Page 42 of Rescuing Brinley

Brinley didn’t look like she believed Cypress for a second, but she didn’t call her friend on it. Instead, she met Shadow’s gaze with what looked like the same nervousness he’d felt when knocking on their door. Which was unacceptable.

He walked toward Brinley as if in a trance, unable to look away from her. She did look amazing. She’d obviously made an effort to look nice for their date, and in his eyes, she’d knocked it out of the park.

She had on a pair of black slacks and a deep purple V-neck shirt. Her hair was pulled back and she had on a pair of gold dangly earrings, several bracelets, and she smelled delicious. It took all Shadow’s control not to shove his face in the crook of her neck to inhale her like a complete weirdo.

He felt tongue tied and wasn’t sure what to say to properly reflect what he was feeling when he looked at her. His gaze roamed her face, pleased beyond belief she hadn’t caked on foundation to try to hide her freckles. He loved those little spots, hadn’t stopped thinking about how much fun it would be to try to count them all.

She licked her lips nervously. “Do I look okay? I wasn’t sure what to wear. I mean, we’re going out to eat, so I didn’t want to look like someone you dragged in off the streets, but since we’re also going to go for that walk beforehand, I wanted to wear something comfortable.”

Her nervous admission made his tongue get unstuck in a hurry.

“You’re perfect. I mean it. You look incredible. That color is perfect for you.”

She blushed.

Shadow was used to seeing it, as she blushed easily and often, but he loved knowing how his words affected her.

“You kids have a good time. Don’t stay out too late. Your curfew is midnight, Brin.”

“Shut up, Cy,” she said with an eye roll.

The exchange was just what she’d needed to get over a bit of her nervousness. Her shoulders lowered a little and her smile seemed more natural now.

“We’ve got each other on one of those tracking apps, so if you try to take her into the wilderness to do something awful, I’ll have my eye on you.”

“Wander Lake isn’t quite the wilderness, but I promise that I’d never hurt her. And if we run across any wildlife that seems to have any ideas on making her a meal, I’ll protect her from them too.”

“Maybe I’ll need to protect you instead,” Brinley said, the sass in her tone making Shadow smile.

“I’m all right with that. I’d never live it down with my friends if I got eaten by a bear or mauled by a moose after making it through some of the missions we’ve been on unscathed.”

Brinley’s bright smile dimmed at his words, and Shadow could’ve kicked himself.

“What you do isn’t safe, is it?”

He couldn’t not touch her. He’d held off for a whole three minutes or so, and he was done being a gentleman. Shadow reached for her hand and everything in him seemed to settle as soon as her fingers wrapped around his. “I’ve got the best backup a man could need or want in my team. I trust them with my life.”

“That’s not really an answer, but then again, it kind of is,” Brinley told him.

Smart. This woman wasn’t stupid in the least, and he’d need to remember that in the future. She wouldn’t be put off by his evasive answers to some of her questions, but the bottom line was that he couldn’t and wouldn’t talk about most of the things he and his team did for their country. They’d made an oath to keep their missions top secret. He’d tell her what he could, but would never reveal the details of most of his ops, simply because it wasn’t allowed. But even if it was, details would only make her worry. That was the last thing he wanted for her.

“When you get to know Echo, Grinder, Kodiak, Torch, Zero, and Atlas better, you’ll understand. They’re kind of crass sometimes, and a couple of them are a bit standoffish, but there aren’t any other men I’d want to be with when the shit hits the fan.”

“Am I going to get to meet them too?” Cypress asked.

“Of course. I want the special people in Brinley’s life to meet the people who are important in my life.”

Cypress nodded, then turned to Brinley. “Seriously, have fun. I’m gonna spend the evening getting ready to head to the field next week.”

“She’s in charge of a group of researchers heading out to Castner Glacier, about two and a half hours south of here, to measure the rate of ice melt and to check out the ice caves.”

“Is that dangerous?” Shadow asked, concerned for Brinley’s friend.

Cypress shook her head. “No. And we’re well-trained in what to do in emergencies regardless. It’s a routine research trip. Brin’s just a worrywart.”

“As if you aren’t,” she retorted.

“Enough. Go. Git. Have a good time. And remember, I’ll be watching.”