Relentless by Kaylea Cross Page A

frowned. “How'd you know about that?”
    “Oh, it's typical for someone who's suffered a head injury.” Jeez, Nev. When are you going to learn to filter things before you say them?
    His manners were impeccable, reminding her again how wrong she'd been to dismiss him as rough and uncouth the first time she'd met him. The reality of him was just... incredible. “I bet you did really well in school, didn't you?”
    “Pretty well. Why?”
    She cocked her head. “Because you're extremely intellectual in your own quiet way. Did you go to college?”
    “I earned a Bachelor of Science through the Army.” He shrugged. “Never went any further than that.”
    She set her elbows on the table and rested her chin on her linked hands. “What was your major?”
    The flicker of a smile crossed his face. “Quantum theory physics.”
    “See? That totally suits you.” How freaking hot was that?
    With that thought came a flicker of dread. How was she ever going to get over the idea of being with him? Fantasizing about him up ‘til now was unhealthy enough, but after tonight her subconscious was going to take that to a whole new level of wrong.
    He caught her staring while he twirled more pasta around his fork and smiled. “Want some?” Lifting a mouthful, he offered it to her across the table.
    Maybe he didn't intend for it to be a sensual gesture, but it was. Spellbound by the magnetic pull of his dark blue eyes, she leaned forward and grasped his wrist as he brought the food to her lips. She opened and he eased the forkful inside her mouth. Sliding the pasta off with her lips, she sat back again. The delicious flavors of roasted tomatoes and peppers burst in her mouth. She chewed slowly, savoring the taste, very aware of the way he watched her. Somehow she managed to swallow the bite.
    “Good?”
    Damn, was it her, or was it suddenly hot as hell in here? “Delicious. Thanks.”
    “Want more?”
    Boy, did she. But what she was hungry for unfortunately wasn't on the menu. Or was it? Watching him closely, she tried to figure him out, but decided he was much too polite to proposition her over dinner. What a shame. “One more.” Where the hell that seductive tone had come from, she couldn't say, but possibly her three glasses of wine were to blame. Still, she eagerly awaited the next bite he held out for her and even held his gaze as she took it.
    Might have been her imagination, but she thought his eyes had a hungry gleam to them. And right then, she glimpsed the predator concealed beneath the carefully controlled exterior. A thrill shot down her spine, part excitement, part unease.
    The waiter broke the spell when he came back and refilled her glass. She should be glad about that, she told herself, licking her lips to clean off the last trace of delicious sauce. At least he'd interrupted before she'd blurted out something stupid in her usual blunt way.
    That hungry glint in Rhys's eyes was an important reminder that he was more than he seemed. Not that she was afraid of him. She knew with complete certainty he'd never hurt her. No, it was because he'd spent most of his adult life doing things she couldn't even think about. Things she couldn't imagine him doing. She'd had a firsthand glimpse of the violence he lived with on a daily basis when he was working, and the memories still had the power to paralyze her.
    Throughout the rest of the meal, she kept asking herself the same question. How could she want Rhys when he was capable of such violence?
    By the time they got to her hotel, nerves squirmed in her belly. Rhys had been quiet on the trip back, but her mind was in turmoil. Her chest was heavy with all the things she wanted to say and didn't dare. Her body was dying for his touch. Regardless of the inner conflict she battled, those things hadn't changed. If anything, her attraction to him had amplified as the night progressed.
    He walked her up to her room, and she was still deciding whether or not to invite him in when