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His dick stiffened at her positive response. Most likely she was hungry and thought it
would look rude to turn him down and then go out on her own.  You pick.
 How about Rough Riders?
 I ve never been, but I m game for anything. As long as I can be with you.
She smiled once more and he hoped this new cheerful Selena would be a common
occurrence.
 Then you re in for a treat.
He d be in for a treat because he could learn more about the woman he was growing
very fond of. His panther side was ready to claim her, but his human half needed to win
her heart first.
 How about I drive? he offered. A man could only handle a woman being in charge
for so long.
This time she chuckled.  How about we walk? It s only four blocks from here.
Damn. If he didn t stop making tactical errors, she d never want him.
The night was balmy, and as they strolled toward the restaurant, a wave of
contentment descended. This was what life could be like if Selena accepted him.
Once inside the rustic place, the hostess led them to a corner booth, which was cozy
and romantic. Because his senses seemed to misfire whenever he was near her, he
wasn t able to detect if the intimate setting made her uncomfortable or not, and that
concerned him.
The waiter rushed right over.  Hi, Selena, he said.  What will you have?
The hairs on Jackson s neck rose, but when she barely glanced at the young man, he
relaxed.
 I ll have coffee. Black.
 Ditto, Jackson said.
As soon as the server left, Selena leaned back in her seat.  So, why did you come to
Hidden Hills?
He had wondered when she d get around to asking and was pleased she wanted to
know. Fortunately, the question held no bitterness, only interest.  Cord seemed really
content here, and I guess I wanted that peace of mind, too. There was no need to
mention how he d let a drug dealer slip through his fingers, and as a result a young man
had died. Jackson s guilt level had finally reached his limit.
 What did your family think about your move to North Carolina?
He winced.  My family is very supportive, and while my dad never complained, he
loved to brag how one of his sons worked for the DEA. If he d had a say in the matter,
he d rather have me work for the government and live near home.
Her brows rose and then her shoulders sagged. He bet she wished she d had a
supportive father. Having her learn about his rather idyllic upbringing might backfire, but
he didn t want to lie to her.
 How many siblings do you have? she asked.
She had none. His purpose in talking about his life was to show her they had things in
common, yet at the moment the gap was widening. Having extremely wealthy parents
didn t help either.  Three brothers and two sisters, and every one of them is ambitious,
just like my dad.
 That must be nice to be surrounded by so many siblings.
 It was. What about you? Any brothers and sisters? In theory, he knew nothing about
her.
 No. My dad left when I was one.
Jackson didn t believe anything he said would help.  I m sorry. That had to be tough.
 It was, but my mom suffered the most.
Dwelling on negative thoughts wouldn t bring them closer and asking too many
questions might tip her off that he d checked up on her.  Tell me a good memory.
 A good one, huh? She leaned back, glanced at the ceiling for a second then smiled.
 I was maybe twelve and had gone hiking in the Blue Ridge Mountains when out from
behind a tree this baby deer appears. It couldn t have been more than a month or so old.
I looked around for its momma, but I couldn t see her, so I shifted into my cheetah form.
 That didn t scare the poor thing? He found that when he shifted, the smaller animals
ran.
 To my delight, no. The lost fawn crossed the river separating us. We ended up
playing for at least an hour. Selena glanced to the side as if she were reliving that
moment.
 Then what happened?
She shrugged.  The fawn must have heard her mother and left. But during that time, I
felt a strong connection with her, almost as if we d always been friends.
Selena acted as if connecting with anyone was a rarity.  It sounds wonderful.
 It was. What about you? What was your happiest moment?
 Finding you.
Heat colored her cheeks.  Jackson, please. Can we not talk about the present? Or us?
He chuckled.  For tonight, we ll stick to the past, though from what you ve said, it
wasn t all that great.
 No, it wasn t.
Wanting to salvage dinner, he needed her to understand that his parents weren t so
different from hers after all.  Just so you know, my father grew up poor, too. [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]