Page 21 of Rescuing Brinley

“So is my mom. Relax, Brinley. I’m not going to call her tonight and buy her a plane ticket to Fiji to meet you. I’m just saying that when you do meet her, she’s gonna be thrilled to know you.”

He wanted to continue the conversation—hell, he could’ve talked to Brinley all night—but his watch vibrated with an incoming message. Looking down at his wrist, he saw a text from Zero, letting him know that it was almost his turn to be on guard.

It was hard to believe so much time had gone by. He felt awful that he’d kept Brinley up so late. “Shit, I had no idea we’d been out here talking for so long. I need to get back to the resort.”

“Everything okay?”

“Yeah, I just need to relieve my teammates. We take turns being on watch.”

“Oh. I’ve really enjoyed being out here and getting some fresh air.”

“Same.”

They stood, and Shadow kept Brinley’s hand in his as they walked back down the beach toward the lights of the resort. As they neared, her fingers loosened, and Shadow immediately let go of her hand, feeling the loss the second he stopped touching her. It was a foreign feeling, not wanting to break that physical connection he had with the woman at his side, but he tamped it down.

The bottom line was that he was here on an op. Not a date.

The date would come later.

When they were both back in Fairbanks.

He couldn’t wait to see where things might go between him and Brinley. He had a good feeling about them. About her. As much as he wanted to rush things, he’d go slow. At whatever pace she set. Because he knew Brinley Deaton would be worth it. Was worth whatever he needed to do to show her that he was a good man who’d treat her with respect, and could be someone she could count on no matter what.

“I guess I’ll see you later.”

“You will,” Shadow said firmly.

“Tomorrow is the formal gown competition. The highlight of the pageant. The one all the women usually stress over the most.”

“So you’ll be busy.”

She nodded. “I just didn’t want you to think I’ll be avoiding you or anything.”

“My team and I will also be busy, so the feeling’s mutual. Can I have your number so I can get a hold of you when we get home…just in case we don’t have time to connect in the next few days, before we fly back to Alaska?”

She blushed again, and Shadow loved being able to see physical evidence of how she felt. They exchanged numbers, and a feeling of rightness and relief settled in him when he saw her name and number in his contact list. Even if he didn’t get a chance to talk to her again in Fiji, he had a way of getting a hold of her later.

Moving slowly, giving her a chance to pull back if she wanted, Shadow leaned forward and kissed her cheek. “Thanks for the talk. I had a good time tonight.”

“Me too.”

They smiled at each other for a long moment before he began to walk backward, away from her. “Good night.”

“Good night.” Then she turned and headed for the door that led into the lobby from the beach side.

Shadow watched her until she was out of sight, then took a deep breath. He’d always had good instincts, and they hadn’t failed him when it came to Brinley. He’d felt as if they had some sort of chemistry from that first brief conversation, and he wasn’t wrong.

Even though he was still tired, he walked toward a different door of the hotel, where his team would be waiting for him, feeling a little amped up. He couldn’t wait for this op to finish so he could get home and take Brinley out on a proper date. So he could pamper her, show her that the long-ago boy who’d hurt her so badly was a fucking idiot.

Brinley might not be classically beautiful, but all Shadow saw when he looked at her was a soul so kind and bright, it felt like a crime for anyone to have ever attempted to dim her light.

CHAPTER FIVE

Brinley stood against a wall in the staging area to the side of the temporary platform that had been set up in the large conference room and watched as each of the contestants strutted onto the stage during the evening gown competition. In the first round, they wore their own choice of dress, and then the finalists would be chosen and they’d wear a gown designed by Louis Pangilinan, an entrepreneur and world-renowned fashion designer from the Philippines.

Earlier, Brinley had just finished helping her Australian client with a last-minute tweak of her gown, when Louis had approached and complimented her on the design. It had been one of the highlights of the entire trip for Brinley.

But the warm and fuzzy feelings she’d gotten for being singled out by one of the best fashion designers in the world dimmed a bit when she saw her mom, Callista, and two other contestants coming her way.