Page 20

She frowned. “Why would he do that? You’re clearly a military man. Tall. Muscles. That hyperawareness thing.”

He rubbed the back of his knuckles along the left side of his jaw. “What I clearly am is a wounded warrior. Not all of me came back. And I’m not just talking about my eye. Some people can read a vulnerability like that.”

“But you have Pirate,” she reasoned. “Even at ninety percent, I bet you could spot a threat and take him out, or take him down—whatever the right phrase is—better than most people could at a hundred percent.” She reached down to the dog lying on her foot, and a cold, wet nose nuzzled into her hand. Polly smiled and scratched around his head before pulling away. “Pirate makes up that ten percent you might think you’re lacking. If anyone sees you as weak or vulnerable, then they’re making a big mistake.”

“Ninety percent is generous, Polly.” He stuffed the last bite of egg into his mouth without acknowledging the unwavering faith she had in him. “I think the car is worth watching for.”

Polly poured the last of the coffee into their mugs, trying not to feel disappointed to learn that meeting her tonight was more about assuaging his suspicions about the car rather than a desire to see her. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

“Just did.” She rolled her eyes at the teasing reply. “I didn’t want to spook you. Or get ahead of myself. Maybe it’s not a threat at all. If it is, it might not have anything to do with you. Maybe you’ve got a big brother or a boyfriend somewhere you’d rather have keeping an eye on you.”

“Neither. A big sister, and her fiancé who acts like my big brother. But he has his hands full with Ashley. They went through some stuff a few months back, and I think he worries that a case he was working could come back to hurt her. It was the same case where I met Cayden Thornhill—that guy who assaulted me in the ER. That first night you helped me.” Daniel nodded, as if that rambling explanation made sense. Polly stared down at her coffee. It was a soft, cozy blend of brown and ivory and soothed her taste buds like nothing at the hospital, especially what Tate had offered, had. “No boyfriend, either. I’m…awkward…with guys.”

His stormy gray gaze locked on to hers. “Not with me.”

“I’m a virgin.” She slapped her hand over her mouth and felt the heat rising on her cheeks. “I can’t believe I said that out loud. I’m not a tease. I’ve fooled around with a few guys, I suppose. I just… I’m already twenty-six and I haven’t found the right guy for…that, yet. See? Awkward.”

She expected to see that hint of a smile at the corner of his mouth. Instead, he looked dead serious when he reached across the table to pull her hand down and squeeze her fingers in his warm grip. “Like I said. I don’t think you’re awkward. I think you’re smart. You’re making the decision to have sex your choice. You respect yourself enough to want it to be right before you share that intimacy with a man. It will be a gift to the man you do choose to be with.”

“Right. Because that’s something every woman blurts out on a first date. Not that this is a date.”

He pulled his hand back to finish his pancakes. “It’s a date.”

“It is?”

“You defended my dog. I’m buying you a meal.” When she opened her mouth to protest, he raised his fork to silence her. “There’s no going Dutch with me. This is my treat. We’re getting to know each other. You share my love for coffee. I haven’t punched any walls and I’m enjoying myself. It’s a date.”

“I’m enjoying myself, too.”

The corner of his mouth did that twitching thing again that made her smile in return. “What you call awkward, I call honest. I feel…calm…around you. As much as I can be these days. You’re more honestly you than any woman I’ve spent time with. Shy. Nervous. Scared. Caring. Fierce. You’d probably make a lousy poker player because I can read all the emotions flitting through those pretty green eyes, and in your facial expressions and body language. It’s a relief that I don’t have to decode any subtext with you. Plus, you make me think about something besides my past—something besides that day that changed my world.” He set down his fork and leaned back. “Hell, I’ve said more words to you tonight than the sum total of all the therapy sessions I’ve been to at St. Luke’s.”

He was being far too gracious about her nervous ramblings and lengthy silences when she was busy overthinking things in her head. But then, she didn’t imagine that Daniel Travis was a man who did gracious, or said things just to be nice.

Pretty green eyes. Honest. Calming. Apparently, easy for him to talk to.

They were sweet compliments—and so much more believable than the clever lines and practiced moves Tate had used on her earlier.

This was a real date. Awkward at times. But interesting, exciting. Definitely those sparks of electricity whenever he touched her. And she wasn’t afraid of Daniel.

She’d been afraid in the supply closet this afternoon.

Tate Emery’s idea of a relationship was…unsettling.

Polly’s smile faded. “May I ask you something?”

Daniel gave a slow nod.

She set her coffee aside and hugged her arms around her waist. “How do you know when a guy’s flirting with you? Or when it’s not okay?”

Daniel’s brow creased. “Someone bothering you?”

“I’m not sure. A fellow nurse at the hospital. Tate Emery. Good-looking, I suppose, if a Ken doll is your type.” She was much more attracted to the scarred G.I. Joe across the table. “He cornered me in the supply closet. He brought me a cup of coffee I’d been jonesing for. But the consideration felt…off.”

Daniel didn’t speak at first. His fingers tightened visibly around his ceramic mug.

“Cornered you?”

She shrugged. “It’s a big closet. Lots of shelving. More of a small room, actually. The door locks automatically, but we all have keys.” His hard expression didn’t change. He wanted an answer, not an excuse for her choice of words. “Yeah, that’s what it felt like. But I don’t have a ton of experience with men, so maybe I overreacted. You know, because of the other stuff that’s been going on.”