Tackle (K19 Security Solutions 9)

I walked over, grasped both her wrists, and put her hands on my hips. “How about we just start with a meal? Have dinner together?”

“Knox—”

“Is in New York City.”

“How would he feel if he knew?”

I released her hands and sat down on the bed. “I’ve asked you to be honest with me, so I will answer truthfully. He wouldn’t like it.”

“And yet, you’re still here. Still asking me to have dinner with you.”

“I can’t help it, Sloane. The idea that I could’ve died…it changed how I feel about things. How I think about them.”

She sat beside me. “I get that.”

“On our way back from Columbia, your brother asked if surviving the plane crash made me want to settle down, have kids, that kind of stuff.”

“And?”

“I can’t say I’ll ever be ready to have kids. I mean, you know as well as I do how hard it is on the families with what I do for a living.”

“You’re going back to it?”

I shrugged. “It’s too early for me to say for certain. My dad basically told me his business is mine if I want to take it over.”

“But?”

“There was a reason I didn’t go into construction and contracting to begin with. I don’t know if I see myself doing that for the rest of my life either.”

My phone rang again, and for the second time, I ignored it. I wished I’d thought to go turn it off before I followed Sloane in here.

“She?

?s persistent,” she mumbled.

“It’s probably a spam call.”

“Right.” She smirked. “Back to what we were talking about. I didn’t expect Knox to take on another mission so soon.”

“I didn’t either.”

“You said that almost dying changed how you feel about things. What things?”

“Putting things off until tomorrow. Denying myself.” I put my fingers on her chin and turned her head to look at me. “You.”

“I don’t know what that means.”

“How about I tell you over dinner?”

“You aren’t going to relent, are you?”

I shook my head. “I’m starving.”

Sloane smiled. “I am too.”

“There’s a Moroccan place not too far from here.”

“I know it. They started out with just a food truck. Now, it’s one of the most popular restaurants in the city.”