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I can’t even imagine not forking over every dime. My parents would sell the clothes off their backs and live a homeless existence to save me. If I had kids, I’d do the same.
Abby would do the same, too, I’m sure of it.
I jolt, snapping a picture that I know will be blurred from the jerky motion.
Why in the hell would I even think about kids and Abby in the same sentence?
I mean… I like the woman.
A lot.
But I can’t be thinking kids, because I’m nowhere close to thinking about forever with her. I’m only at the stage where I’m thinking of next week.
Admittedly, though, I really, really like her. I’ve never had such a strong connection with a woman before, and that it’s happened so quickly is odd, but it makes me take true notice. I have no embarrassment over that. She’s incredible. Gorgeous, sexy, brilliant, courageous, genuine, kind, and noble. While her looks and sex appeal are bonuses, all her other traits are things I deeply admire. It’s how I try to live my life.
Christ, I can’t wait to get back and see her.
CHAPTER 11
Abby
Glancing down at my lap, I study how Kellen’s fingers intertwine with mine. He’s been holding my hand as he drives the last few minutes to my place, and the quiet between us feels natural.
Just the way his hand does against mine.
We had our first date tonight, and it was everything a first date should be. I spent a lot of time getting ready. Most days for me are without makeup, and I’m lucky if I shave my legs. But tonight, I primped—and shaved—and did my hair and makeup with care. Granted, there’s not a lot to do with my hair since I’ve been wearing it short the last several years, but I used a quality smoothing serum and blew it dry so that my bangs swept perfectly across my forehead.
I pulled out my good makeup and gave myself the works. It’s not just using one color of blush but one that shadows, another that colors, and a third for highlight. I have great cheekbones, and I’m skilled at applying makeup from my horse show days. Eyes generally require dramatic shading if you’re going all in with makeup. But when you have light-colored eyes, such as my green ones, against almost black hair, I keep to neutral shades and only used mascara.
My lips, I couldn’t quite decide. I was graced with my mom’s full mouth, and I wear dark lipstick well. But I’d need a stain, given we were going to dinner, and I hate the way it feels. I’m more of a lip balm girl, but I hate stuff sticking to my glass when I drink and I hate reapplying, so I took the lazy route and went without. I more than made up for the failure to call attention to my lips by wearing a beautiful wraparound dress that crisscrossed low on my chest revealing cleavage, with a pair of strappy, high-heeled sandals.
All the effort was worth it when Kellen saw me as I opened my apartment door. His eyes practically bugged out of his head.
I started to tease him about it, but he held up a hand and said, “Nope. Not a word. Let me just bask.”
He then made a twirling motion with his finger, indicating I should do a three-sixty for him to check me out from all angles, and I did a graceful turn, finishing with a deep curtsy. Glad all those childhood dance lessons weren’t for nothing.
“You are, without a doubt, the most sinfully gorgeous creature I’ve ever seen,” he’d said, stepping across the threshold and putting a hand to the back of my neck. His words were low with a growling timbre, and I shivered. “The beast in me wants to tear off that dress and say to hell with dinner. The gentleman in me insists we leave right now before the beast breaks through.”
I laughed, but it was muffled because he crushed his mouth to mine for a hello kiss that made me want to rip the dress off myself. Ultimately, I refrained, because I knew he would do so later, and I’ve really been looking forward to hanging out with him since he’s been gone all week.
I’ve just… missed him, which tells me he’s become an important presence in my life already.
After that pulse-thumping kiss, he took me out to an amazing dinner at a quiet Peruvian restaurant. It was one of those dinners where the food goes cold and gets ignored because the conversation was so good, and then we laughed while eating it cold and still talking.
His recounting of his time in Guatemala mesmerized me. He’s told me about some of what Jameson does in the security arena, but I never thought he’d be deep in a jungle within view of criminals with big-ass machine guns. It frightens me, and I told him so. And rather than blowing off my concern or patting me on the head to tell me I’m cute with my worry while it inflates his ego, he took the time to reassure me, to explain safety protocol, training, and the confidence in his teammates’ abilities. He made sure I understood exactly the dangers and how they are handled, and while nothing is foolproof, the entire team is careful.
