A Marine and a Gentleman by Heather Long

Author:Heather Long [Long, Heather]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Tags: Always a Marine - Book 9
Publisher: Decadent Publishing
Published: 2013-02-05T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter Three

Brenden skipped a fourth beer. Three gave him enough of a buzz and the food helped. They ordered coffee when the waitress came to clear their plates. Music played, couples danced, laughter rose and fell in gentle swells from the diners around them, the sedate atmosphere adding to their comfort level.

The tension thawed between them and Liam grew more animated over the burgers. “I can’t believe I let you talk me into a heart attack for dinner.” The man dipped a salt-and-pepper-loaded fry into the ketchup.

“Hey, you’re the one who added all the salt.” Brenden doctored his coffee with a couple of creamers. “Besides, one of the few things I really miss when I’m not stateside is a damn good burger.”

“Out of curiosity, if you’re on leave, why are you in Texas and not home seeing your folks?”

“They went on a cruise.” He grinned.

“Are you serious?” Liam’s brows rose, amusement tilting the corners of his mouth. Brenden’s father was a work-a-holic and it took a lot of work to get him to agree to the vacation.

“Yup. Mom twisted his arm. Kaleigh and I gave them tickets for their thirty-ninth anniversary. So, I took advantage of the leave to come see some friends here—members of my unit—before I rolled over to another.” The coffee added a pleasant heat burning inside. Good food, good company, good coffee. He couldn’t ask for more.

“So, you ready to get out of here?” Relaxed, Liam grew far more flirtatious than stressed out and wary. More like the guy he remembered.

“Sure. Did you check in at your hotel yet?” Brenden pulled out a credit card and held it up for the waitress. Liam reached for his but he waved him off. “My treat.”

“Okay. I’ll get breakfast.”

The teasing reply tripped a ripple through the Marine’s nervous system. They were really going to do this. He half expected second thoughts to assault him, but his internal security system didn’t sound any alarms. Check paid, waitress tipped, and Liam’s coat gathered, they walked back out into the crisp Dallas winter evening. After the warmth inside, he welcomed the cooler air washing over him. “Want to walk to the car?”

“I parked mine with the valet.” Liam’s words held the smallest of hesitations, but they were still there. If they drove separately would they end the evening before it started? Did he want to drive alone? Is this a good time to call it an evening—before either of them were disappointed? The unspoken questions hung in the air.

“Get your keys. We’ll pick it up on the way to breakfast in the morning.” Brenden wanted to answer all those questions and halt their trip down doubt alley before they veered off the path.

After settling with the valet, they had him bring up Liam’s overnight bag. The walk to the truck was a short one. Around the corner and, just like that, they were alone. They didn’t say anything, walking in a companionable enough silence, but Brenden could almost feel Liam twitching.

When they arrived at the truck, Brenden took the bag and tossed it into the bed.

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