Convincing Lina: A Bachelor of Shell Cove Novel (The Bachelors of Shell Cove Romance Book 2) by Siera London Page B

veteran Marine, Gideon valued organization. Being in the closet was less painful than he imagined. What struck him as out of place was a child’s pink and vinyl bag covered in bows.  
    “Are you alright in there?” He heard Lina ask. “I roll my towels instead of square fold them. They’re on your left.” Grabbing a towel roll, he exited the closet.  
    Holding it up, “Got it, thanks. Your closet is pretty fancy.”  
    “The custom remodel was a birthday gift from my mother three years ago.”  
    Gideon thought about the expansive closet. Her condo had a wooded preserve view to the east and the river view to the west. This place was a stretch on a nurse’s salary. Maybe her family was wealthy. A disturbing thought crossed his mind and he gave voice to it before he thought better.  
    “Have you ever been married?”
    “No, why do you ask?”
    “This location is atypical for most single women. I thought maybe, there was an ex-husband with a couple of kids in the not too distant past.” A serious, almost tragic expression crossed her face. Had she given that level of commitment to another man?
    “No children,” she said, in a low tone. “A husband doesn’t seem to be in the cards for me.” She was a gorgeous woman. There was no way she believed marriage was off the table.  
    “You looking for a husband?” By her open mouth, his question had caught her off guard. Her brows furrowed. The blood thundered in his veins.  
    “I’m not sure how to answer.” He knew enough about Lina, to know she had an opinion on marriage. Was she too afraid to give voice to her wants?  
    “Tell me what you want.” Her breath hitched. His member pulsed in his pants when her lips parted and her tongue did a slow glide over that full bottom lip.
    “I would like to meet a man interested in a committed relationship and the possibility of children.” That was an interesting response for a woman on a strike.  
    “Kind of hard to do on a man-fast.”
    “Yep, there’s a season to everything. I appreciate you helping me out, and for staying the night.”  
    She was good at changing the subject.  
    “I could’ve gone to my mom’s house, but she worries about me. Telling her what happened tonight would’ve sent her into hyper drive. She probably would have relocated us to an underground bunker.” That stopped him cold.  
    “Lina, I’m not doing you any favors. Tell me why your mother would be so worried about you.”
    “You could have left me after the police report, but you didn’t. Not every man would have made the choice you did tonight, I appreciate the whole dark knight persona you have going on.” The woman was stubborn and she had not answered his question. His adoptive mother, God rest her soul would have said Lina had moxie.
    “He would if his intention is to stick around.” He would have pushed for Lina to give him an answer about her mom, except she looked away from him then, but not before he saw the flash of fear in her eyes.
      “We should get ready for bed, I’m tired, and my new boss is a stickler for punctuality.”  
    He watched as she walked into the master bathroom. She closed the door and he heard the lock engage. He would convince her that he was a man that kept his word. He would be the man to break her fast.

      How many times had she believed a man when he said he was with her to stay? She had scoured the “sucker” tattoo off her forehead. Those words no longer held value. Words that were too easy to disregard, forget, or abandon. She knew from experience.
    She exited the master suite dressed in a royal blue cotton sleep set with capped sleeves. The v-neckline was tasteful, rather than revealing. She expected to see him stretched out on the sofa when she descended the stairs from the master suite. Gideon was organized, so it was odd to think he required extra time in the bathroom. Her graphite color couch was unoccupied.
    Crossing to the darkened kitchen area, she hesitated a