I gestured to a table near a large plant, and Boxer nodded. He set the bag down and removed containers of food.
My stomach turned to marshmallow fluff. “So, the third bird?” I dug into the steak and only my ingrained manners prevented me from eating like a hyena. It was that good.
“I wanted to show my face to the asshole who yelled at you while I was on the phone,” Boxer said, leaning back in his chair. “Though I have a pretty good idea of who it is.”
I stopped chewing and peered at him. His expression gave nothing away and even though he looked relaxed, there was something in his body, an alertness, a readiness to spring.
“Why?”
“I’m curious.”
“About?” I asked in confusion.
“How’s the steak?”
“Perfection. And don’t change the subject.”
“I want to meet the guy that’s riding your ass hard at work, okay?” His gray eyes glittered with challenge. “I’m not gonna cause trouble, if that’s what you’re thinkin’.”
I looked at his hands that rested on the table. They were large. And his fists could do serious injury.
“I wasn’t thinking that,” I admitted.
“Liar,” he said on a laugh.
I blushed in shame.
“Hey,” he said, reaching across the table. I gave him my free hand, and he threaded his fingers with mine. “If someone treats you bad, I’m gonna want to punch the shit out of them. That’s just my nature. But I know that kind of crap won’t fly here. This is your terrain, not mine, and it’ll just cause you more trouble. But I’d be lyin’ if I said I didn’t want to meet the asshole and give him something to think about.”
I looked Boxer up and down, from his tattoos, to his leather cut, to the overall dangerous vibe he put out. Boxer made women’s heads turn and men sit up and take notice.
A natural predator.
“You remind me of a lion,” I said to him. “Sitting the way you are. Like you’re happy to laze in the sun but ready to pounce at a moment’s notice.”
A smile spread across his face.
“What?” I asked in amusement.
“You. That’s all.” He gestured with his chin to the remainder of the potatoes. “Eat up, and then I’ll walk you back upstairs.”
We got up to the floor, and the nurses on night duty watched us with fascinated gazes. I thought about being embarrassed—embarrassed because Boxer kept a possessive hand clasped to mine. But then something truly marvelous happened.
I realized that I didn’t have to care what other people thought of us.
“Thanks for bringing me dinner,” I said, turning my back on the nurses’ station.
“Happy to do it.”
I stood on my toes and pressed my lips to his. “I’ll see you soon.”
“Yeah, dame, I’ll see you soon.”
“Dame?” I repeated.
His grin was impish, boyish. “Yeah. You’re a dame, through and through.” He grasped the tail end of my braid and used it to tug me forward. “Now, kiss me again. Only this time, use your tongue.”
“But they’re watching,” I murmured.