by Selena Kitt
"Which apartment is Veronica's?" he asked as he as he stood up.
"What? Why?"
"I don't think you should be alone right now."
And while he definitely wouldn't have minded sleeping on her couch, he didn't think she'd go for it.
She frowned. "It's late. I don't want to wake her up at this time of the night. I'm fine. Really."
Kurt might have believed her if she wasn't as white as a ghost and her hands weren't shaking.
"Melissa, you've had one hell of a night and I don't want you to be alone after something like that. So you're either going to tell me which apartment is Veronica's, or I'm going to start knocking on doors."
He thought Melissa was going to fight him over it, but after a moment, she sighed. "It's right across from mine."
"Thank you."
Kurt placed his hand on her back and urged her in that direction, then knocked on the door. Hopefully Veronica was a light sleeper.
The door opened immediately to reveal a surprisingly wide-awake Veronica. Her smile disappeared the minute she set eyes on her friend. She quickly stepped forward to wrap her arm around Melissa.
"Honey, are you okay?" When Melissa didn't answer fast enough for her liking, she shot a questioning look at Kurt. "What happened?"
"Some guys jumped us as we were leaving the restaurant," he said.
Veronica's eyes widened. "Oh my God! Did they hurt either of you?"
He shook his head. "No, but I'd feel a lot better if Melissa wasn't alone tonight."
"Of course," Veronica murmured.
Kurt wanted to hang around to make sure Melissa was okay, but something told him that she needed Veronica right now more than she needed him.
"I'm sorry the night didn't turn out differently," he said, leaning forward to press his lips to Melissa's forehead. He would have preferred to end the date with another kind of kiss, but he figured that would be a bad idea. "For what it's worth, I really did have a good time with you."
Melissa nodded. "Are you going to be okay alone tonight? After what happened, I mean?"
He gave her a small smile as he trailed his fingers down her arm. "Yeah. Sad to say, but the stuff that happened tonight is something I'm kind of used to."
She caught his hand as he stepped back, holding onto it for the briefest of moments before releasing it. Just like that, the connection between them was broken, making him wonder whether there was ever one to begin with.
Kurt wanted to say that he'd call her, but he didn't. Not because he didn't want to, but because he was pretty sure she didn't want him to.
So instead, he gave her a nod then he turned and headed for the stairwell, refusing to let himself look back. It was scary how much it hurt to walk away from Melissa. Just another indication of how good things could have been if only fate had been kinder to them.
* * *
Melissa refused to move from Veronica's doorstep until Kurt stepped into the stairwell and disappeared from sight. She wasn't sure if it was because she was hoping he'd turn around and come back, or because she was trying to work up the courage to run after him.
Neither of those things happened.
Letting out a sigh, she walked into Veronica's apartment and straight over to the leather couch, then collapsed onto it. Her friend flopped down beside her.
"Do you want a glass of water?" Veronica asked. "Some tea maybe?"
Melissa shook her head. "No, thanks. Were you waiting up for me?"
"Yeah. I wanted to see how your date with Kurt went." Veronica half turned on the couch, tucking one leg under her. "So, how was the date? Other than the part where those jerks tried to jump the two of you, I mean."
Yeah, she'd rather not think about that part.
"It was fun." Lips curving, Melissa shifted on the couch, mirroring Veronica's position. "We went to this barbecue place that was really good. Not that I was paying much attention to the food with Kurt there."
Veronica grinned. "I knew you were hot for him!"
"I never said I wasn't. Kurt's gorgeous, funny, and smart, not to mention the most charming guy I think I've ever been around." She frowned. "I almost forgot he was a SEAL until those three guys showed up."
"What do you mean?"
Melissa didn't want to talk about what had happened in the parking lot. She got the shakes just thinking about those men and what they'd planned to do to her. But it hadn't only been the attack that had turned her knees to jelly and kept her silent the whole ride home. Seeing Kurt do what he'd done had kind of freaked her out, too.
She grabbed the throw pillow from behind her and hugged it, wishing it was Kurt she was holding on to. "At first they only wanted Kurt's truck, but after he gave them the keys, they decided they wanted me, too."
"Oh, God," Veronica breathed.
Melissa shuddered at the memory. The image of those men staring at her like she was a piece of meat would be etched in her mind forever.
"When one of the guys reached out and grabbed me, Kurt went… crazy." She shook her head. "Just between you and me, I'm not sure what scared me more—what those men had been planning to do to me, or watching what Kurt did to them."
Veronica looked confused again. "I don't understand."
Melissa didn't look at Veronica as she played with the tassel on the edge of the pillow. "All through dinner, Kurt went out of his way not to mention the Navy or what he does as a SEAL. I'm not naïve. I know what SEALs do for a living and that they sometimes have to resort to violence. For a little while there though, I completely forgot he was a SEAL."
"And then?" Veronica prodded when Melissa hesitated.
She sighed, not sure how to put it into words without sounding ungrateful. "Then those jerks attacked us, and the sweet guy I'd had dinner with disappeared to be replaced with a man I barely recognized. I don't know how to explain it. Kurt put those three men down like it was nothing. It was so cold and calculating. I feel horrible admitting it, but it kind of scared me."
