Billi Jean by Running Scared Page B

noted—before he let out a long sigh. His gaze had an intense, hungry look she noticed when their eyes met. “You’re beautiful, Susan.”
    There went her cheeks again. “And you swear quite a bit, but thank you. You look nice as well.” Her stomach fluttered at how he’d said her name. It was the first time he’d used it, she realised. And, sadly, it wasn’t hers.
    He shook his head and pulled a face. “Navy. I’m trying,” he said, as if that explained it all. And it did.
    When he didn’t move, or take his eyes off her, she got nervous enough to fidget with her hands. “What?”
    He blinked. “Coat? It’s cold out there.”
    “Ah, my jacket’s in my truck. We’ll grab it on the way out. And where is this burger place, anyway?”
    He nodded and took her hand firmly in his, leading her out after shutting off the lights, leaving the garage light on, and shutting and locking her doors for her. The entire time, he didn’t let her hand go until he helped her up into his truck. It was as if he thought she might change her mind. The way her heart was racing, she should. But nothing was going to make her jump down from his truck, she realised after taking a deep breath of the scent filling it. Warm, spicy Russell? Leather, horses and him . She was addicted already. God, who knew men could smell so…good?
    He glanced at her as soon as he sat down, then turned the truck on and adjusted the heaters so they all faced her. Cute. Too cute. She saw him settle back in the seat, glance out of the windows, then let out a breath like he’d been holding it. Her heart flipped at such a sweet, unconscious gesture. When their eyes met, he seemed to shake himself and frowned.
    “Seatbelt.”
    “Oh, yep. Seatbelt.” She tucked hers on quickly before he issued any more orders. Men. “So, you never said how long you were in the SEALs.” She might as well dig a bit while she was here.
    He shook his head. “No, I didn’t, did I?”
    She hmphed at that and settled down in her seat. His truck was very clean. Neat, even. There was a little dirt on the floorboards, but not much. He shifted the heater to high and backed up slowly, turning easily and heading to town.
    She was so lost in actually going out on a date that she didn’t notice for a long while that they were both sitting and not speaking. Glancing at him, she held in a grin at his leisurely style of driving. He had one hand on the wheel, hanging over the top of it, while he rested his other arm on the middle console between the seats. He didn’t seem worried about her silence. Good. She liked silence. Sometimes chatter was good, but it was nice to sit and relax, too.
    “Ten years.”
    She watched his profile, more than a little shocked. He was still watching the road, but shot her a quick look and grinned.
    “SEALs. Four in the service, then right into the SEALs.”
    “Oh, I forgot I was digging.” She held in a grin when he gave her a surprised look, then slowly smiled. His grey eyes darkened when he did that, she noticed. Got less intense and more relaxed, maybe, or maybe at least a little less guarded.
    “You can ask me anything, Sunshine. What do you want to know?”
    She snuggled down in the big seat, considering the angles and planes of his face. “Well, I heard you only came back recently, after your brother’s accident. I’m sorry to hear you lost your brother. That must have been such a shock.”
    “Yeah, it was. We weren’t close, but it was hard all the same.”
    She waited, but he didn’t say anything more. She clutched her hands together and glanced away from his stern profile. “But you came back to raise your nephew?”
    She’d heard his nephew had been in trouble quite a bit before the accident. “Yeah, well, my nephew’s a great kid. Doesn’t need much more than a man around, really. His uncle—Mitchell—he’s on the ranch, too, and does more than I do with him.”
    “Really?” She tilted her head and slipped her hair behind her