Impressive. Not only had Daniel been a perfect gentleman thus far, but the restaurant he selected for their dinner was nothing short of amazing. Besides the stunning yet simple beauty of the exterior, the cool, dark interior of the restaurant boasted bright colorful blankets, pictures, pottery and other authentic Hispanic decorations. The food was also a little slice of Spanish heaven. "I love when they serve the chips warm."
"The only way. Don't be a wuss. Try some of the salsa verde. I bet you like it hot."
He was flirting—flirting with danger even, but she couldn't resist. "I don't mind a little heat on my lips."
Daniel's eyes rolled back into his head as he groaned. "Damn it, woman, who's being bad now?"
She lowered her lashes and smiled. "Sorry. You're right. You've been on your best behavior. I should do the same."
Despite his arrogance and views toward women, his sincere compliments and effort to spend time with her had unlocked something deep within her heart. She'd been cautious for so long—fear of history repeating itself. Tonight was about the new beginning she'd promised herself. She only hoped she'd be able to see this through and not run, either physically or metaphorically, from the challenge and opportunity this man presented.
"Shall we try the getting to know more about you conversation again?"
His eyes flashed. This was one of those times the ability to read people better would help her understand what the look in his eyes meant. Making a mental note, she assigned herself the task of finding books on nonverbal communication and reading up on the subject when she got home. If the goal was to start living her life outside the pages of books, knowing how to read people would serve her well in the venture.
"What do you want to know?" She looked into his eyes, searching for some clue. Was he making an effort for her? From the little she did understand about people, it appeared that way. At least she hoped so. The gesture warmed her more than the salsa verde.
She waited while the food was placed in front of them and sampled her first taste of the enchilada. The combination of flavors, savory tinged with heat, tantalized her taste buds. "Oh, this is amazing. Another point scored for Dr. Jekyll."
He gave a slight smile. "I also get a point for not kissing you senseless in the parking lot earlier."
A quick sip of the strawberry margarita in the large glass proved a useless attempt to hide the heat spreading across her cheeks. "Maybe two." Subtract two, that is. The man could kiss. Dear God, could he kiss. Time to get the conversation back on track. "You said you were former military. What branch?"
His shoulders moved back as his chin thrust out. "Army, one hundred and first airborne division."
She sat up straighter and smiled. "That was the same division my dad served with in Vietnam. Screaming Eagles."
"Hooah."
Laughter bubbled to the surface as she remembered all the reminders her father had given her growing up about not confusing the different branches of the military. "Yes, not to be mistaken for hoorah."
He widened his eyes before giving her a big smile. "Hell no. We don't allow marine talk around here. Do we soldier?"
The laughter escaped, and she shook her head. "Sir, no, sir."
After a few more bites of food, the desire to know more about him prompted another question. "What do you do now?"
"That's not an easy question." Daniel's attention diverted to his beer bottle.
Remembering his words to her on the plane, she grinned and winked. "I believe you phrased it best. How do you earn your paycheck?"
He played with the label on the bottle, his eyes lowered. "I don't currently earn one. I'm going into business for myself."
"What type of business?"
Finally, eye contact. "Repairing and building custom motorcycles. I love to ride and tinker around with them. Figured after doing what Uncle Sam wanted, followed closely by what my ex wanted, it was time to do what I wanted."
"Good for you." She reached across the table and laid her hand over his, squeezing it in encouragement. "Tell me about your ex." There was no true explanation for her question other than her continued curiosity about what made the man sitting across from her tick. He intrigued her. She was beginning to think she liked intrigue.
"Most women don't like to hear about the past women in a man's life."
"Well, you said she was your ex. You're not still sleeping with her, are you?" If he answered yes, she would perform her vanishing act faster than she did last night. She prayed her purse contained enough cash for a cab ride back to the hotel.
Daniel's face screwed up in a look resembling horror. "God, no."
"That bad, eh?"
He nodded. "That bad. What about you? Ever been married?"
She lifted her hand to her hair and slowly twisted a lock. Don't cry. He doesn't know. It's an innocent question. "No, never."
