Page 31 of Her Defiant Warrior

It took him a moment to stop thinking about how her skin felt beneath his lips. How tantalizing her fragrance was. Jase shrugged. “Blame it on my Peruvian brother, Renzo. He swears by the inside-the-wrist kiss.” Jase smiled.

Bonnie fanned her face, then looked up at him. “You have earned your way out of the doghouse. I will chuckle over this for weeks to come.”

“So, you’re assuming that nothing I said was true?” Jase lifted his eyebrow.

“Pretty much. Are you ready to go?”

“Not quite yet. You do realize just how beautiful you are, don’t you?” His question was serious.

“Jase, I said you’re out of the doghouse. Now come on, let’s go. We don’t want to miss our reservation.” She stopped and bit her lip. “Not that we need to go someplace that requires reservations.”

He heard the resignation in her voice. Just what kind of asshole men had she been dating?

“You’re right, we don’t want to be late. I asked for a table on the terrace overlooking the water. You might want to bring a wrap. But now that I’m thinking about it, I totally screwed up.”

Bonnie tilted her head. “What do you mean?”

“I’m liking how you look and would prefer this view a hell of a lot more than any beach view. Maybe I should call and change to a table inside.”

She gave him a startled look, then a smile blossomed on her face.

Now she’s beginning to believe me. Good.

“Hold on and I’ll get a coat.”

“You do that, but I’m calling the restaurant to see if we can get an inside table with a view. You can look outside while I stare at you.”

“Has anyone ever told you that you’re a goof?”

“It has been mentioned,” Jase said with a smile.

While she went and grabbed her coat, Jase made his call. Bonnie came back with a black trench coat. She put it over her arm. “I’m ready.”

“Let’s go.” He opened her front door and ushered her out with a smile. He watched her carefully as she locked her door.

“You know, I am capable of locking my door by myself. I don’t require a supervisor.”

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to make you feel like I was questioning your abilities. I just wanted to watch what key you were using, so I could unlock it if necessary.”

“Why would it be necessary?”

“In my line of work, you’re trained to expect the unexpected, so I always try to learn things.”

“That much vigilance must make you tired,” Bonnie said as she dropped her keys into her clutch.

He smiled down at her as he placed his hand on her lower back as they went down her walkway to the sidewalk.

“It doesn’t make me tired. It keeps me on my toes. Don’t you feel more on your game when you’re watching Amber and Lachlan and trying to figure out their next moves?”

Bonnie looked up at him, a hint of a smile on her face. “It is kind of fun. The way their minds work is amusing, scary, and psychotic. I can’t tell if they are little geniuses in the making or if they are going to grow up to be criminal masterminds.”

Before he could ask a follow-up question, they were at his car.

“This is yours? I was expecting a truck.”

“The truck is at home. I figured since we were going someplace nice, I wouldn’t make you hoist yourself up into the passenger seat. I now see my mistake,” he said as he opened the door of his Mustang.

After he made sure she was tucked inside, he closed the door. He went around the front and got in, then started the car.