Page 4 of Pursuit of Honor

“Piper, you’re not the type to want a one-night stand,” Sage reminded her.

“That’s for sure,” Brooklyn chimed in, making Piper remember all the times she’d cried over a guy who never called back. “You’re the one who said you wanted a steady boyfriend, remember?”

“Especially with Valentine’s Day coming up, that should remind you that want something serious,” Sage said.

Piper felt her heart clench. “Valentine’s Day...”

Sage arched a slender, perfectly plucked eyebrow. “Don’t tell me you’d forgotten?”

She hadn’t. Quite the opposite. Piper had gotten the annual reminder that Valentine’s Day was fast approaching. Valentine’s Day wishes filled her inbox, to the point that year after year, she’d learned to dread the holiday that forced her to recognize how hopelessly single she was. Every bouquet of roses on sale at the supermarket reminded her that she’d never had a steady boyfriend this time of year. The lovey-dovey e-cards the couples in her social circles exchanged in her artist group chat made her feel so lonely. Worse were those heart-shaped cookies and lollipops that local kids sold because they just made her think back to high school.

Most of her classmates in high school had gotten cards and gifts from their admirers. Except for the awkward students like Piper, who had been a shy yet artsy kid back in the day. Her mop of orange curls, freckles, and mouthful of braces probably hadn’t helped in the dating department. Which meant no boyfriends in high school, and no long-term relationships since college. In her entire life, she’d probably had a boyfriend for a total of one Valentine’s Day holiday. This year, like most years, she didn’t have anyone to spend the romantic day with, and she wished that she did have a special someone like her sisters did.

“No, I hadn’t forgotten about Valentine’s Day,” she finally said, fighting to keep the emotion out of her voice.

It was silly to care so much about her love life. Having a boyfriend wasn’t the most important thing in the world, especially since she loved her job, adored her friends, and had a family she wouldn’t trade for anything, despite some of the friction between them. Plus, it was foolish to have the same longing she’d experienced in high school. At twenty-four, she was way too old to wonder when a boy would metaphorically ask her to slow dance. Unfortunately, her heart wasn’t interested in listening to good sense. Piper longed for the kind of romance that her parents shared. A love so strong they’d weathered a long-distance marriage and were blissfully happy together now that her father was home for retirement. Her parents were on a second honeymoon as far as they were concerned. Not to mention, Brooklyn was married and Sage had been dating the same great guy for years. Only Piper knew what it was like to have to go on a series of first dates that inevitably went nowhere. She was unlucky in love. It was just that simple.

“Listen, even though you don’t have a boyfriend right now, you should have a Valentine’s date lined up at least,” Brooklyn said. “Check one of your dating apps.”

Piper sighed, feeling glum. “Would a guy really want Valentine’s Day as a first date?”

“He would if he was serious,” Sage said. “Which is what you want.”

“Right. A serious prospect,” Piper said, wondering if she could ever have the committed stability and the passionate romance that she craved deep down. “Not an exciting fling with a sailor.”

“Guess that’s my cue to leave.”

The rumble of a deep baritone followed by a chuckle made Piper’s hand fly to her chest. Her heart skipped a beat when she saw the blond-haired sailor stop at their table, right behind Sage.

WITHOUT THINKING PIPER cried out, “What? No. Don’t leave.” She sounded so shrill and desperate to her own ears that she cringed, then took a moment to clear her throat, sip her drink, and compose herself. Oh crap, how long had he been standing there unnoticed? How much of their conversation had he overheard? More than enough based on his opening comment.

In that moment, Piper wished the ceiling would fall on top of her and save her from utter embarrassment.

Both of her sisters looked stunned, Brooklyn’s mouth falling open while Sage gasped in shock at the sailor’s unexpected presence.

“Don’t want me to leave? Alright. Whatever a lady asks for, a lady gets,” the blond stranger drawled, his gray eyes meeting hers.

Piper’s face burned. The way he blatantly appraised her without pretending otherwise or trying to play it cool. With an interest that was closer to fascination than anything unsettling. She sensed that he meant her no harm—at least for now—mostly because even though his mouth formed a hard, firm line that made her shiver with desire, she could tell by his eyes that he wanted to smile. Leaving no doubt that her sisters had been right. He had noticed her. It wasn’t all in her head.

“Well, since you’re here, aren’t you going to sit down?” Brooklyn asked, finally able to talk again.

“Have to be invited first,” he replied, acting as if he’d been invited to walk up to them. Though, now that Piper was thinking about it, she supposed she sort of had invited him over from the way she’d gazed at him. For the first time in her life, she’d managed to signal that she wanted to talk to a guy without her usual awkwardness getting in the way.

“Yes. Please, sit,” Piper stammered, still tongue-tied.

He pulled out the empty seat beside her, moving with a masculine grace she’d rarely seen before. Every movement was precise yet authoritative. The blond exuded an effortless, unaffected confidence. As he sat down next to her, she felt his leg brush against hers. Even from that single brush of contact, she sensed how powerful he was underneath that uniform. She trembled. If he noticed her reaction to him, he didn’t let on as he held his hand out.

“I’m Jonathan Lawrence, U.S. Navy,” he said, introducing himself. “You can call me Law.”

“Law.” She liked how strong and simple his name sounded as she said it. Brief and to the point. “Nice to meet you.”

His large, calloused hand enveloped hers so completely that she knew instantly that this wasn’t the type of man to be messed with. And yet, she felt as if she was safe with him somehow. Piper didn’t know how she could tell that he was closer to a protector than a threat—maybe it was from the way his other hand touched hers as he gently trapped her hand between his. An electrical charge went through her at the contact, setting off a chain reaction inside her that felt like fireworks going off one after the other. Her heart fluttered at the sensation of his fingertips lightly brushing against her wrist so intimately that he must have been able to feel her pulse accelerating. His other hand reinforced the strength and security of the handshake, followed by a press of his fingers against her skin that signaled something else. Longing? A yearning so desperate that the barest touch of skin was enough for him.

The handshake only lasted a few seconds, but it might as well had gone on for eternity based on the way he gazed at her. Law’s eyes held hers, drew her in as she found herself drowning in the molten silver of their depths. Breathless, Piper had to force herself to inhale as he reluctantly released his hold on her hand.

“I was just joking about leaving, by the way,” he said. “You were obviously talking about a different sailor.”

Piper’s mind went blank. He was so gorgeous that she’d forgotten what she and her sisters had even been talking about. “A different sailor?”