"So no kids then?"
Her heart clenched along with her jaw. Honestly, get a grip. She knew it was irrational, but this topic always unsettled her. "No. You?"
Unlike the forced smile she put on for others when this topic arose, Daniel's smile lit up his entire face. "My daughter is the best thing that has ever happened to me, and the only good thing that came from my relationship with my ex. As a matter of fact, the only reason I still talk to the ex is Annie. Have to keep the peace or she'll use my visitations with her as a bargaining chip."
He has a daughter…"Tell me about her."
"The ex?"
"No, I've changed my mind. I'd rather hear about Annie."
"Does the fact I have a daughter scare you off? I wouldn't blame you if it did."
No, but the fact he might want more children gave her pause. Let it go. "I'm a children's librarian, remember? I adore kids."
"Anastasia is eight. Everyone calls her Annie. Her nickname is Princess. Blonde hair and blue eyes like her mother, but that's where the likeness stops. She's sweet, full of happiness, and not jaded by life. Her smile, hugs, and the way she calls me Daddy make me believe in second chances. She's the only female I've met and known for more than a couple days who hasn't screwed me over. Well, so far anyway."
"Am I the only female you've encountered who didn't take the offer of a one-night stand?" Her words were meant to gently tease, but the moment his eyes hardened, and the warmth of his hand in hers left, she knew she'd failed. Her damned curiosity, but she'd needed to know. She might be willing to try a new path in life, but she wasn't a one-night stand kind of girl.
"You don't understand." His fingers ran through his short blond hair.
He was right. She didn't understand. God help her, she wanted to. "Look, I'm not good at reading people. Reading books is more my thing. However, you broadcast your opinions about relationships and women loud and clear. Even a naïve children's librarian can pick up on that little tidbit."
Another swallow of beer before he slowly exhaled and shrugged. "Survival instinct. Cause and effect."
Her heartbeat increased. Cause and effect she understood, but she needed the details. "You've lost me again."
"In the service, we're taught to pay attention to our surroundings and react accordingly. You trust those who are on your side and react to any threats with any means necessary to survive."
Thoughts of Tom and the trust he'd given to those allegedly on his side slipped unbidden to the front of her thoughts. He'd been given no opportunity to react, no opportunity to survive. Fighting back sadness and anger, she refocused on Daniel. "Sounds reasonable."
He pushed his plate to the center of the table. "Reasonable except I didn't realize when I got home from each tour, women would prove to be the real threats. They all wanted something from me—usually money, sex, and the list went on and on. Problem was, none of them wanted to give me what I wanted."
Daniel now had her undivided attention. What did a man like this want? "Which was?"
"Someone to share my life. Someone to cuddle with at night. Someone who wouldn't take my heart and treat it like a piece of rental property and only kept it around as long as it generated income."
Words failed her. How did one respond to such a statement? Fortunately, or unfortunately, depending on how she looked at it, he'd saved her from responding.
"So, after getting screwed over repeatedly by women, I switched to survival mode. They used me, so I used them—cause and effect."
Her appetite vanished with the lighthearted banter they'd been sharing throughout most of the evening. She'd wanted to know, and now she was at a loss to respond. "I'm so sorry."
The warmth of his hand returned, along with gentle pressure. "Here's the thing, I don't feel that way around you. Like I said when we first met, I can't explain this, but I sure as hell want to explore wherever this takes us. I haven't been down this road in a long time. Kind of makes me feel like I'm on an adventure."
His shy, gorgeous, ice-melting smile beamed straight into her heart, turning her insides into the equivalent of overcooked oatmeal.
He could switch gears much quicker than she. Time to engage the deflection defenses and regroup. "At least you've had adventures. My idea of wild and crazy is a spy thriller with a steamy romance."
Hurt flashed across his face. "This trip, these last couple of days…don't they count as an adventure?"
