Page 15 of Just For Me
This time there was no mistaking the heat in his eyes. No man had ever looked at me like that. “I certainly hope not.”
Dinner was absolutely amazing, and what was even more amazing?Nick. He was everything I’d imagined in my fantasies and so much more. He was smart and funny and kind, and we justclicked. We talked for hours and I don’t think I’d ever felt more at ease with anyone in my life.
When we couldn’t eat another bite, we packed up the leftovers together, having to get a bit creative to fit them all in my fridge. Thankfully, his sense of spatial perception was superior to mine. We made another pot of coffee – decaf – and were sitting on the couch when he suddenly grew serious.
“I’m having a wonderful time with you, Kat.”
“Good,” I told him. “Me, too.”
“But I need to be honest with you.”
That lovely, bubbly feeling started to fade, and my over-full belly churned in concern as I started imagining what might put those frown lines between his dark, beautiful eyes. “You mean you haven’t been?” I asked carefully.
“No, I have.” He ran his hand through his hair, and I realized that he must do it often, because it explained the way it always had that just-loved look. “Everything I’ve told you has been absolutely true, but in the interest of full disclosure...”
My stomach fell even further. “Yes?”
“I was in the Marines.”
“Okay.” I hadn’t known that, but it wasn’t really shocking, either. More than once I’d thought he had the body and overall bearing of someone who’d spent time in the military. I still didn’t see what the issue could be, though.
“And I sustained an injury while on active duty. One serious enough that I had to separate from the Corps.”
“Okay.”
“I lost part of my leg. I wear a prosthetic.”
I stared at him, silently urging him to get on with it. When he didn’t say anything for several minutes, I prompted, “And...?”
He blinked. “And I thought you should know that. Just in case it made a difference.”
It was then I realized just how worried he’d been about what I thought. My heart ached a little.
“It doesn’t.”
“Okay. But if it did—-”
“Itdoesn’t.”
“Okay. Well, good.”
“But I am glad you told me. Like I said, it doesn’t matter to me, but it might have been awkward the first time I saw you with your pants off.”
He choked on his coffee, and I smirked. I was different with him, and I loved it. “What? Don’t tell me I shocked Nick Penn, romance writer extraordinaire.”
“This boldness is a whole new side of you, Kat.” His dark eyes filled with heat. And promise. “I like it.”
“Good,” I told him, unable to stop the blush I knew was rising. “Because if you’re half as good at making love as you are about writing it, you’ll be seeing a lot of it.”
Epilogue: Nick
Icouldn’t help but smile at the pretty blush coloring Kat’s cheeks. She wasn’t used to such a loud, boisterous gathering, but there was no way to avoid it, not with my family.
This was the first time I’d brought her to Sunday dinner at the restaurant, though she’d met a few of them already. I’d thought introducing her to thefamigliawas something best done in small doses. She already knew my grandparents from the bookstore, and, of course, Vinnie and Sofia. Over the course of the last few weeks, she’d met my parents, Paulie, Dom, and Gina as well.
My sisters flanked her now, having used my brief absence to the restroom as a chance to move in closer. I recognized it for what it was: a protective move, meant to surround Kat with people she knew and provide deflection should it be necessary. My cousins Valentina and Corina were notorious gossips, and considered no question, no matter how personal or intimate, off-limits.
Kat turned my way and caught me staring. It wasn’t the first time. Ilikedlooking at her, seeing her smile, hearing her laugh. Seeing her here, in the midst of the most important people in my life, gave me a sense of utter completeness I hadn’t known possible.
