“Who else would do it?” I open her door for her and she slides in.
“I’m sure there are many women who’d offer.”
“I notice you haven’t jumped up wanting to do it.”
“We hardly know each other.” She smirks. “Doing someone’s laundry is pretty intimate.”
“Do we have everything we need for dinner?”
“I think so. Why?”
“Do we have time to make a stop somewhere?”
“Where?”
“You’ll see.”
I catch the way her lips press together. Then she lets out a breath. “Okay, fine.”
I repress my smile.
“Dinner won’t be anything fancy. A quick stir-fry.”
“I’m not a picky eater. And I do try to eat healthy. As a SEAL, we had a pretty strict diet.”
She blinks. “Really?”
“Yeah. Limiting processed foods, lots of fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains. Lots of carbs and protein, low fat. Our physical activities were pretty intense, and we needed to fuel our bodies. Maintain and rebuild muscle.”
“Hmm. I guess that’s true. For some reason I thought you were a burgers and fries kind of guy.”
“Because I took you to Benny’s that day at the beach?”
“I guess so.”
“Shame on you, forming an impression on that one time.”
“You’re right.”
“Nothing wrong with a good burger once in a while. Emphasis on the ‘good.’ If you’re gonna eat junk food, it better taste damn good so you can enjoy the hell out of it.”
She relaxes back into the leather seat, the wind tossing her hair around, a smile beneath her sunglasses. “I’m enjoying the hell out of this ride.”
“Oh, baby. Saying things like that will get you ridden hard. Later.”
Her cheeks turn pink.
“I was thinking about you last night. Were you thinking about me?”
Her hesitation is barely obvious. “Yes.”
“Excellent.”
I pull into a parking lot in the Gaslamp District. Hayden sends me a questioning look as we each open our doors and climb out. I take her hand and lead her to the sidewalk and then down 5th Avenue to Bisou.
“What is this?” She slants me a look as I hold open the door for her.
“Bisou. A lingerie store. It’s where I bought those panties.”