Page 10 of A Very Grumpy Marine

“What do you want from me?” She asks me seriously and I shift as I study her.

“I just want you,” I say finally.

“Why?”

“Why wouldn’t I? You’re gorgeous and smart. You’re strong, and we’re meant to be.”

“Why are you so sure of that? How can you be when we just met this morning?”

“I just am. I learned to trust my gut when I was in the Marines, and it hasn’t steered me wrong. My gut is telling me that you and I are meant to be.”

“What if your gut is wrong?”

“It’s not. It never has been before.”

“There’s a first time for everything.”

“Not this.”

“Love at first sight isn’t real,” she tells me.

“I thought that too, but now I know that it is.”

We study each other for a beat, and I wonder what she’s going to say next, but before she can, her phone rings.

“It’s Lilou. I’m running late,” she says.

“I guess we better go then.”

She groans but doesn’t argue as I lead her over to my car and open the passenger door for her.

“Where are we going?” I ask her as I climb behind the wheel.

“Just in town. It’s a place called Toasty Bun Burgers.”

“Sounds good,” I remark as I put it into my phone for directions.

We start to drive, and I reach over and intertwine our fingers. She looks at me out of the corner of her eye, and I just smirk as I drive us towards town.

“What do you do for a living?” I ask.

“I’m a location scout for a production company.”

“For real?” I ask in surprise, and she nods.

“Yeah.”

“That’s so cool! How did you get into that?”

She tells me about starting out as an intern and working her way up. She’s obviously smart and a hard worker.

We pull into the burger joint parking lot, and I park and hop out to open Lymric’s door for her.

“Thanks.”

“My pleasure.”

I take her hand, and we head up to the front door.

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