5. Dan

I'd walked her to work. My beautiful, mystery woman had a name. Karol. Karolina Rivas.

One day, Karolina Palmer,a possessive voice she had somehow woken up whispered in my ears. We had talked the entire time, and I'd never felt the way I had with her. Ever. Not even close.

I felt like we somehow knew one another. Maybe in a past life? The thought made me want to laugh. First, I was wishing on stars, and now I was thinking about reincarnation?

Excitement prickled at the back of my neck. Karol. The only thing I regretted was not getting her number. But just as I'd been about to ask for it, someone had come out of the building looking for her.

But I knew where she worked. I knew her name. I'd looked up the city's recreation center, and boom, there she was. My girl wasn't just an employee for the city, she was the city's recreational art director. She was in charge of the summer camps, winter camps, and art classes that were offered to not only the citizens of Poppy Beach, but to tourists as well all year round.

I'd walked around town for a while after dropping her off at the city building. Getting to know the area. I could see why Abel liked it here so much. Enough to settle down.

It was nice.

Calm.

A great change of pace to the chaos we lived when we were on missions and waiting to be called up.

After, I'd gone home and cleaned. Then, because I couldn't talk myself out of it, I headed right back into town. There was a diner she had pointed out and recommended because as she had shared, if it wasn't for her sister cooking for her, she would eat all three meals there. Polly's Diner was cute and completely unexpected.

The place was decorated in white and pops of bright oranges. I would have thought the color could be too much, but whoever had decorated knew how to balance it just right. It was a welcoming spot, with an old-school bell that rang above the door every time it opened and closed.

When I stepped in, the last thing I expected was to see her, but it was like I had conjured her up once again. Karol sat alone at a booth, and when the hostess asked if I needed a table for one, I took a chance. I shook my head and said I saw my party.

Without looking away, I walked right over to her. From afar I could see she had earbuds in, her head bobbing up and down to whatever song she was listening to. Her dark gaze rose just as I reached her table. I watched those pretty eyes widen and then soften. Slowly, she popped her earbuds out and smiled up at me.

"Hey, it's you."

"It's me." I felt like a fucking teenager.

"How was your day? Did you get to explore?" she asked with an easy smile. For a moment, I wasn't sure if she was simply making small talk to be polite or because she actually cared. When her smile never wavered, I decided it was the latter.

"I did. I liked that museum you told me to check out." She smiled brighter. Her eyes darted to the empty booth bench in front of her.

"Would you like to join me?" I didn't hesitate. Thanking her, I slipped in and got the pleasure of looking at the girl of my fucking dreams.

Jesus Christ. It was all wrong. I was all kinds of wrong for her.

A better man, the kind who deserved her, would have never stepped foot into the diner in hopes of catching a glimpse of her, much less sit down with her. But I wasn't a better kind of man.

I was selfish and greedy. Fuck me, all I wanted was to spend time with her. I'd never felt this way towards anyone. Not once, not even close.

"Here." She passed me the menu. "I already know what I'm going to order."

"What do you recommend?" She opened and shut her mouth, and for some reason, my lips quirked upward. "What were you about to say?" I asked. She simply blushed.

"Nothing." Her eyes skated down to the tabletop before returning to mine. "I was just going to ask about your dietary restrictions."

"Hmm." I didn't believe her. I had a feeling my sweet little siren had a dirty little mind. Maybe I wasn't the only one feeling this pull. If I had it my way, she would have been thinking about offering herself up on a silver platter. "No dietary restrictions tonight."

"Tonight?" She smiled. "So, you usually have them? You don't look like that—" She waved her hand up and down at me, and I found myself laughing. Hearty and rich, and completely unrecognizable. I wasn't the kind to laugh.

"Like what?" I glanced down at myself and then back at her.

"All Mr. Hot Stuff." The moment the words slipped past her lips, her face turned the prettiest shade of pink, almost red. Her hands rose and she covered it. "I'm sorry! I didn't mean?—"

"You don't think I'm hot stuff?"

"Mr. Hot Stuff and, umm, I didn't say I didn't, I just—" I chuckled and reached for her hand.

"You're pretty cute, too," I muttered, trying to keep things light. But she squished her nose, almost like she was offended.

"Cute. Wow, okay," she mumbled like I'd offended her. Before I could explain, a waitress about Karol's age stopped by and shared the specials with us.

"Mind if I order for you?" she asked.

"Please." I nodded, and she grinned.

"Mary, can I get two of my usual with no onions and two cherry Cokes with?—"

"Extra cherries." Mary the waitress smiled. "I got you, girl. And half and halves?" she asked, and Karol's smile widened.

"Yes! Please." Mary grinned as I handed her the menu I had hardly looked at before walking away.

"I'm afraid to ask."

"Guess you're going to have to trust me." She shrugged. Her dark eyes almost sparkled. "So, tell me about yourself, Dan."

"You could always call me Mr. Hot Stuff. I kinda like it." I teased. She rolled her eyes.

"Shut up." She laughed. "You know you're good looking."

"Maybe back in the day. Now I'm a little old." I told it like it was.

"No, you're not."

"Honey, I'm a lot older than you."

"Hmm… maybe." She bit her lower lip, and my hands itched to make her stop. "But maybe that's a good thing?"

"Oh?" Fucking hell. Did my girl like older men? Could I be someone she would possibly be interested in? The way she looked at me, and the way her gaze skated down to my hands and shoulders and biceps, made me think I might be that lucky.

"Well, yeah." She cleared her throat. "I just mean women mature faster than men."

"That is definitely right."

