She shivered. “What are you doing?”
“Being as close as possible so I can kiss you whenever I want. And touch your pussy. That’s important, too.” He winked.
Fire scalded her blood, battling her embarrassment. “You can’t do that here.”
“Why not? I’ll keep it under the table. No one but us will know. Well, unless you scream.”
With him touching her, chances were high that she would. Brea blushed.
It was impossible to tell from his grin if he was serious.
“Do I have to set ground rules? No touching my private parts in public.”
“Ah, c’mon. I probably won’t get to touch you later tonight. Don’t take one of my favorite toys from me.”
“My girl bits are not a toy.”
“But I love to play with them.” His black eyes danced as he leaned in to brush kisses along her neck. And then he dropped a hand on her thigh.
Apparently he was serious.
“Welcome. My name is Miles. I’ll be your waiter tonight.” He poured them both glasses of water. “What can I get you?”
Neither of them had looked at the menu, but they quickly scanned it and ordered their meals. Miles jotted everything down, grabbed them both iced tea, then left, promising to have their drinks and food up quickly.
“So how was your meeting?” she asked.
“Not good.” He grew pensive. “The world I live in is dangerous.”
Worry twisted Brea’s belly. “I know.”
“Sometimes the innocent get dragged into it.”
“I’m not surprised.”
“I worry about you.”
She didn’t like the sound of that. “Is there something you need to tell me?”
“You’re not in any danger I’m aware of.” He sighed. “At least not this time. But I can’t promise it won’t happen in the future, and I need you to decide if that’s something you can really handle.”
Brea had already thought this through. “I’ll be fine.” When he opened his mouth to rebut her, she carried on. “You made sure I learned skills that would keep me safe. I’m way better prepared than I was before I met you. Situational awareness. Assessing threats, looking for potential weapons, as well as devising distractions and exit strategies. I think in a pinch I’d have a fighting chance.”
He looked impressed. “You have been paying attention. Carrying your Beretta?”
“Not right now. It wasn’t necessary in my house during seniors’ Bible study. And I forgot to pick it up before I left.”
He scowled. “You have a permit to carry, so you should keep your weapon with you. You have to be prepared.”
“Are you armed right now?” She hadn’t seen a weapon on him anywhere.
“Always. Promise me.”
She nodded. “It’s going to take a change in mindset. I’ve mostly been in hair salons and the church—”
“Anyone can walk into either and start shooting. Better prepared than dead.”
“Point taken. I’ll start carrying it Tuesday when I go back to the salon.” But the concern in his surprisingly on-edge tone made her frown. “Is someone being threatened?”
He hesitated. “Yeah. After I talk to your father tonight and hopefully get his blessing, I have another meeting. We’ve got to start figuring some shit out. I may be bodyguarding until this gets sorted.”
The thought rattled her. But if he could walk away relatively unscathed after two months hunting a cartel boss in Mexico, she had to believe he’d be okay now. “I understand.”
“Listen, at the first sign of anything suspicious, don’t wait for trouble. Get ahold of me. I would rather you overreact than brush something off, only to realize too late that you’re in danger.”
Brea nodded. It was a completely odd way of living to her, and she knew the transition wouldn’t be easy. She definitely hated bringing her baby into danger. But she would do anything to keep him safe and knew Pierce would, too.
“Good.” He brushed a soft kiss over her mouth like he couldn’t stand not touching her. “No more depressing shit right now. Let’s talk about this wedding. What do you want?”
“Something simple in the church. Just friends and family.” She dropped a hand to her belly. “Something hopefully before the baby comes.”
He nodded. “I was hoping we could make it happen next weekend.”
His impatience was cute, and she had to grin. “Probably more like next month. These things take planning, and I’d like Cutter to be back from his honeymoon.” She tsked at him. “Don’t look at me like that. He’s still my best friend.”
“Who did everything possible to come between us.”
“I know. And I’m not happy with him. He meant well, but he knows better now. He won’t come between us ever again. Nothing can except death.” As soon as the words left her mouth, she shivered.
As if he sensed her fear, Pierce tossed his arm around her. “And I won’t let that happen anytime in the next seventy years. You’re going to have to get used to me.”
“Is that a threat?” She poked her finger into his ribs.
Her grabbed her fingers and kissed them. “It’s a promise.”
After another soft kiss, Miles returned with their food and refilled their drinks. Pierce had ordered a gargantuan hamburger overflowing with Swiss and mushrooms and dripping juice.
When the waiter set her plate of smoked fried chicken in front of her, her eyes widened. “That’s huge.”
“Better start eating,” he quipped. “Before I get hungry for something else.
He dropped his hand to her thigh again, fingers inching up.
She slapped his knuckles. “Stop that.”
Pierce laughed and dug into his burger. She made her way through as much of her chicken as possible, but it was hopeless. Even eating for two she couldn’t possibly consume this much food.
Miles came back and asked about dessert. They both shook their heads, then Pierce paid the bill.
“Wait here. I need to hit the head.”
Brea couldn’t not giggle. She was so used to her father and his far more delicate way of expressing that bodily need. “I’m going to go ahead and go.” She glanced at her phone. “It’s already six fifteen. Daddy will be
