The words were spoken deep and evenly, and came with such a punch that Kate gaped for a second. "Well, it's my book, so . . . I'd like it back."
As he stood and removed the book from his waistband, she stepped back. It looked so small in his big hands. He stared at the cover a long moment, then did the same with her. Kate's throat went dry. What the hell was he thinking?
"We're going to eat," he told her. "Watch the sun set. And then I'm going to readHighlander's Harlot, to you in my best Scottish accent."
Her mouth fell open. The romantic-loving girl inside of her squealed with pleasure. Then she saw the corner of his mouth twitch. Bastard!
Devin laughed and tossed her the book. She caught it. "Real funny," she said, glaring as her stomach went feather-light at the transformation on his face. The grin was blinding and sexy as hell.
"And you're way too easy." He sat on the blanket and rooted inside the basket.
Off balance yet again and more humiliated than she had when he first saw the book, Kate didn't appreciate being made fun off, or being the butt of his joke. And more than anything she didn't like the way she'd reacted to his sexy words and smile. "Who knew you had a sense of humor," she said petulantly, plopping down on the blanket.
Devin shrugged. "It happens. Rarely these days, but it happens."
Well great. It was hard to stay mad at him when he put it like that. She knew he'd had a hell of a time, and him finding laughter where he could, well, she couldn't fault him for that. Though, still. At her expense—not so great.
"Sorry," he said as if reading her mind. "You're wound so tight, Kate." He bit into a roast beef sandwich. "It's like a—" he glanced at the water for a second— "siren's call. Can't resist."
Her eyes rolled. "I'm not the only one wound up tight. You just show it differently."
"How so?" he asked, mouth full.
"You wear your silence like a suit of armor. Makes you seem unapproachable. You're locked up tight, too, and don't let your guard down." She thought of the times she'd been witness to just that. "Often," she amended.
He popped the cork to the wine. "Fair enough."
She rose to her knees, leaned forward, and retrieved the glasses from the strap inside the basket and held them out to be filled. "Can I ask you something?"
"Sure."
She handed him his glass after he corked the bottle. "Were you always like that? Quiet, I mean."
After taking a drink, he set the glass on top of one of the plastic containers. The dogs had taken up residence by the fire. "You mean before the military?" Kate nodded. "Yeah. Was usually the more quiet one of the bunch, but . . . war . . . it made me more so I guess. It's like you're living in a bubble." He grabbed a stick and poked at the fire. "Every day might be your last or the guy's next to you or all of you for that matter. So it dials you in, nothing else factors in but your job, and your men, and you learn to shut out a lot of stuff."
She was a little shocked he'd said so much about it. "I guess that makes it hard. To come back and relate to our world."
"Right. And those guys that did their job next to you, that held you together, they're not there anymore. You're on your own."
"It must help to have Ian."
Devin nodded. "I have a tight family. I have all this," he gestured to the scenery around him. "I have my girl," he said, smiling, reaching over to give Hildie a good scratch, his words filled with so much love it made Kate's heart trip. Terry nosed his way closer. "And my boy," Devin added, giving Terry some love too. "You guys just want scraps, don't you?"
They did, of course, but Kate could see they'd be equally fine with Devin's attention.
"Just don't give them the cake."
His eyes went wide. "There's cake?"
With a laugh, she gestured to the basket. "In the container with the red lid."
Devin dug into the basket. "Chocolate. And they're big pieces. God, I love Fran. Here," he said, scooting closer and handing her a plastic fork. "Hold out your plate."
Kate moved closer. "They really want to see you settled, huh?"
Mouth full, he grunted in the affirmative.
She pulled the fork past her lips, making sure to get all the icing off. "Hmm. And apparently they think I'm perfect for you," she said with a smile. "Who knew?"
