Delta's Baby Surprise (Special Forces Elite 1)

He slowed down as we neared the parking lot. “Tools? Like coping tools? I don’t think so, doc.”

“You are quick to turn down new things,” I commented.

He shook his head, pulling the keys from the ignition. “No. I just know what works in my life and what doesn’t.” He turned to face me. “Yoga with you, though?” He paused and I thought my heart was going to beat out of my chest. The way he looked at me made me feel as if he was going to devour me in the cab of the truck. “I’d be willing to try yoga.”

I smiled triumphantly. My core fluttered just a bit and I knew I was falling

way to fast for this soldier. He had a heartbreaker face and a body to go along with it.

“We should go in. We have reservations.”

“Oh right.” The silence between us was broken. He slid out of the truck and walked around to open the door for me.

As we walked inside, I wondered how long it had been since he had done something as normal as going out to eat. It sounded as if his life had been completely off the grid. Part of me could relate in a small way. Life at the hospital was nothing but constant shifts. I worked, ate, and slept. Although, I wasn’t fighting for my life. He lived with a heightened sense of mortality that had to be impossible.

Once we were seated, I thanked the waiter when he dropped off a glass of wine. I wrapped my fingers around the stem. I needed to pace myself.

“So how has your first week back in the U.S. been?” I asked. I wanted to get to know as much about Brett as I could.

He folded the menu and placed it on the table. “Strange.”

“I can only imagine. But you’re happy to be home?”

His eyes landed on mine, and I felt something in his gaze I hadn’t seen before. “I think I am. For now.”

“You should just take it slow. Don’t put pressure on yourself.”

“Is that you talking or the doctor?” He raised his eyebrows.

I smiled. “Sometimes I can’t separate the two.” I sipped my wine, feeling the sudden smoothness soothe me.

“I have that same problem. It’s a work hazard.” His eyes didn’t move.

“Yes, exactly. A work hazard.”

“How long have you been a doctor?” he asked.

“I’m finishing my residency now It’s my third and final year after four years of med school. I can’t believe after this year I’ll be done. I haven’t decided if I’m staying in Havenville.”

“Not stay in Havenville? Where would you go?”

“Mmm…I don’t know. I don’t have family here. There are a lot of hospitals hiring right now. Not to mention private practices. I thought about trying the east coast. Maybe someplace warmer.”

“What?” His voice was deep and low. The sound sent a shiver down my back.

“I have a year to decide what I’m going to do.”

“I don’t know why you’d leave Washington. What more could be out there? Warm weather is overrated.”

“You leave, don’t you?” I protested. It didn’t seem as if he was in a position to lecture me on staying in one place.

He chuckled. “True. But my job has different traveling requirements. I don’t have a say in where I go.”

We paused when the waiter returned to the table. Brett stopped to order for both of us before dismissing the server.

“The only thing I know about your job is that you’re in the Army. What do you do for them? What kind of job keeps you away for two full years?”

“I don’t really talk about it.” He looked around us as if he was scanning the people at the nearby tables. “Sometimes it’s just better not to.”