"Why?" Veronica asked. "What did you expect him to do when those men threatened to take you with them? Give them his blessing? Crap, Melissa. He was protecting you. Would you have felt better if he'd let them have you?"
Melissa glared at her friend. "Don't be stupid! Of course not." She ran her hand though her hair with a sigh. "I know he did what he did for me. I get it. And I'll never be able to say how grateful I am that he was there. But at the same time, his capacity for violence frightened me. It was like I was watching a machine. A violent, deadly machine."
Veronica regarded her thoughtfully, then took her hand. "Honey, were you scared he'd turn that violence on you?"
Melissa remembered how tenderly he'd held her in his arms afterward and quickly shook her head. "No. I was never worried about that. It's just that I can't help but wonder which one of the two men I saw tonight is the real Kurt Travers. Is it the sexy, charming guy I had dinner with, or the dangerous, violent man who protected me in that parking lot?"
"Why does it have to be one or the other?" Veronica asked. "What's wrong with accepting that a man can be sexy, charming, and dangerous?"
Veronica made it sound so easy. Like being a Navy SEAL was a switch Kurt could flip on and off when needed. Melissa knew differently. When a person was part of something like the SEALs, it became part of him. It made him who he was. It couldn't be turned off—ever. She opened her mouth to tell Veronica that, but her friend interrupted before she could.
"Are you going to go out with Kurt again?"
"No."
"Why not?"
"Because there's something that terrifies me even more than what happened in the parking lot of that restaurant tonight, and that's what Kurt said before he left. About him being used to that kind of thing. Like getting into hand-to-hand combat isn't a big deal. As a SEAL, there's a chance he's going to go up against bad guys like them—or worse—every time he goes to work. I can't handle being with a guy who does that. I can't imagine what woman would."
Veronica conside
red that for a moment. "Okay, I can see your point. But if you think about it, it's no different than being with a cop."
"You don't see me dating a cop either, do you?"
Her friend sighed glumly. "Well, this stinks, because he really seems to like you."
Melissa hugged the pillow tighter. She liked him, too. Remembering the tender way Kurt had kissed her forehead before he'd left was enough to bring tears to her eyes. She blinked them back. If she was so sure that not going out with Kurt again was the right decision, then why did it feel so wrong?
Chapter Five
Kurt pulled into a parking space outside Melissa's apartment building and killed the engine. He didn't get out right away, but instead sat there wondering if he'd fallen asleep in front of the TV and this was a dream.
He'd never really known what that old saying about knocking someone over with a feather meant until Melissa asked if he wanted to come over for dinner Sunday afternoon. If he hadn't been vegging out watching a football game and contemplating whether he should stop being a lazy slug and go for a run when she called, he probably would have rolled off the damn couch.
He'd immediately thought something must be wrong, that she was experiencing post-traumatic stress from the run-in with those guys in the parking lot the other night and needed his help. Why the hell else would she be calling him when he was pretty damn sure she had no interest in going out again?
But when he'd asked if she was okay, she'd quickly assured him that she was.
"I was just wondering if maybe you'd like to come over to my place for dinner." Her voice had been soft, hesitant. Like she was afraid he'd turn her down. "I figured I owed you at least that much, considering you saved my life the other night."
"You don't owe me for that, Melissa," he told her. "Just knowing you're safe is enough."
It wasn't that he didn't want to see her again, because he did. But he didn't want her doing anything she didn't want to do because she thought she had to repay him for the other night.
"But I want to." She paused. "I'd like to see you again."
He'd wanted to see her again, too. In fact, he hadn't been able to stop thinking about her since he'd dropped her off after what he was sure was going to be their one and only date the other night.
That was why he was half afraid he might be dreaming right now.
He was tempted to smack himself to wake up, but then quickly changed his mind. If he was dreaming, he didn't want to wake up yet.
Grabbing the brown bag from the seat beside him, he got out of his truck and walked into the building. His heart was beating fast by the time he got to her apartment, and it had nothing to do with the jog up the stairs. Damn, he wasn't this nervous in the middle of a firefight.
Telling himself to man the hell up, Kurt knocked on the door. If it was like the other night, he'd have a minute or two to get his crap together before she answered.
But Melissa opened the door right away. And all Kurt could do was stare.
Damn, he'd thought she looked beautiful the other night, but between her long, dark hair tumbling over her shoulders and the loose flowing sundress she was wearing, she looked like some kind of sexy goddess. It was all he could do not to sweep her into his arms and carry her off to the bedroom. Hell, from the way his cock was hardening, he wasn't sure they'd even make it that far.
Down, boy.
She smiled and stepped back, opening the door wider. "Come in."
Kurt forced himself not to groan as he walked past her into the apartment. But damn, she smelled good. Like she'd bathed in strawberries—which were his favorite fruit, by the way. The thought of Melissa naked and wet made his already stiff shaft even harder.
Suddenly remembering the bag in his hand, he held it out to her. "Here. I didn't know what we were having, so I hope white wine is okay?"
"Perfect." She took the bag, her fingers brushing his. "Come into the kitchen and you can open it for us while I finish getting dinner ready."
