揊ine. What can it hurt? Let抯 cruise.?
Her smile hooks my gaze as we walk. I quicken our pace, leading her closer to Louis and the waiting car.
揇amn you! I told you for the last shitting time棓 A huge guy in a stained wife beater shirt comes barreling out of the last tent before the sidewalk, swinging a bottle of whiskey and waving his arms at someone else still inside. 揑抦 tired of this shit, you bitch. Try me again and I will burn this whole fuckin?place down.?
Dakota gasps and leans into me, damned near jumping into my arms.
I lock a protective arm around her.
揑t抯 okay. He抯 just drunk and angry. I抳e got you,?I whisper, picking up the pace as I shepherd her out of here.
I don抰 blame her for being scared, even if there抯 no direct threat.
It抯 nothing I haven抰 heard here before.
Life in the camp is hard. It抯 an explosive stew of hurt people, and a few of those people are one bad argument and too much booze away from violence.
I抦 almost dragging Dakota along with me. Three paces later, we抳e passed the guy, and I look back to make sure he isn抰 moving on whoever抯 inside that tent.
Sure, I mind my own business. Though if I thought he was putting anyone in danger, I抎 step in to stop it after a quick call to the police.
Dakota doesn抰 move away until we抳e reached the car, and I make no effort to let her go. Wyatt抯 words from earlier echo in my ears.
In an alternate universe where tonight was a date, this could be a chance for a life beyond work with a beautiful woman. Wyatt doesn抰 know she抯 also brilliant.
There抯 some truth to it, dammit.
Trouble is, it抯 the most dangerous truth. There are days when I wish I抎 lost my leg in Iraq instead of him.
Then I wouldn抰 have seen the ravages of love with Wyatt, with my mother, with Regina.
I wouldn抰 have taken a dagger in the back from someone who fed me poison from her lips wrapped in promises.
I love you, Lincoln. Now and forever.
My brain throbs, remembering the most toxic phrase of my fucking life.
I should just bring Dakota home. Call it a night and not indulge fantasies that can only grind what抯 left of me to a nub. But a promise is a promise, and I抳e always kept mine.
When we reach the car, I throw open the door for her.
揇o you see why you shouldn抰 follow me here alone now??I whisper gently once I抦 in the seat next to her.
揧-yeah. I抦 sorry,?she says glumly.
揟hat抯 not an I-told-you-so, Nevermore.?I抦 actually glad she followed me today. 揓ust a nasty reminder that this place can ambush you.?
She nods slowly. The soft city lamps catch her hair and light it like rose gold.
揑 get it. I抣l stop stalking you now.?
I give her a serious look.
揘o need to do anything so extreme.?
She smiles. 揑f I抦 not supposed to follow you here because it抯 unsafe…what抯 the alternative??
揘ext time, before you turn into the park, call me first. Tell me you抮e behind me,?I say.
揂nd you抣l do what? Give me a raise for eavesdropping??she jokes hopefully, raising her eyebrows.
揘ah. I抣l tell you to get lost or escort you in.?
揙h, Linc, you抮e hilarious tonight,?she says with a small snort.
揙nly Wyatt calls me that,?I growl.
揂nd me,?she says insistently.
Brave girl.
I pause to mull it over before I give her a firm look and say, 揙kay, Nevermore. And you. I suppose it抯 fair considering what I call you梐nd Linc is a big improvement on Captain Dipshit.?
Damn if we don抰 both laugh at that.
Damn if I don抰 fall deeper into her while her face screws up, her cheeks glow, and her green eyes catch this honest, happy fire that traps me in the sweetness that is Dakota Poe.
We drive around Seattle for over an hour梡robably to Louis?delight and fat overtime pay梐nd when I抦 out of places to show her, I take a chance and throw my cards on the table.
揇o you want to come back to my place for a glass of wine??
She gives me a worried look. I抦 about to tell her I misspoke when her lips turn up.
揑 dunno. Can you cook? I抦 about to gnaw my own arm off.?
揑 can order the finest takeout this city offers. Pizza or Thai??
揑 can do DoorDash on my own and you didn抰 answer my question,?she says with a smile. 揇o you cook??
I shift in my seat before I glare at her.
揊or you, Nevermore, I抣l surprise you.?That抯 putting it mildly. I haven抰 done a simple spaghetti aglio e olio in ages and hope I remember how.
Her laughter echoes through the back of the car.
揝o, that抯 a yes then? Linc, you抎 better wow me.?
Goddamn, do I want to.
And you抎 best believe I don抰 mean with food.
Dakota stands against my balcony railing, peering out at the night sky after dinner.
She sips from her wineglass when she抯 not wearing a permanent smile.
I抦 feeling mighty proud I put it there. Thank God I remembered how to make that stupid pasta without burning the garlic into a rancid mess.
Deciding to try my luck, I step up behind her, closing the space between us.
揊air is fair, Nevermore,?I say, feeling my blood heat when her eyes catch the city lights.
揥hat, you抮e asking me to cook for you now? I suppose it抯 a fair trade,?she says.
揗ight take you up on that someday, but that抯 not what I抦 getting at,?I tell her. 揧ou know who I gave the flowers to and why. When will you tell me who sent them??
She goes quiet, staring out over Puget Sound and the few pinprick lights from passing ships.
Fuck.
I don抰 want to ruin this, but I have to know.
揟hey抮e from my stalker,?she says finally, her eyes meeting mine. 揂nd not the fun kind who puts up with all of my crap and always breathes cinnamon rolls.?
揝omeone抯 stalking you for real??Everything inside me turns to steel as she nods. 揇akota, talk to me. I抣l get you a protection order ASAP.?
Hell, I抎 love to do more than that.
Like use every resource I have to hunt down whatever worthless ratfuck would do that to her, and have a nice, long talk with my fists.
I抦 not a violent man.
I抳e only lost control once.
It should say a lot that she brings out baser impulses I抳e tried to bury, searing my vision red every time I imagine her in danger. It should run me off.
But when she turns to face me fully, running is the last thing on my mind.
揕incoln, I don抰 think he抯 truly dangerous. Just really, really annoying. He won抰 give up. And I think he found some website to buy phone numbers by the boatload because every time I block one, he finds a new way to come at me,?she says glumly.
My jaw tightens.
Dangerous or not, that抯 not something any stable man would do.
I don抰 like the sound of this one fucking bit. Silencing a growl, I pull her into my arms.
揥ho are we talking about? A bad date? Some asshole ex-boyfriend??
She clutches her glass so hard I see her fingers go white.
揟he idiot who chickened out of marrying me.?She trembles slightly when she says it.
That only pisses me off more, turning the red I抦 already seeing into ruddy murder-darkness.
揥e抣l get a restraining order. They can cover digital harassment like the sort this little pissant is engaging in. Plus, if he抯 calling you from random numbers and sending shit to the office, it抯 a corporate security issue, too. I won抰 stand for having my people threatened and attacked at my workplace. It抯 a safe space. We can抰 let this go on.?
She shakes her head, her soft hair spilling down her shoulders against my hand.