Page 19 of Avery's Hero

A growl tries to rumble in my chest, but I clamp down tight on it. “What’s it going to be?” I half grumble.

With a quirked eyebrow, she tosses the menu on the table. “Okay. Let’s do that. I’m going to work on this trust thing. I trust you to pick out something I’ll love.”

I grin at her across the old battered table. “This should be easy.”

Her voice rises as she crosses her arms. “Oh really?”

“Yep.”

Sounding doubtful, she stares at me. “Why is that?”

“Because I remember what you ordered on our one and only date.”

“We had appetizers.”

I shrug. “Doesn’t matter. I still know what you like and don’t like.”

“Okay, big shot. Let’s see what you’ve got.”

Avery’s not prepared to see what I’ve got…

A cock that’s rock hard and a hunger for her that obliterates all reason.

CHAPTER SIX

When the server appears, Brock politely greets her with that direct but friendly manner he has. He must be a regular here. She knows his name. Without needing to look at the menu, he orders a double jalapeño burger, and Thai Chicken Burger with mild heat.

The young woman looks at him with the whole damned galaxy shining in her eyes.

Yep. He’s hot. Every woman in the place knows it. Chief Mitchell is probably the talk of the town. Especially since the news is talking about his promotion in the former chief’s absence.

After fanning herself with her notepad, she hurriesaway. I suppress my groan. When I look back at Brock he’s got a satisfied grin on his face. “So, how did I do?”

I give him a little eye-roll, but I’m smiling because I’m impressed. “Maybe you did okay. Obviously, Monica the waitress thought you were amazing.”

That makes him laugh. It’s a deep, warm sound that reaches all the way to my toes. “I didn’t notice Monica. But, I was right, wasn’t I? You don’t like beef.”

I fold my arms and rest my chin on my hands, fascinated to see how he came up with this idea. “You are right, but how did you know?”

“When we hadourone and onlydate, you completely skipped the appetizer list that had beef and went right to the chicken. You ordered something that was a little spicy, but not nuclear, even though you had the option. While we were chatting, you commented on how good the Thai place down the street was.”

I’m more than a little baffled. My eyebrows are halfway to my hairline. “You sure you don’t have a photographic memory?”

“I remembered because I was interested in you.”

Heat blooms somewhere in my bra and creeps up my face. “That made two of us. I… I just couldn’t take the heat.”

He leans back, stretching his right arm out along the bench seat. The material of his sleeve pushes up and reveals more of his tattoo. The way the ink stretches over his biceps makes my knees feel all tingly.

Because the booth suddenly feels claustrophobic, I change the subject.

“You served in the Marines?”

He nods, a look of pride fills his eyes as he takes a breath. “Seven years.”

“What made you get out?”

“Tamara and Lincoln needed me. It’s hard being the wife of a Marine with a young child. It had a huge effect on her.”

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