Page 28 of Shielding Instinct

If all that was true, it must mean she was testing the waters for something more. It meant she knew he liked her.

He didn’tlikeher. This was something else. It was a crazy sensation that he couldn’t identify.

She washis.

He stilled with the thought. And rejected it. It was a big leap from morning-stranger tothatthought. Besides,hiswas possessive, and that’s never how he thought of a woman.

She clicked with him.

Yeah, that was a better way to put it. Something slid into place, clicked, and felt like it was going to hold.

He was glad that he’d had his head down during that revelation. Hawkeye didn’t need Petra to read any of those thoughts in his eyes.

“You know, Hermione and Matilda both remind me of my sister Cora,” he ventured. “When we get back to D.C., I’ll introduce you two. I think you’ll get along well.” He waited, but when Petra didn’t say anything, he lifted his gaze from the phone and focused on her. “I think you got off okay with Hermione Perdita. There was always Fallstaff or Florizel.”

Petra laughed. “Florizel sounds like a brand of toothpaste. That would be bad.”

“Imogen?”

“Sounds like imagine.” Her voice drifted off. “I actually rather like that.”

He wiggled his phone at her. “Here we go, Hermione traits.” He looked down to read. “Virtuous, dignified, and patient.”

“I don’t really identify with the Hermione character in this story. I’m not an impatient person, but I’m not someone who sits around waiting for things to happen either.”

“Are you also saying you’re undignified?” he asked.

“On occasion, when called for, yes.”

“Virtuous?” His brows went up.

“Sounds like something aspirational rather than something that someone could accomplish, you know, like a phrase in an obituary. And since my experience today—”

“To me, it conjures the idea of being cloistered and reaching for perfection,” Hawkeye cut her off. Yeah, her mentioning an obituary was a sharp twist in his gut. “St. Mary, for example. Mother Theresa.”

“They’re not on my aspirations list. Showing up and doing the right thing seems more doable.”

Hawkeye went back to his phone. “I’m looking at the characteristics list for Perdita. They are…intelligent, practical, and noble, with a maturity beyond her years. Loyal and romantic.” He looked her way. “Are you romantic?”

“Mmm, You?” Petra asked in response, not answering his question.

“I guess that depends on how you define romantic.”

“I define it as someone thinking about the other person, wanting to make them feel special and cared for by preparing something specifically for them. If they like surprises, then a surprise. If they hate surprises, make sure everything is spelled out and predictable. That takes knowing the other person and carving out a gesture precisely for them.”

“Do you like surprises?” Hawkeye asked.

“As a general rule, not at all. Everything about this trip from Tamika’s norovirus onward has been a steady stream of surprising events. Do I love it? No. Can I cope? Probably.”

“My takeaway from this conversation is that when we’re home in D.C. . . .”

She canted her head, a question in her eye.

“You gave the nurse your home address,” he reminded her.

“Mystery solved. Yes, that’s right, I did.”

“When we’re home in D.C., and I invite you for a date, you prefer that I walk you through all the things you should expect in advance so you’re dressed properly and prepared with whatever you like to have with you,” Hawkeye said and he was rewarded with a gentle smile.

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