He held up his hands. “Exactly how did I criticize you?”
“Well, you...” She swirled her drink in her glass. “I’m sure you would have if I’d actually had a date there in the car with me.”
That made him chuckle. “Would you have introduced him to me?”
“Absolutely not.” She stood up and held out her hand for the empty plate. “Are you finished?”
“Yes, with everything except for this.” He held up the Cellophane wrapper that contained a fortune cookie. “We should probably open it and see what it says.”
There was only one cookie, since there had only been one order of food. He wasn’t even sure why he’d mentioned it, except that he couldn’t remember a time he and Nata had shared a meal together. Not without her brother or someone else being there. He was loath to bring the time to an end for some reason. Maybe because she had called him for help, rather than another friend or her brother.
The slight frown she’d carried all evening disappeared. “If it says something about being unlucky in love I’m going to be seriously ticked.” Then she stopped. “I’m sorry, Adam, I wasn’t directing that at you.”
“It’s okay.” He’d already been unlucky in love, not once but twice. Not much could be worse than what he’d been through on either of those occasions. “There’s not much chance of it predicting my future with any accuracy.”
He helped her clear the table, carrying the cookie with them into the kitchen.
“You’re never planning on getting married again?”
“Nope. Once was more than enough.”
“But what about that big family you said you wanted?” Natália didn’t look at him, making short work of scraping the plates and setting them into hot soapy water she’d prepared a few seconds earlier. “Not everyone is like Priscilla.”
He didn’t really want to discuss his ex. Or children. Or hear Nata say he could very well find someone amazing, if he gave women a chance. “Do you want me to make coffee?”
“Yes, please. The grounds are in the cabinet to your left.”
“No fancy pod system?”
“I prefer to do things the old-fashioned way. It helps me appreciate it more.”
Adam wasn’t going to even touch that one. Because he could think of at least one thing that he preferred to do the old-fashioned way as well. And it didn’t involve coffee. Instead he got busy measuring out the grounds and filled the machine with water. He’d only had one beer, but somehow his head was a little fuzzy, as if he’d spent the night at the bar. Maybe it was just everything that had happened: the distress call, those thugs at the yakisoba place, finding out that she hadn’t had a date after all.
Within ten minutes they were in the living room with a tray, two coffees and the lone fortune cookie between them. Natália settled on the couch, and he set the tray on the table and lowered himself beside her.
She picked up her mug and took a deep sip of the contents, wrapping her hands around it and holding it close to her lips. Her eyes shut for a second. “Perfect. Thank you.”
“I aim to please.”
Those words came out all rough-edged, loaded with a meaning that had nothing to do with coffee. He purposely cleared his throat, to make it seem like that was to blame and not his own damned inner processes that had been running rampant all day.
He picked up the fortune cookie and tossed it in the air, catching it with a flick of his wrist and shoving his open palm toward her. “I think you should do the honors.”
It definitely shouldn’t be him. Not when he was suddenly aware of every move she made...of every glance she angled toward him. Of those damned panties that he knew lay just beneath her sensible clothing. Down that path was madness and irresponsibility. And self-destruction.
Natália’s brown eyes met his for a second and then she set her mug down and plucked the fortune cookie from his palm. Her lips twisted to one side. “Chicken.”
Yes. He was. And he was okay with that label. It was better than some of the angry accusations he was currently throwing at himself.
The crinkling of plastic seemed louder than normal. He set his own coffee down as he waited for her to finish opening the package. Then it was in her hand. “We’ll split it.”
She broke the cookie in two and handed him the half without the little slip of paper sticking out of it. Then, gripping the fortune with her thumb and forefinger, she teased it from its home. Popping her half of the cookie in her mouth, she turned the paper over so she could read it.
Her jaws suddenly stopped chewing, her eyes widening in something akin to horror.
“What?” he asked. “It’s not predicting one of our deaths, is it?”
He didn’t really think it was, but the color was seeping out of her cheeks. “Do you want me to read it?”
Her mouth went back to working on the food, moving in jerky starts and stops before her throat moved and she swallowed.
Something was bothering her. “What does it say, Nata?”
She licked her lips. “It’s stupid. I should just throw it away.”
Maybe she should. But now he wanted to know what was on it. What she thought was so terrible that she didn’t even want to voice it aloud. It was nonsense, right? Then why was he suddenly worried that his past might be rising up to find him?
“Either read it or give it to me.”
“Fine. You want to know what it says? I’ll tell you.” Her chest heaved as she took a deep breath and then blew it out audibly. “Don’t say I didn’t warn you.”
Her head bent as she leaned closer to whatever was written on that paper. “‘Soon you will meet and kiss someone special.’”
The words ricocheted through the room, bouncing around as his head tried to make sense of them. Then they registered, and he laughed in relief. “That’s what you were so upset about?”
“Well, I know it’s stupid, but it’s a little embarrassing, don’t you think?”
“No, I don’t think.” He slid his fingers over the side of her cheek. “I did meet you at that restaurant. And I’m at least a little special, aren’t I?”
“Well, of course.”
He leaned sideways and kissed her cheek. “See? Painless. That wasn’t embarrassing, was it?”
“No, I guess not.” She smiled.
“Your turn, since the fortune was for both of us.” He presented his cheek to her.
The second she touched her lips to his skin, though, he knew he’d made a huge mistake in asking her to reciprocate. The kiss hit him just beside his mouth, the pressure warm, soft and lingering just a touch too long. Long enough for his hand to slide to
