Page 28 of Rescued Hearts

Honor grabbed a dishtowel and flung it at her, even as her stomach dipped with a mixture of excitement and something she couldn’t explain.

“C’mon, Honor. I know you were thinking the same thing when you were helping him make those earrings.”

Her sister knew her too well. She always thought they shared a similar taste in men…until Sully came into her life.

Now her nerves weren’t just about dinner with a gorgeous man. It was about the whole package, including this mysterious business deal.

“Where did you meet Gray, anyway?”

Her sister’s question caught her off guard. A shiver ran down her spine. She didn’t want to tell her that she thought she spotted Sully’s van on the street. At least not right now.

“You said it yourself—it’s a small town. You bump into someone twice and suddenly you’re going out to dinner. Now…what do I wear to this fancy restaurant?”

* * * * *

Gray stood outside the door of the house where Honor told him to pick her up. As he adjusted the tie his sister forced him to wear, he eyed the door handle. Handles like that had simple locks. Easily breached.

After seeing that flare of fear in her eyes when she admitted she thought she saw her ex in town, he didn’t like the thought of only a cheap lock between her and the man that put that fear in her.

He punched the doorbell and shifted from foot to foot as he waited for her to answer it. Feeling nervous was rare for him. He’d spent years facing danger and making split-second decisions—decisions that carried life-or-death consequences. One wrong move could be the end of the op, of his team, of him.

Something about Honor rattled him in a way he wasn’t used to. Waiting for her to open the door actually made his palms damp.

He brushed them on the legs of his trousers.

Just then, Honor opened the door. And oh god, she was breathtaking. In a flowing dress the color of red roses that skimmed her curves, she looked him over the same way he was gawking at her.

She stood in a ring of light inside the house. The glow kissed her pale waves and gave them a golden shimmer. Her blue eyes were warm and filled with curiosity as she took in his appearance.

Her lips curved in an appealing smile. “You clean up well.”

He exhaled a laugh. Several times now, he’d made the noise and that surprised him, given how rare it was to hear it from himself. It had been one hell of a long year.

“You sound shocked.”

“Not shocked. Just appreciating the effort.”

She gripped the door handle and threw a look over her shoulder. Through the opening, he saw that Felicity stood on the far side of the room. “Bye, sis. Lock up—I’ve got my key.”

Her sister tossed them a careless wave that was a little too calculated.

He cast a glance at their surroundings as he walked her to his truck and opened the door for her. As she climbed in, the hem of her dress hiked up her thighs and gave him a peek at the supple skin.

Damn.

He wanted those thighs wrapped around his ears as he tasted her sweetness. His gut clenched, and his cock jerked behind the fly of his fitted trousers.

Quickly, he shut the door and rounded the vehicle to jump behind the wheel. As soon as they were settled, he started the engine and backed out of the driveway, headed toward the restaurant.

He turned his head to look at her. The smile she threw his way put him at ease in a way he never really felt anymore. Not since before he joined the military. Hell, not even then, since his father made their growing-up years hell.

Honor had a calming effect on him, though, and he felt the tension trickle out of him.

“How did the earrings go over with your sister?”

Her question completely shattered any nerves left between them, and he felt himself relax, telling her how Willow reacted to receiving the gift.

They chatted easily all the way to the restaurant. He’d driven past Prairie Ember before plenty, but never eaten there. The outside had a rustic charm that Honor commented on as they strolled up to the entrance.

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