Kurt followed her into the kitchen, loving the way the flower-print dress shifted and swirled around her body as she walked. As the hemline fluttered and danced, it gave him a tantalizing glimpse of her thighs and he couldn't help but stare.
She set the bag on the counter, then took out a corkscrew from the drawer by the stove and set it down beside it. While he concentrated on opening the bottle, she took out two wine glasses.
"Do you need me to help you with anything?" he asked as he poured the wine.
She shook her head as she drizzled some oil into a big pan, then followed it up with a pat of butter. "I was able to get most of the stuff ready before you got here. I just have to put on the scallops and everything will be set."
Kurt felt bad letting her do all the work while he leaned back against the counter sipping wine, but he had to admit he enjoyed watching her. She certainly knew her way around the kitchen more than he did, that was for sure. He was lucky if he could microwave a TV dinner without burning it. Melissa not only seared the scallops like a chef, but she drained the pasta, coated it in a white sauce, then added a few spices that she didn't even bother to measure. It smelled so delicious his mouth was watering.
"It's hard to believe you ever burned anything in the kitchen," he remarked. "You look like you could give Emeril Lagasse a run for his money."
Melissa laughed. "I don't know about that. I think Emeril's job is safe from me." She expertly turned the scallops over to sear the other side. "As long as I don't have to flambé anything, I'm good." She glanced over her shoulder at him as she walked over to the fridge. "I can't believe you remember I even told you that."
He chuckled. "I remember everything about that night."
She paused in the middle of tossing the salad, the oversized tongs in her hand hovering over the bowl of leafy greens. Crap. Had he freaked her out? Reminded her about the lowlifes that jumped them?
Kurt opened his mouth to say something—even though he wasn't quite sure what—but Melissa had already gone back to tossing the salad. A moment later, she turned and handed him the bowl, that dazzling smile back on her face.
"Can you put this on the table while I get the scallops?"
He did as she asked, then brought over the glasses of wine. By the time he turned around, Melissa had already transferred the pasta and the scallops to a serving dish and was carrying them over to the table.
As Kurt sat down across from her a moment later, it occurred to him that he'd never had a woman cook for him before. Well, other than his mother of course, but that wasn't what he meant. He was surprised at how special it felt. Corny, he knew. Melissa probably made dinner for the guys she dated all the time, but it was still nice to think she'd done it especially for him.
He held up his wine glass, meeting her gaze as she gently clinked her own with it. He considered saying something Hallmark-card worthy, like 'to new beginnings' or some other sappy sentiment, but instead he decided to keep it real.
"Thanks for asking me to dinner."
Melissa sipped her wine, then set down the glass. "I hadn't planned to ask you, or even go out with you again." She looked at him from under her lashes as she picked up the bowl of salad and handed it to him. "I figured the other night was God's way of reminding me that we simply weren't meant to be together."
Okay, he hadn't expected that. Her honesty was kind of nice, though. She definitely wouldn't be one of those women who played those silly-ass games with his head if they ever got into a relationship.
Kurt used the gigantic tongs to put some of the leafy greens in the bowl beside his plate. "What changed your mind… at least about calling me?"
Melissa shrugged and focused on transferring the scallop and pasta mixture from the serving dish to her plate. "I woke up this morning and realized that letting you walk away after just one date was something I'd regret, regardless of my reservations about you being in the Navy—or being a SEAL." She gave him a small smile as she handed him the serving dish in exchange for the bowl of salad. "Besides, I
figured saving my life had earned you at least a second date… if nothing else."
He didn't say anything as he twirled pasta on his fork. He supposed that was her way of saying she was taking a leap of faith that she was doing the right thing. It wasn't exactly a ringing endorsement of their future potential, but it was better than nothing. Certainly better than never seeing her again, that was for sure. So, he'd follow her lead and see where this evening led.
With that thought in mind, he picked up his wine glass and tipped it in her direction. "To second dates then, if nothing else."
Melissa smiled and lifted her own glass. "To second dates."
"This is really excellent, by the way," Kurt said, gesturing with his fork to the perfectly cooked scallops on his plate. "Where'd you learn to cook like this?"
As they ate, she told him about the night classes she'd taken at a local culinary school after nearly torching her whole apartment building, while he regaled her with stories of him burning water and leaving an oven on for the entire weekend because he'd forgotten to shut it off.
Even though neither of them mentioned the Navy even once, this date felt different than the first. It took him a little while to put his finger on exactly what it was, but then it hit him. The wall that Melissa had been keeping up between them Friday night didn't seem to be there now.
He wondered what had changed. He seriously doubted it was because she'd suddenly decided that dating a guy in the Navy was cool. Then again, unlike the other night, she seemed to actually want to talk about his job this time.
"Are you gone a lot?" she asked. "On deployments and training, I mean?"
Kurt sipped his wine as he considered how to answer that. It wasn't exactly something he could lie about, especially if they were dating. "These days? A lot. In the past year, I've probably been gone on something—training, deployment, or short-notice contingency operation—about seven or eight months. During Desert Storm, it was more than that. The other guys on the Team and I were gone almost eleven months out of the year."