"If you don't mind me asking, how old are you?" If I don"t mind? Fucking hell, she was adorable when she was being polite. Something possessive and dominating washed over me. I wanted her to feel free to ask me anything because she knew I was hers.

Hers?

"How old am I?" I repeated, trying to put off the inevitable. This was it. Would her pretty face crumble in disgust when I told her I could probably be old enough to be her father? The curiosity in her eyes sparked hope. "Forty," I answered honestly.

When she didn't say anything, I got nervous.

Me! Nervous! I'd never been nervous! Amped up on adrenaline before and after missions? Absolutely! But nervous? That was new, and I had a feeling all sorts of things were going to feel new with her.

The waitress showed up and dropped off two huge plates with a pile of fries and onion rings and what looked like a BBQ grilled chicken sandwich next to it. Then she brought over two cherry Cokes I was pretty sure had more maraschino cherries in it than ice.

"If you guys need anything else, just give me a holler." The waitress smiled and walked off.

"What do you think?" she asked, still not giving me a clue about what she thought about our obvious age difference.

"I think this looks really damn good."

"You have no idea." She grinned saucily as she grabbed a fry off my plate and chewed on it. I'd never liked sharing food. But with her, I didn't mind. If anything, I fucking loved it.

"I'm twenty-five," she shared after taking a bite of her sandwich.

Twenty-five. Shit. I"m fifteen years older than her.

"Is the age thing a problem for you?"

"Depends," she answered without meeting my gaze.

"On?" I found myself asking, ignoring my food. I was starving, but I couldn't keep my eyes off her.

"What should I mind about it? We just met. There isn't anything going on—" My hand reached out for hers. It had been innocently resting on the table, and I couldn't help it. The size difference blew my mind. Like a baseball mitt engulfed hers.

"I don't think it's presumptuous to think you might be interested in me like I am in you."

"You're interested?" she asked almost like she couldn't believe it. How the hell was that possible? Were the men in this city stupid and blind? How the hell wasn't she taken?

Or maybe she was?

Maybe she had a man who didn't give a shit about her going to the beach at night on her own?

"I'm sorry. You probably have a man?—"

"A man?" She snorted and set her sandwich down on the plate before taking a sip of her cherry Coke. Her eyes studied me over her cup. Her lips wrapped around the straw were about to set my soul on fire. "I'm not dating anyone, if that's what you're asking. And since you're being direct, which I really appreciate, I have to tell you I find you really attractive."

"You do, huh?"

"I did call you Mr. Hot Stuff." I was fucking thankful there was a table between us to hide the fucking erection I was sporting.

"And our age difference?" I hardly recognized the tone of my own voice.

"I don't mind it, if you don't."

"How the hell are you single?" I asked, and she blushed. Karol popped a fry into her mouth and shrugged.

"I could ask you the same question," she murmured. My little kitten had spunk, and I really fucking liked it. She was a flirting master. I couldn't wait to get to know her better.

Conversation and laughter flowed freely throughout dinner.

As well as heated looks and flirty innuendos.

It was a perfect date without it being one. Not officially. I was out of my mind. Abel would tell me I'd lost my mind, and he would be right.

My mind and heart were goners when it came to my kitten.

Every laugh and smile went straight through me until I was simply hers. I had no idea how the hell she'd done it. She's bewitched me. Completely under her spell, I didn't know how I would manage it, but she had to be mine.

And I didn't mean for a night or a summer fling.

I wanted a hell of a lot more than that.

Which was insane considering I was in town for less than two more weeks. Unless you stay, a voice perked up. I shook the thought away. For the rest of the night, I was present, in the moment with the most extraordinary woman, enjoying every second she could spare me.

After I took care of the bill, we walked out of the diner. Even though I was stuffed to the gills, I suggested we get dessert. I wasn't ready for our night to end. And I had a feeling she felt the same way. Her hand took mine, and we walked through the main part of town and down to the beach area, where we split a cup of vanilla soft serve while sitting on the sand.

"We're close to your condo," she mentioned after taking the last spoonful of vanilla ice cream. I nodded. I couldn't trust myself in that moment. The conversation had been easy. She'd told me all about herself, and I'd shared about my own life. Shared things I had only talked about with Abel. She knew I'd been a SEAL and that I was looking for my next adventure. She'd asked about the places I'd traveled, and she told me about her family and how much she loved her job.

"I should walk you back to your car. Or I could give you a ride home?" I offered. We both stood and shook the sand off our clothes. When her dark beautiful eyes locked on mine under the bright moon, my body automatically braced itself, almost like it somehow knew that look despite having just met her.

"Or you could show me your rental?" she suggested. That was when I lost hold of whatever thread of control I'd been clutching onto throughout dinner. I pulled her in close, our bare feet on the now cool sand, and her hand rested on my chest.

"You sure?" My chest heaved up and down heavily, like I'd gone on a six-mile run.

"Positive," she whispered. My head dipped down, and I watched as her eyes slowly fluttered shut and her lips parted.

She wanted me to kiss her. That was obvious. Who they hell was I to deny her? My head dipped a little lower, slow enough to give her time to move away in case she changed her mind. But from what I gathered from our talk, when my girl set her mind on something, she went after it.

And that was proven when my lips touched hers and she didn't recoil or push me away. My big hands wrapped around her waist, and my right pressed to the small of her back pulled her in closer. Karol's hand on my chest slid up and around my neck. Our lips touched and danced around one another, and when she sighed, my tongue dove into her mouth and I groaned.

She tasted like vanilla and cherries, and I was absolutely addicted.

Karol's hands moved up into my hair and clung to me like I was the anchor keeping her steady. We kissed under the stars while the sound of the waves became the soundtrack to our last first kiss.