Warrior's Heart (Gifts Of The Ancients #1) by Bianca D'Arc Read Free Book Online

dinner, sweetheart. I can’t wait.”
     
    The week flew by and by the time Friday rolled around Casey had everything set. Candles were already on the table, along with a new tablecloth and her famous chicken ready to serve. All she needed was the man.
    At six sharp the doorbell rang, and Casey smoothed the skirt of her little black dress. She’d wanted to look good for her first real date with Hal. She knew the date would more than likely end with them in bed together. Still, she wanted to look her best.
    She was rewarded for the extra care she’d taken in dressing when Hal just stared at her for a good long minute after she opened the door. Casey was looking him over too.
    He looked healthy, whole and wholly edible. Not a sign that he’d been sick after saving her life the weekend before. He had gorgeous flowers for her—stargazer lilies, which were her favorite—and an expensive bottle of wine to go with dinner. Of course, the appreciative look in his eyes meant more than anything else.
    He stepped into her apartment, dropping the flowers and wine onto the couch before sweeping her into his arms for a long, hot kiss. His lips were brutal at first, then gentled as he tasted her, sipping at her mouth and groaning in satisfaction. Her tongue tangled with his and his hands roamed over her shoulders, under the thin straps of the dress and then over the silky material, down to her waist and lower.
    He pulled her against him, shocking her with the blatant hardness at the juncture of his thighs as he pulled away for just a moment to look into her eyes.
    “You’re beautiful, Cas and so sexy.”
    She smiled up at him. He was in dark slacks and a black knit shirt that hugged his bulging muscles. “You’re not too shabby yourself, Captain Haliwell. Is that a rocket in your pocket or are you just happy to see me?”
    “A little of both, sweetheart.” He laughed with her and let her go. “But we’ll call a ceasefire while we eat dinner, okay?”
    “Just like a man, thinking of your stomach first.” She began to take the flowers and wine into the small kitchen, Hal stopping her with a hand on her arm.
    “Actually, I’m thinking of you, Cas. I want you to know that this doesn’t have to be anything more than dinner. If you want, I’ll sleep on your couch tonight. No pressure. Okay?”
    His gaze was so serious, his look so earnest, she smiled and moved back into his arms, placing a light kiss on his cheek.
    “I know you well enough to tell you off if I feel uncomfortable. Thanks for being so sweet. I made your favorite—mom’s recipe for chicken and rice.”
    He let her go, rubbing his washboard stomach with a grin of appreciation. “Oh man, I’ve died and gone to Heaven. I’ve got a smart, beautiful, sexy woman to keep me company and my favorite food in the whole world.”
    She turned to him as she set the wine in a cooler of ice and put the flowers in a vase. “Flattery will get you everywhere, Captain.”
    “A man can only hope.” The twinkle in his eyes set a little fire in her tummy.
    They ate together, as they had many times before, but this time it was different. It was just the two of them. No family was around to interject or interfere with their conversation. They talked about many different topics until she finally broached the subject she’d been thinking about all week.
    “I had a very interesting talk with your friend Jeff,” she began hesitantly.
    “Oh, yeah? What did the little pipsqueak have to say?”
    She chuckled at the idea of Jeff Penworthy being a pipsqueak. Like Hal and the other men of his unit she’d met, Jeff was built. Muscles on muscles. Jeff might be a little more compact than Hal, and slightly shorter, but no less solid. These were men with a capital Mmm.
    “He told me about your unit and the different specialties you and your men have, and he told me something happened in Iraq to change you all.”
    Hal looked up from his dinner, suddenly serious. “That’s classified