“Don’t sweat it. It’s got a battery backup. We’ll be fine as long as it isn’t off for long. But, remember, we’ve got Cowboy and John watching over the place. If need be, we can bring Doc and Jane back.”
Once they’d set up enough candles to leave no dark corners, she relaxed.
“Come on. Let’s sit and chat.”
As she settled on the couch, she relaxed. Whatever the scent, the candles did the job.
“First,” he started the conversation, “I’m sorry for being late. Tonight, let’s just do some good ole Q & A to learn more about each other.” He waved his hand as if he’d just called her to the stage. “Ladies first.”
Embarrassment flooded her at thinking of how she’d reacted earlier when he’d arrived. The team had said Jane would be her companion indoors when Danny wasn’t home. She should’ve realized Jane would only open the door to Danny or a team member. The agent would’ve called out had there been trouble. She also would’ve left when Danny entered. It all made sense in hindsight.
“Are you okay?” he asked with concerned eyes.
Like she’d been taught by her mother, she took a deep breath and counted to ten before releasing it. She didn’t know if this was the official fix, but it worked for her. “You can go first.”
After a pause he asked, “You’ve been here nearly four months, what do you think of America? Maybe making it your home?”
How to answer that? She’d been given no incentive to stay. She picked her words to not let her true feelings burst free. “I miss my homeland.” She shrugged nonchalantly. “But I might be convinced to stay.”
“How?” Lead balls dropped to the pit of her stomach. He didn’t act like he wanted her to stay. That kiss must’ve meant nothing to him.
Thinking quick on her feet, she chuckled. “My turn.” She hoped the takeaway would arrive soon because she didn’t want to answer that last question. Oh, she thought of a whopper that might give her a clue to his dating. “Cowboy mentioned you’d been dating a lot before I arrived. Do you really want to get married that badly to go on so many blind dates?”
Choking on the swig of Guinness he’d just taken, he coughed and coughed and coughed. She began to think he planned to do that until the food arrived, so he’d not have to answer. Granted he didn’t have to answer, but something within her, somewhere she didn’t want to yet acknowledge, wanted to know his stance on marriage. Not that she planned to marry him. Still, she wanted to know.
So they’d each hit on tender topics. If he gave her any attention as a woman—more than tonight and the kiss to hide her—she’d spill her guts to him.
“Let’s see.” He wouldn’t look at her, which she found odd. Did he plan to lie? “No, I’m not in a rush to marry. The children I babysit from time to time for my bosses’ families give me plenty of kid time. I used to do it more often before you moved in. I don’t want them interrupting you while you work.” He took another drink of Guinness and she’d throw something at him if he did that fake choking thing again. “As for the dating, Sugar’s decided I needed a woman in my life. She’s been pushing to set me up, and I’d given in. Until recently.”
Her breath hitched. Dare she hope he stopped seeing other women because of her? “Why?”
A deep, rumbling laugh that had her wanting to do all kinds of things to him reached her. “Now it’s my turn.”
At the hard knock on the door, she jumped. When her gaze locked with his, Danny smiled. “It’s okay. Takeout, remember?”
She must’ve looked like a frightful rabbit the way his eyes had softened to soothe her.
Danny set his drink on the coffee table, stood, and walked to the door. “Why the hell did I install a doorbell when everybody knocks or just walks right in?” He turned to give her the evil eye when she’d giggled at his question. She caught his smile before he turned back.
While Danny dealt with paying and carting the two bags to the living room coffee table, she collected plates, utensils, and napkins for them, plus a beverage for her. Before they filled plates, Danny called Cowboy in to grab something for him and John, and then take it back to their posts.
Alone, candlelight and a casual dinner created a romantic air. She became downright giddy with the knowledge.
Sliding to the floor at the living room coffee table, her body warmed as his strong thighs settled beside her. Hoping for the “hand almost touching” scene like in movies that brought on snogging, she smiled as she took a sip of beer.
Chapter Twenty-Four
When Danny turned to Moira in the kitchen after dinner, and she bounced off his chest, this time, he caught her. The heat flying between them had been nearing an inferno. They’d talked and laughed like normal people having dinner, but the looks they’d shared had been so hot, the flames engulfed them.
He’d known cleaning up the dishes—few as there were since they’d had takeout—would be a good excuse to get close to her, to touch her hand when handing off dishes to dry. And he knew that bumping into her could also be an option. Case in point.
He held her arms tightly against him. He heard, rather than felt, the hitch in her breathing. It fed his desire to take her to bed. And it was damn time he did that with her.
“If you don’t want this,” he said in a hoarse voice, “now is the time to speak up.”
With her adorable Irish accent, she said, “Aye, I want this.”
He pulled her so close that nothing but air could
