Page 9 of Pursuit of Honor

Especially since he didn’t know if he’d played his cards right last night. While he had played it cool with his friends, Law had basically failed at playing it cool with her. Trying to act like he wasn’t interested in her hadn’t even been an option because the moment he got her to smile, Law realized he was a goner. He typically didn’t fake his feelings with a woman, but he sure as hell wasn’t going to pretend with this girl in particular. Law had worked up the courage to approach her while she was surrounded by sisters who clearly wanted to dismiss him and every other guy at the bar. Then, he’d managed to get alone time with her and what had he done? Had he smooth talked her? Fuck no. He’d said what was on his mind, worn his heart on his sleeve like an idiot, and told her how special he thought she was. And she was special. Quirky, creative, seemingly content to do her own thing and just be herself. She was beautiful and smart and there was a depth to her that made him want to know everything about her. Although his attraction to her had been so strong that the anxiety had almost killed him, Law felt like he could talk about anything with her. Well, almost anything. His shitty home life didn’t need to be discussed.

“There you are. Hi, Law.”

At the sound of her voice, he turned around. Without taking a second to rethink, Law took off his sunglasses. He was that desperate to get another look at her. Another look at the woman who had made his heart stop beating last night. Then made it beat faster than it ever had.

Piper was a burst of color. A work of art. Bright red hair, dazzling green eyes, rosy, pink mouth, and creamy porcelain skin that looked so silky soft he ached to reach out and touch her. Not to mention her freckles that just added to her allure.

“Hey,” he said, his chest tightening as she approached him. She was lugging a bright blue bag.

“Need help?” he asked, stretching his arm out.

“Oh, no thank you,” she refused gently, her red curls bouncing as she shook her head. “Hope you didn’t get lost.”

“I’m a sailor. Navigation is kind of my thing,” he quipped.

“I’ll keep that in mind,” she replied as she tapped her temple. “Want to grab breakfast?”

He nodded, trying not to stare at the way her tight jeans accentuated the lines of her body. Piper was short but slender, her body more angular than curved. Not that he minded. Law had never really had a physical type, he just admired beauty when he saw it. And Piper possessed an alluring, natural beauty that made him want to look at her constantly.

“As long as I get to pay for your order,” he said.

She frowned. “I’m not a poor, starving artist anymore you know. I can pay my bills.”

“Piper, what kind of guy would I be if I didn’t pay for the first date?”

“Oh, so we’re on a date?” she asked, smiling in that way that made her scrunch up her nose. Getting a smile out of her this quickly made his heart hammer against his ribcage. “And a first date at that. Does this mean I have to hold you to a second date?”

“You don’t need to hold me to anything or convince me, darlin’. I’m all in for date number two.” Crap, he was doing it again. Just saying exactly what he was thinking. Not that he held back when he was pursuing a woman, but he’d never been this certain, this early on that he’d want a second date.

Her green eyes lit up and her smile widened. “You know what I like about you? You’re so plainspoken. Where are you from?”

That comment caught him off guard for a second. Law hadn’t expected her to say that she liked something about him. Piper was totally unpredictable, and he was starting to figure out that was one of the things he liked about her.

He chuckled in surprise at the sudden switch in subject matter. Looked like he was going to have to be prepared for whatever Piper wanted to throw at him. Because it was clear that she was different. Shy, yet artsy and free-spirited. His complete opposite. They couldn’t be any more different with his military discipline and her artistic sensibilities. Though, Law realized that there was something they had in common. Like him, she did not blend into a crowd, and it wasn’t just her red hair that made her stand out. It was everything about her. There was an air about her, as if she was dancing to the beat of her own drummer and no one else’s. Which probably explained why she’d chosen an unconventional career. Why she was not only different from her sisters, but unconventional compared to all the people around her.

“I’m from Iowa,” he told her.

“Where the corn comes from?”

“Yeah, we have a lot of corn,” he said, holding back a laugh. Best to follow her mind wherever it wanted to go even when it went to unexpected places. Like Iowa. “You sure you don’t need help carrying your stuff?”

“Oh no, I can manage,” she assured him. “But if you could hold something else I’d really appreciate it.”

“Yeah, sure, anything. Just name it.”

Silently, she slipped her hand in his. It took him a second to realize what was happening since he was still looking at her face, noticing the way her cheeks turned pink as their hands connected. She wanted him to hold her hand. There hadn’t been any pretext or mind games to play, she’d just done it.

“If you insist on paying for breakfast, I’m paying for our bus ticket to the science academy,” she said. “Deal?”

“Best I can do is hold your hand,” he told her.

“I think that’s a pretty good deal,” she said, her smile so dazzling that it nearly knocked him off his feet.

Typically at this stage, Law would be rolling out of a woman’s bed after a one-night stand. But somehow, he didn’t think he could stand for this to be a one and done situation. Not with someone like Piper. Which meant that there were two options: There would either be no sex at all to spare them both the pain of the inevitable separation on Monday. Or if they did have sex, one time wouldn’t be enough. Looked like this was going to be an all or nothing kind of deal.

Either way, willpower was his only chance to resist because just the thought of only having her once was already killing him. If he refrained from having sex with her, at least he’d never discover the full extent of what he was missing out on. No sex meant that in the future, he could pretend this weekend was a figment of his imagination. An incredible memory he could pull out during the quiet nights when he was on watch duty. A memory he could put away when remembering Piper and the way she made him feel hurt too damned much.

They only had the weekend. Wanting more was a stupid pipe dream. His mind knew better than to desire more than two dates with her. His mind knew better, but the rest of him didn’t. Instinctively he squeezed her hand, signaling that she was safe with him. Her hand was small and also surprisingly soft for someone who made pottery. She squeezed back, making his heart pound. If he hadn’t known he was a goner before, Law was sure of it now.