Page 30 of Taylor’s Warrior

The first course arrived and it tasted as delicious as she’d hoped—the peppers were relatively mild, adding just enough heat to the dish to stimulate her taste buds, while the toasted seeds added a hint of crunch. The saltiness of the cheese could have overwhelmed all of it, but was balanced to perfection.

“You look as if you’re enjoying that,” Rhys commented once they were both a few mouthfuls in.

“It’s amazing. How are the potstickers?”

She’d been tempted by the beef short rib-stuffed delicacies herself, and having watched Rhys devour three of them, she was pretty sure he was happy with his choice.

“Good. Caroline was right about this place. Are you glad we came out now?”

Taylor feigned ambivalence for a moment, then capitulated. “Yes. I mean, the chances of anything happening here have to be slim to none, right?”

“The odds are in our favor, yes. Coming all the way here could be viewed as overkill, but then again, there are backup resources here that we don’t have access to back home.”

His phrasing aroused her curiosity. “You think of Texas as home already?”

Rhys shrugged. “Yes—and no. My real home is and always will be in Wales, but for now, I’m happy to call Texas home. I’ve called a lot of places home over the years.”

She could imagine—he’d been in the military, after all. “You’ve traveled a lot then?”

“Wherever they saw fit to send me. I’ve seen a fair amount of the world; not all of it would have been by choice, but orders are orders. Unlike Texas. Coming here was my decision.”

And Taylor was deeply glad he’d made it. Had he not, someone else would be sitting opposite her, and she wouldn’t be anywhere near as contented as she was right now.

“Now what’s brought that smile on?” he asked, one eyebrow raised. “Can’t be anything to do with my decision to come here, surely?”

“Of course not,” she dismissed, hoping the little lie wouldn’t add an undue amount of color her cheeks. “You’ve been here, what? Two months now?”

“Neat sidestep. Thereabouts,” he replied easily.

“Do you think you’ll stay?”

More invested in the answer than she would have thought possible, she blurted out the question without thinking.

His eyes narrowed a touch, accompanying a brief crease between his brows, as if puzzled by her interest. “Too soon to say. Besides, there’s staying… and there’s staying.”

Now it was her turn to be mystified. “What does that mean?”

“Nosy.” He chuckled. “It means I’m staying for now. I’ve no plans to return to the UK for the short-to-medium term.”

“And the long-term?”

“Who knows?” He shrugged. “The future is notoriously difficult to predict. What’s the matter? Trying to find out when I’ll be out of your hair?”

There was no malice in the question—if anything, he seemed to be teasing her. She responded in kind, using humor to mask her disquiet at the thought of him no longer playing a role of any kind in her life. “Hmm, let me think.”

“No need. I’ll save you the trouble of making a decision—answer not required. Besides, I don’t think my fragile male ego could take the truth.” He raised an eyebrow, while his lips quirked into an attractive smile.

“Fragile?” She feigned a choking sound to convey her disbelief. “I don’t think so.”

There was nothing fragile about the man, least of all his ego. How could something that didn’t even exist be fragile? What he possessed in its place was a quiet confidence that was extremely appealing. She’d wanted to kiss him for so long, and in that instant, she made her decision.

Tonight was the night.

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After two incredible courses, all Taylor could manage was a cup of coffee to finish the meal. While she enjoyed one of the restaurant’s specialty beverages, she noted that Rhys took his black, as he always did.

“I have to admit this was a good idea,” she said, having drained the last mouthful of caffeinated deliciousness from her cup. “Caroline has excellent taste.”