Slate snorted. “Not private enough.”
“Damn,” Ashlyn said under her breath.
Slate didn’t say anything, just took another sip of his wine and stared at her over the edge of the glass. His gaze was intense, and Ashlyn had a feeling all she had to do was give him the smallest sign and dinner would be forgotten.
But as much as she loved sex with Slate, she’d been looking forward to going out with him all week. Every time previously, they’d hung out with the whole group or at least a few other people. She wanted to get to know him more, one-on-one.
Breaking his gaze, she turned and stared off into the distance. “If I had this kind of deck, I’d live up here,” she said after a moment.
“I come up here all the time,” Slate admitted. “Especially after a tough mission. Watching the stars, hearing the ocean…it helps recenter me.”
Ashlyn nodded. She could understand that. One of her favorite places was the balcony in Kenna and Aleck’s condo. Her friends’ place was beautiful and more expensive than she’d ever be able to afford, but that view overlooking the ocean was worth every penny the place cost.
They sat in companionable silence for a while, Slate sipping his wine, before he eventually looked at his watch and asked, “You ready to go?”
“What if I say I’m not? And I want to sit here for the rest of the night?” she asked.
“Then we’ll sit here for the rest of the night. I’ll call and order something to be delivered. You can sit your ass right here for as long as you want.”
“That’s a good answer. But I want to go out. I’m dying to know where you’re bringing me tonight.”
“Admit it, you don’t trust me,” Slate said.
Ashlyn frowned in surprise. “I trust you,” she told him. “I do,” she insisted when he raised a brow. “I mean, if I can’t trust you, who the hell can I trust?”
“I’ll always have your best interests in mind when I do something,” Slate assured. He didn’t give her time to question that declaration. He sounded much more serious than the conversation warranted. He stood and held out his hand. “Come on, let me feed you.”
Ashlyn stood up and grabbed her glass.
“Leave it. I’ll come up later and grab everything. I don’t want you going down those stairs without having both hands free to hold on to the railing.”
Since Ashlyn wasn’t all that pumped about trying to hold a glass of wine while negotiating the stairs, she nodded.
“I’ll go first,” Slate said as he opened the stairway door.
“So you can break my fall?” she teased.
“Yes.” His answer was immediate and sincere. “Put your hand on my shoulder if you need to,” he continued as he waited for her to approach.
Ashlyn swallowed hard. Man, he was making it hard to remember any of his faults by being so sweet. They made it down the stairs without her making a fool out of herself by tripping, and she grabbed her purse as they headed for the front door.
Slate held open the passenger door to his Trailblazer, and Ashlyn couldn’t help but marvel at how polite and solicitous he was being. She was more used to his quips and gruff orders than the side of him she was seeing tonight. But she didn’t hate it. Not at all.
To her surprise, instead of heading in the direction of Honolulu and Waikiki, he headed for the west side of the island, getting on 93 toward Waianae.
She so wanted to ask where they were going, but managed to contain her curiosity since she knew he wouldn’t tell her anyway. After a lovely scenic drive up the coast, he pulled into the parking lot of a restaurant called Staxx Sports Bar & Grill.
He cut the engine and turned to her. “It’s nothing fancy, but I don’t think you’re a fancy kind of woman.”
“I’m not,” she agreed immediately.
“They’ve got some delicious traditional Tongan dishes, but also steak, wings, fish tacos, burgers…and we’re definitely getting an order of their tater tots. After that meal you made me the other night, I’m guessing the garlic tots are something you’re gonna want to try.”
Ashlyn grinned. “I like garlic. Sue me.”
“Lucky for you, I do too,” Slate told her. “There are also a ton of TVs, dartboards, and sometimes they have live poker and trivia tournaments.”
“Ooooh, trivia,” Ashlyn said with excitement. “I love trivia! I suck at it, but I love it.”
“For the record, babe, I didn’t pick this place because I’m a guy who’s only comfortable in sports bars. I chose it because they’ve got damn good food. And because I wanted to share it with you.”
“Okay.” Honestly, the thought hadn’t crossed her mind, but she was glad he clarified.
“Come on. I swear I’ve been listening to your stomach growl for the entire drive.”
Ashlyn rolled her eyes. “You have not.”
He grinned at her, and Ashlyn swore she could feel her ovaries explode at the heat she saw in his gaze.
“Food first,” he muttered before climbing out of the vehicle, proving he was definitely on the same page as she was when it came to what they were most hungry for.
She didn’t wait for him, but popped out before he could get to her side of the car.
He didn’t comment, which kind of surprised her, just took her hand in his and led her toward the entrance.
An hour later, Ashlyn sat back against the pleather booth and sighed in contentment. “Those tater tots were literally the best thing I’ve ever eaten,” she said happily.
“I guess so, since you ate about twenty pounds of the things,” Slate teased.
He was a great dinner companion. The conversation had been steady, he hadn’t let his eyes wander around the crowded restaurant as if bored, and Ashlyn loved how interested he seemed in everything she had to say. But then again, she’d been just as fascinated by the stories he told about some of his deployments. She was well aware he wasn’t telling her anything classified, but it was a side of Slate that she hadn’t previously allowed herself to think about.
Like the time he and his team had been cut off from their extraction point and they’d literally had to crawl three miles to stay undetected by the enemy. Or when he’d eaten spiders and a snake when they ran out of MREs after a mission went on longer than they’d expected.
He was trying to keep his stories light and funny, and while Ashlyn laughed in the expected places, the thought of how much danger he and his friends were in every time they were deployed wasn’t exactly a laughing matter.
They’d just finished their entrees—she’d gotten the Staxx burger, and he’d devoured his braised pork belly bao—and were now waiting for the deep-fried ice cream they’d ordered for dessert.
“Can I ask you something?” Ashlyn started.
“Of course,” Slate said, leaning forward and putting his elbows on the table, giving her his undivided attention.
“I could use some advice…but not if you’re gonna go all uber protective on me.”
“Can’t promise that, as I am protective of you,” Slate said calmly. “But I’ll do my best to temper it, since this is just a discussion.”