“I’m in Washington.”
There was another pause. “D.C.? Why’s that?”
“I’m not sure. I have a meeting with Hendrix in the morning.” I didn’t want to keep secrets from him. “Do you think this is part of your eval?”
“It’s possible. They know we’refriends.”
He put extra emphasis on the wholly inadequate label I’d given him in front of my dad, and—oh, I definitely deserved that.
I fidgeted with the pillow on the empty side of my bed. “Can I see you after? You want to grab dinner?”
I held my breath as I awaited his answer and tried not to feel like the boy-crazed teenager I’d once been.
Thankfully, he didn’t make me wait. “Yeah, we could do that.”
42
ETHAN
I stoodby the hostess stand of the restaurant, having spotted Olivia sitting at the bar as she waited for me. She wore a red shirt that hung off one shoulder and a pair of dark jeans, her hair down and beautiful. She’d gone back to her original dark hair that I liked better. And she had make-up on, like she wanted to look her best for me.
I could hardly stand it.
She was oblivious to me, but not to the guy sitting beside her. They seemed to be having a conversation about why her arm was in a cast. He was probably a nice enough guy, and I couldn’t blame him for trying, but shit. She was hopelessly out of my league, and most definitely out of that guy’s. It was cute until he leaned subtly toward her.
There was that strange possessive streak again, the one that had first appeared in South Africa. It drew me out of the crowded area and into the bar, so she could see all six-foot-seven of me. There was a flash in her eyes, more than just simple recognition. A single look that told me she was mine, which—thank fuck.
She was definitely stuck with me now.
“Hi,” she said when I came closer. “How’d your thing go?”
The friendly guy took one look at me, mumbled something about seeing his friend, and scurried away.
I moved to take the seat the guy had vacated. “It was fine. And yours?” Before she could answer, I changed my mind and stayed on my feet. “You know what? Hold that thought.”
I cupped her cheek, tilting her head up as I bent down and claimed her lips with mine.
This was the kiss I’d been sitting on since Landstuhl. It caught her by surprise, but she didn’t push me away. Instead, she melted into the kiss. She let out a sigh that seemed to be relief, and her warm, soft lips moved with mine, like she was just as eager to have this connection as I was. Perhaps even more.
When her tongue slid into my mouth and her hand curled around my neck, urging me to kiss her harder, alarms went off in my head. Public place. Not a good idea to get turned on right now.
Soon. Just not right now.
She looked woozy when our kiss ended, and, even though she was seated, she latched on to the bar to steady herself. I felt a smile spread across my face as I sat on the empty stool beside her, then gestured to her drink. Not bourbon, but beer.
“Osterhägen?” I asked, amused.
She shrugged. “It was on tap.”
The hostess approached and directed us to our table, and once Olivia was seated across from me, I couldn’t wait any longer. “Can I ask what your meeting was about?”
Her gaze dropped to her menu that lay flat on the table. That wasn’t a good sign.
My mouth went dry. “Olivia.”
“You’re not going to like it.” She lifted her gaze to mine, her expression anxious. “Hendrix wants to recruit me.”
“Recruit you? To the company?” It took me a long moment to digest it, and I frowned. “You’re right, I don’t like it.”
