told her.
“And I want you to get to know me. I’m attracted to you, that’s no secret.
But I’m old enough to know that what I’m feeling for you is different.
Special. And the last thing I want is to demean what I’m feeling by making out with you in the corner of a bar on the first night we meet. ”
Brain was afraid he’d proven himself the most idiotic male alive by turning her down, but when he saw her face soften as she nodded, he breathed a sigh of relief.
“You’re very different,” she said softly.
Brain shrugged. “I am,” he agreed.
“I like different,” she said, then straightened.
Brain let go of her reluctantly and stood when she did. She reached into her purse and pulled out a twenty-dollar bill and held it out to him. “I really do owe you.”
Brain scowled at the money, and at her. “I’m not taking your money,” he told her gruffly. “Put it away.”
“I need to pay for my drinks at least,” she argued.
Brain took the money then reached for her purse and stuffed it into an outside pocket. “Your drinks are already paid for. And you’ll never pay for that kind of shit when you’re with me.”
She frowned. “Why not?”
“Because.”
“Because you’re a guy and I’m a girl?” she huffed.
“No. Because it’s disrespectful. It has nothing to do with gender or because I don’t think you can’t pay your own way.”
“Then why?”
Brain hesitated. “You’re going to think it’s stupid.”
“I’m not,” Aspen told him.
“Fine, but you asked,” he said. “It’s because I want to spoil you.
When I take a woman out, I don’t want her to have to worry about anything.
You need a ride? I’ll take you. You prefer a taxi?
I’ll call one for you. You want to order the most expensive shit on the menu, fine.
Do it. When I’m dating someone, I want them to know how special I think they are.
And being special doesn’t include worrying about paying the bill, the tip, dealing with assholes harassing them, or figuring out how they’re going to get home. It’s just how I’m wired.”
He braced for her reaction. In the past, he’d had women flat-out tell him how crazy his idea of chivalry was, or that he was misogynistic. But it was how he felt, and he’d learned to make it clear up front so there wouldn’t be issues later.
But Aspen wasn’t laughing at him, or scowling. “If we’re out together, and I see something that I want to buy for you, are you going to lose your mind?”
“No. It’s your money, you can do what you want with it. But, as a caveat, don’t think you can buy me a car or something and call it a ‘gift.’”
Aspen burst out laughing. Threw her head back and guffawed so hard, Brain wrapped an arm around her waist to keep her from falling over. When she had herself under control, she looked him in the eye and nodded. “Deal. No buying you cars. Got it.”
Brain smiled back at her. “Good. Tell me your number.”
She didn’t bat an eye at the abrupt change of topic. He also liked that she didn’t ask if he was going to write it down or put it into his phone. She simply rattled it off as if she had no doubt he’d be able to remember it.
“I’ll text you later so you’ll have mine, and so you can send me your address,” Brain told her.
“Sounds good.”
They walked toward the door to the bar. Brain didn’t feel the need to remove his arm from around her waist, and Aspen actually leaned into him as they walked.
Her fingers curled into the belt loop at the back of his jeans and the small weight made Brain shiver in anticipation.
None of the women he’d dated had ever done that, and it felt sorta like she was claiming him. He liked it. A hell of a lot.
As they exited the bar, Brain gave the bouncer a chin lift. When he looked at Aspen, she was smiling.
“What?” he asked.
“It’s just that chin lift thing. It’s such a guy thing to do.”
Brain frowned. “And?”
“Nothing,” she told him.
But he heard her mumble under her breath, “It’s sexy as hell.”
He smiled. He’d never really been called sexy. He liked that too.
Brain walked Aspen to her car, a very sensible white Hyundai Elantra GT. Looking around, he didn’t see Derek or anyone else lurking about.
“Drive safe,” he told her as he held the door open for her. Aspen paused before she climbed inside and nodded. “You too,” she told him.
“See you tomorrow night,” Brain told her.
“I’m looking forward to it.”
Having nothing else to say to prolong their evening, Brain closed her door and stood back. Before he’d thought about it, he’d given her a chin lift, and smiled when she grinned at him through the windshield. She lifted two fingers, waving at him before she pulled out of her parking space.
Looking down at his watch, Brain realized that he’d been at the bar with Aspen for hours.
He hadn’t stayed out this late, when not on a mission, in a very long time.
There was something about her that made him forget he was the nerd.
The smart guy. She made him feel…normal. For maybe the first time in his life.
After he got into his Challenger, he took the time to program her name and number into his phone. Then he sent a short text.
Brain: This is Brain. Looking forward to tomorrow. Let me know where to pick you up. Sleep well.
She didn’t respond, but he didn’t expect her to since she was driving. He threw his phone onto the passenger seat and headed for his house, smiling all the way.