Dangerous Desires

Twelve

Dressed in a dark pink chiffon dress that hung just below my knees, opaque black tights, black ankle boots and a leather jacket I took an Uber the short drive to the restaurant instead of taking Elizabeth's SUV. "You look nice," Gal greeted when we met at the entrance. "You didn't need to dress up for me."

"Get bent Galveston," I quipped making him laugh and place a hand on the small of my back so we could head inside. 

"So how have things been as of late?" I asked when we were settled at our table. 

"Eh," he sighed looking over the menu. "Mostly been working out of the office in DC."

I glanced up from my own menu. "Sounds boring."

"Most definitely, I miss traveling. What about you? I've heard about the dig being put on the back burner since all of those political issues that sprang up in the area."

My answer was halted by our waitress coming to the table to take out order- around Estella's age with bright red hair pulled up into a high ponytail, to much make-up on her face that would have been prettier without it and a tight v-neck shirt that made her breasts look larger than they actually were- whatever brings in better tips I guess. "Oh my God, I love your accent," she gushed to Galveston after we'd placed our orders and he politely thanked her. She gave him a sickly sweet smile and placed a hand on his arm. "I'll be right back with your drinks."

With an extra sway in her hips she walked away and I couldn't stop myself from rolling my eyes. "What?" he asked setting back in his seat. 

I shook my head. "Nothing, I should be used to females gawking at you," I replied and crossed my arms on the tabletop leaning forward. "And the answer to your question things have been okay, I'm trying to help with everything over through emails, phone calls and video conferences. Coming back here reminds me why I left the first chance I got."

"What do you mean?"

"My mother showed up at Tavin's office yesterday and basically told him that I'm not worth having in my niece's life."

He titled his head as he looked at him with his green-gold eyes. "What was Tavin's response?"

"He hates the way she is towards me but what can you do when someone is so set in their ways. Elizabeth was always the favorite."

"Just because she and Tavin got married when she was pregnant?"

"She had the Kennsington name and a Kennsington heir which gave them a stronger claim in the company. I'd be lying if I said Ravenscroft Architecture wasn't struggling before it started riding the coattails of Kennsington Group. Mom pushed my dad and grandfather to move the firm to California so they could start gaining a larger client group that were in a higher tax bracket than the people they worked with. She wanted one of us to bag Tavin, always looking for ways to have a means of income. The more lucrative the better."

"You may not run in the same social circles as them but you still have an incredibly successful career."

"Yeah, but I refused to get married when I got pregnant."

"I've never seen you as the type to settle down."

I huffed a laugh and sat back in my seat as our drinks were sat down. "Your food should be out shortly, is there anything else I can do for you until then?"

"No, we're okay. Thank you," Galveston told her with a kind smile and the waitress gave a nod before going to check on another table.

"Once upon a time I saw myself giving up the travel to raise my son. There is so much of my career that I could do from home but then I lost Hunter and couldn't stand the thought of staying one place."

He took a drink of his beer then rubbed his chin. "Can I ask something?"

I raised an eyebrow at his question. "Go ahead," I sighed. 

"Why agree to this all? From what you've told me it seems like coming back here is hard on you."

I look around then met his dual-toned gaze. "Ya' know I miss the days when we'd fuck each other senseless and not talk about our feelings."

A low chuckle came from him as his tongue ran over his lips and shifted in his seat, his always kind eyes darkening. "Baby, if you're a good girl and talk about your feelings I'll take you home with me after dinner and fuck you into the mattress until you're screaming."

My teeth dug into my bottom lip as my thighs pressed together against the warm moisture that was pooling between them; shit maybe his charms still work on me. "When Elizabeth passed I wasn't there for Estella or Tavin because if I'd stuck around my mother would have made sure they were shunned. If Tavin hadn't reached out I would have kept my distance like I always have."

"For what its worth you would have been a great mother Cher."

I laughed a little. "I'm not so sure about that."

He reached out a hand taking mine. "Your heart is a lot bigger than you let people know."

"How would you know that Galveston?"

"Because I've seen it over the years.  The way you worried for your sister when you found out she was sick and the way you cried when she died and how you treated people you'd meet while on assignment. I was there for it all Anna."

My eyes fell to our hands as my fingers slid between his that were covered by tattoos- a lit match on his thumb and Viking style runes on all the others. "Gal, neither of us are cut out for a normal nine-to-five, cookie-cutter life."

"Baby, any man would be lucky to call you his own."

I gave him a small smile and lifted his hand to kiss his knuckles. "I'd like to see one that could handle me."