He heard the yearning in her tone. “You should. Maybe you could start with New York?”
“Maybe. Is that where you’d rather be?”
“Yes and no. I miss my family, but I like the company here. I have to admit being able to hit the beach almost year-round is sweet. But I’m pretty sure a big quake will send this whole hunk of land into the ocean someday.”
Heavenly cocked her head. “You’re afraid of earthquakes? Hmm. It never occurred to me to worry about that.”
“Afraid is a strong word. I’d say concerned.”
She laughed. “No. You’re totally afraid. It’s…cute.”
“Cute?” He raised a brow at her that dared Heavenly to say that again.
“In a very manly way, of course.”
“That’s what I thought.” He sat back, enjoying the easy conversation between them. He liked that she wasn’t nervous anymore. He especially liked the way she kept stealing glances at him between her sips of wine. “So if California isn’t for you, why did you move out here?”
Suddenly, she wasn’t smiling anymore. “A couple of reasons, mostly school.”
“Couldn’t find a good one to attend in Wisconsin?”
“Something like that.”
Her vague answer set off his internal alarms. “Don’t you attend nursing school online?”
Heavenly froze, then nervously began tucking away the leftovers in the basket. “I do, but it’s a long story and I’m monopolizing the conversation. You haven’t told me much about you.”
Heavenly was a terrible liar. The Dom in him wanted to growl his displeasure and find delicious ways to make her atone. The cop in him wanted straight answers. Had her parents kicked her out? Had she followed a boyfriend here? Neither of those scenarios rang true, but there was a reason she’d moved. And she didn’t want to say why.
“I don’t mind long stories,” he countered. “I’ve got all the time in the world for you.”
“I’m boring. Tell me how you met Liam and Hammer. Have you always lived in New York? What kind of cases do you work as a PI?”
If he called her out again for her desperate change of subject, his gut told him she’d cut the date short.
“I met Liam and Hammer through mutual friends.” He glossed over the truth since revealing the fact they’d all bonded at Graffiti, a Manhattan BDSM club, would also reveal his kink. “They lived in New York then. Hammer moved here eight years ago, Liam just a few months back. Let’s see… What else? I was born and raised in Brooklyn. My father was a cop. He died in the line of duty when I was sixteen. My mom still lives in the house where I grew up. All of my brothers have spread out but still live between New York and Boston.”
“All of them? How many?”
“Five, including me. We’re a loud Catholic family.”
She gaped. “Oh, my goodness. That sounds chaotic. And wonderful. I don’t have any brothers or sisters.”
Seth filed that information away. “It was a lot of fighting and roughhousing, teenage hormones, and smelly feet—at least according to my mother.”
That made her laugh. “Are you the oldest? Youngest?”
“I’m the oldest, so I ended up kicking a lot of younger-brother ass over the years. And that’s enough about me. Now, tell me about you.”
“Wait! What kind of cases do you work?”
“Mostly cheating spouses, some embezzling business partners.” He shrugged nonchalantly but looked her straight in the eye. “I’m good at spotting dodgers and liars.”
As those words sank in, she swallowed. “Oh. What about—”
“My turn.” He cocked a brow. “Were you born in Wisconsin? Do you live alone? What about your parents?”
Her eyes went wide, then the windows guarding her soul slammed shut so quickly he almost heard the audible click. “Well, I was born in Wisconsin. There’s not much else to tell.”
Bullshit. Before he could confront her evasion, a bright red ball landed with a thwack on the blanket between them.
When Heavenly reared back, Seth grabbed the ball as a couple of little boys came panting up to them. They looked beyond eager, and as he stood, he couldn’t help but smile.
“Who wants it?” He tossed the ball up a couple of times, making them wait.
“Me!” the towheaded scamp on the right said.
“It’s my turn, not yours. You kicked it out of bounds.” The other boy frowned.
“How about I give it a kick? You can both chase it.”
When he did, they ran after it like a pair of eager puppies. Then he turned and sat beside Heavenly again.
She smiled softly. “You like kids?”
“When they’re someone else’s and I can give them back. So what were you saying before we were interrupted?”
“That I’m beat after a long week and I should go home. I have to study for finals.”
As if on cue, the sun dipped low and a chilly wind blew leaves across the grass, signaling an end to their date.
Damn. He’d overplayed his hand. Normally, he was a patient man. In his profession, it paid to be. He should have been able to coax Heavenly into talking. Like an idiot, he’d given in to impatience. Sure, he could investigate her and probably learn most everything in ten minutes or less. But he wanted the satisfaction of earning her trust, of her offering him her truth. Besides, if she found out he’d violated her privacy, she wouldn’t forgive him.
The question was, could he manage to win her over before the holidays? He didn’t know, but his gut told him that if he had to choose between opening Heavenly up and going home for Christmas, he should stay.
“All right. Thank you for coming with me today, angel. I hope we can get together again.” He wouldn’t give up unless she flat out told him no.
“I’d like that.” When he stood and offered his hand, she let him help her to her feet. “Gosh, there’s so much leftover food.”
“I don’t have any way of keeping it where I’m staying. Want to take it home?”
“Are you sure?”
“Absolutely. Take the basket, too. Maybe we can use it another day.”
She smiled. “That would be great.
