Page 51 of Iron Hearts

“I had a hard time, too,” I said softly, and he reached out and threaded his fingers between mine.

“Can’t say I’m terribly sad about that,” he said softly and I smiled.

We took up walking again, over the grass and the permanent structure of a pedestrian bridge over the trench of the old, but empty moat.

“Me either,” I confessed and he flashed a grin and raised my hand to his lips, pressing a kiss to the back of it that made all sorts of butterflies take off in my stomach.

“You’re not worried I’m too young for you?” I asked after a few steps.

“You worried about what people might think?” he asked.

“Of you, not me,” I said. “Someone sees an older guy with a younger woman and they don’t think ‘stud’anymore,” I sighed. “They think‘predator.’”

He laughed at that and plucked at his leather vest, lifting it off his chest and letting it fall back down.

“They already look at me and think ‘predator,’ and they aren’t necessarily wrong about that fact.”

I bowed my head and thought about that for a minute and said, “I’m not really sure what I’m doing,” I said, “but…” I trailed off, trying to get my thoughts in order.

“But?” he prompted finally, and it was gentle in such a way that I felt comfortable finishing my thought.

“I can see your point,” I said finally. “I mean, maybe I used to think that myself – which I admit now, was totally biased and unfair!” I rushed out. “You definitely schooled me different. I hope you can forgive me for ever thinking that way about you.”

He pulled me into a hug then and kissed the top of my hair.

“You’ll find I can forgive a lot of things, baby girl – but that one? No harm, no foul.”

I looked up at him, stiff in his embrace at first, simply because it was so new, but eventually, I felt myself relaxing. I put my chin on his chest and stared up into his hazel eyes and asked out of morbid curiosity, “What are the unforgiveable sins, then?”

“Lying,” he said evenly. “Cheating. Not asking for help when you need it. Not taking care of yourself,” he added after a pause to think.

“What like not drinking enough water?” I asked teasingly.

“And not eating regular and healthy meals, getting enough exercise,” he said without a hint of joking. “See also, not asking for help when you need it – there’s more to keeping yourself healthy than keeping your body healthy.”

I blinked at him and drew my head back saying, “You’re being serious.”

He nodded and said, “I am.”

I felt a little thrill go down my spine and stammered a bit as I asked, “Are you – is this you like, legit asking me out?”

His serious look dropped and his smile took its place.

“If I was?” he asked, and I could tell he was being cautious.

Honestly? Same.

I blinked again and said, “I would have to think about it.”

He nodded and said, “I ain’t going anywhere. You take as long as you need to think about it and I’ll be here.” He let me go except for the fingertips of my right hand and stepped back to give me some breathing room.

“You promise?” I asked hesitantly, surprised at myself for feeling a little bereft at the distance he’d put between us.

He cocked his head and searched my face and nodded, “I promise, baby girl,” he said.

I swallowed hard, unsure why I’d even asked that, but grateful that he didn’t laugh or make fun of me for it.

“Come on,” he said, shaking my hand just a bit, “I wanna show you something about this place before they close it.”

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