The wildest adventure of my life to date. "Of course. I've never felt so—alive. Just as I only know Survival-mode Daniel, you've only met the newly christened Adventure Melodie, currently starring in her debut movie." Another sip finished off the sweet, frozen mug of liquid courage sitting in front of her. "As I'm sure you've guessed, I spend a lot of time with my nose in a book. Life makes more sense in the stories. The plots are well-thought-out, the hero always gets the girl in the end, good prevails, and evil pays. I like the nice neat bow tied around each one. As you've alluded, life…Well, life just doesn't happen that way."
"Can I ask you a personal question?" The soft, calming tone of his voice reminded her of how she addressed the children.
"As long as I don't have to promise to answer."
He chuckled and lifted her hand to those satiny lips, placing a tender kiss to the back.
Oh hell, now I'll answer, whether I want to or not.
"Why haven't you had any adventures?"
She closed her eyes to prevent him from seeing the pain of a childhood living in perfection's shadow. "Cause and effect."
"My turn not to follow."
He'd shared. It was her turn to explain. "Sibling rivalry at its finest. My older sister has been the proverbial golden child from the moment she entered the world with, and I quote, the easiest labor a woman ever endured."
"Ouch. Let me guess, your entry into the world was…"
"Long, painful and, of course, breech." Melodie couldn't help but laugh as she pictured her mother's dramatic face every time she told the story.
"That covers the first day of life. From what I can see, you turned out stunningly beautiful, self-sufficient, and smart."
She shrugged her shoulders, unsure how to make him understand. "No matter what I did, it was never good enough—never ambitious enough—never 'Evelyn' enough."
"Evelyn enough?"
A rueful smile, "My older sister. Valedictorian. Homecoming queen. Married the all-American quarterback. Delivered two equally beautiful grandchildren. And, lest we forget, the youngest woman at her firm to make partner. Need I go on?"
"Damn."
"Exactly. I couldn't, didn't want to, compete with such perfection. Every guy who showed an interest in me during high school only did so to get close to my sister. So, I stopped dating and started reading." Except for Tom. "By the time college rolled around, the stories in my books were far more interesting than any of my interactions with real people. Much to my mother's disappointment and aggravation, I switched my major from accounting to library science."
"Books are to you like gold is to King Midas."
She nodded. "There's a treasure trove of information contained between the bindings. I love researching and discovering new details about life."
"Just not living it."
Well, he certainly knew how to read her. Of course, she wasn't all that complicated. She couldn't decide if the notion relieved or worried her. "No." She thought back to her days in the dorm. "I've never even stayed out all night before. How sad is that? It should be a rite of passage in college, shouldn't it?"
Daniel's face lit up, dispelling some of the gloom surrounding their table. He signaled their waitress for the check. "Fortunately for you, makeup tests are available for those situations."
His enthusiasm prompted excitement and a rapid pulse even if his words left her clueless. "And you've lost me again."
"Let's get outta here. We'll put the top down and cruise over to Lake Ray Hubbard. We'll watch the sun set, then hit the open road again and see where we end up. Before you object, I promise Dr. Jekyll will be the one driving. I'll put Mr. Hyde in the trunk." He winked. "Well, unless you invite him to the party."
She wanted to. It sounded like so much fun. "I don't know."
"You got somewhere else to be?"
Melodie opened her mouth to answer. She had absolutely nowhere else to be. No job to go to in the morning. No boyfriend waiting. No commitments. "Nowhere." Honesty was still the best policy, right?
"Then come on. Let's do this." He reminded her of little Johnny Stephens when he begged her to read a story "Just one more time, Ms. Melodie." She'd never been able to refuse Johnny, and, so far, her record remained the same for the handsome man sitting across the table.
"All right. You talked me into it." Not that she'd put up much of a fight. She needed to find a way to take back some control. Being out of control never proved a positive aspect in her life. Not even Daniel's charm would change that.
As they walked toward the car, Melodie heard Evelyn's golden voice nagging in her ear. "Great idea, kiddo. Get in a car with a guy you just met, you barely know, and let him drive you to God knows where. I hope we can find your body."
God, she hoped Evelyn wasn't right…this time.