The pressure he'd felt being outside dissipated as Alice's blue eyes captured his attention. "Not for long. She wanted my name and the money of my world. I think she married a real estate developer."
"So, what about in college?"
The hostess motioned that their table was ready. They followed her and he sat opposite Alice. They sat outside near the wall he requested, but had a great view of the ocean from their seat as screens kept their faces cloaked.
She sighed as he ordered a bottle of red wine. When the server retreated he told Alice, "I never met anyone I was serious about. What about you?"
She sat back in her chair. The waitress returned quickly, pouring them both wine in crystal glasses. John sipped as the server waited, then nodded his approval. Alice stayed quiet until the server left with their orders. Then she said, "I always assumed I'd marry someone who knows about farms."
Automatically he scanned the area. The table closest to them had grandparents with their grandchildren, all dressed up. The table after that had another couple and the table near the end had a group of women clinking glasses and laughing. No one seemed suspicious.
He left his hand on the table and then gave Alice his full attention. He picked up his glass. "Why? Does that turn you on?"
She sipped hers and lowered her gaze. "Not really, but it's the life I know."
He waited for her to place her glass back on the table before capturing her clear blue eyes. "What about the life you don't know? Perhaps the guy is right in front of you."
Giggles burst out of her throat. "John Morgan, you are being silly."
He didn't move at all. "Why?"
Her hand shook as she pushed a piece of hair out of eyes. "Because it can't be you."
His eyebrows arched. Last night she'd been tempting as she kissed him back. It took all of his self-control to keep his hands to himself. "Why?"
She played with a strand of her hair. "Itcan'tbe."
His heart constricted in his chest. Either she wasn't into him or she didn't take him seriously. "You said you had a crush on me and that I was your first kiss. How are these not signs for you?"
She shrugged. "Silly daydreams and heart-racing kisses don't equal true love with a happy-ever-after, and that is what I want."
He folded his hands on the table. The sweet taste of her lips tingled as the memory of her lips on his burned through him. He'd find a way to prove his feelings to her. "Why not?"
She reached for the bottle, but he said, "Let me."
He poured her more of the fruity red and as she accepted her glass, their fingers intertwined. Her lightest touch sent a jolt through him. "I always assumed I'd have what my parents have," she said.
He had to ensure nothing his father did haunted Alice or him from his grave. Perhaps he should have listened to her mother and kicked over the casket to see if Mitch was truly dead, but either way, he had to keep things slow with Alice until he knew she was safe.
He settled in his seat and decided he'd delay the rest of the conversation until later. "What is that?"
"My dad is a stable guy who never gets upset about anything. Colt is the same way." So in this logic, he wasn't stable. She continued like she hadn't said anything offensive. "I always assumed I'd find a no-drama type of guy to settle down with."
He reached for the badge that he no longer carried. Memories flooded him of people who acted like they were fine only to be arrested moments later. The air around him cracked and he shouldn't be here, but at no point in his life did anyone think him rash. He lifted his chin and asked, "I'm dramatic?"
She gulped her second glass of wine. He sat straighter, but didn't want to push her. She then said, "Your entire family is constantly in the headlines and supposedly someone wants you and anyone you love dead. So yeah, you qualify as dramatic."
It wasn't him, but the lifestyle he was born in. He couldn't change his past, but he had a say in his future. "You can't look beyond that?"
She sighed. "I'm with you right now because you think someone pointed a gun to my head."
The kisses hadn't registered as important enough. He'd have to test that. "That's it?"
She leaned closer. "John, you and I are not a long term thing. You're going to get bored and leave."
He settled his elbows on the table so they were eye to eye. "You have no faith in me."
She reached out and touched his arms. Electric bolts shot through him. She kept her voice low, "Don't take it like that."
