Cul de Sac. Блейк Пирс

were a bit further along. Even something as simple and innocent as him reaching out to hold her hand…she needed something.

      And it was that simple need for human contact that showed her just how much she had been rocked by her father showing up.

      It’s only going to get worse now that he’s out of prison, she thought as she and Moulton took the elevator down to the lobby.

      But she was not going to let him ruin this date.

      She pushed all thoughts of her father out of her mind as she and Moulton stepped out into a warm evening. And to her surprise, it actually worked.

      For a while.

      CHAPTER THREE

      The Japanese restaurant she had selected was a hibachi grill–type place, with the big open stovetops to allow large groups to sit around and watch the cooks perform their artistry. Chloe and Moulton opted for a table in the quiet, more private area of the restaurant. When they were both seated, she was pleased to find that it felt natural to be in a setting like this with him. Physical attraction aside, she had liked Moulton from the first moment she had met him. He had been the one shining light in a day where she had been switched from the Evidence Response Team to the Violent Crimes Program. And here he was, still making awkward moments in her life more bearable.

      She didn’t want to ruin the night with such conversation, but she also knew that if she didn’t get it off her chest, it would be a needless distraction.

      “So,” Moulton said, picking at the corners of his menu as he opened it. “It wasn’t odd that I asked you out?”

      “I’m sure it depends on who you ask,” she answered. “Director Johnson might not think it’s the best idea. However, in keeping with honesty,” she said, “I’ve kind of been hoping you’d ask.”

      “Ah, so you’re a traditionalist? You wouldn’t have asked me out? You would have waited for me to ask?”

      “It’s not so much being a traditionalist as it is being scarred from a past relationship. Which I supposed I may as well let you in on. Up until about seven months ago, I was engaged.”

      The shock on his face was only momentary. Fortunately, she saw no fear or awkwardness there. Before he could comment on this, the waitress came by to take their drink orders. They both ordered a Sapporo, placing the orders quickly, as not to let the momentum of their conversation stall out.

      “Can I ask why it fell apart?” Moulton asked.

      “It’s a long story. The condensed version of it is that the guy was overbearing and couldn’t separate himself from the shadow of his family—his mother in particular. And when I suddenly had a career with the FBI sitting right there in front of me, he wasn’t very supportive. He also wasn’t at all supportive of my own family issues…”

      It then occurred to her that he probably knew about some of her family history. When she had gone digging it up near the end of her training, she was well aware that it had made the rounds of the academy grapevine.

      “Yeah, I heard bits and pieces about that…”

      He let the comment hang. Chloe took that to mean that if she wanted to tell him about it, he would listen. But if she’d rather not go there, he was fine with that, too. And at the moment, with everything that was on her mind, she figured it was now or never. No sense in waiting, she thought.

      “While I’ll spare you the details for some later day, I guess I should let you know that I saw my father today.”

      “So he’s out now?”

      “Yes. And I think it’s mostly because of discoveries I made about my mother’s death over the last several months.”

      It took Moulton a while to figure out where to go from there. He, too, used sipping from his beer as a method of taking his time. When he had a large gulp of it down, he replied with the best answer he could have.

      “Are you okay?”

      “I think so. It was just very unexpected.”

      “Chloe, we didn’t have to go out tonight. I would have understood if you called it off.”

      “I almost did. But I didn’t see the point in giving him control over yet another part of my life.”

      He nodded and they both took the silence that followed as a time to look over their menus. The silence remained between them until the same waitress came back to take their orders. When she was gone, Moulton leaned across the table a bit and asked: “Do you want to talk about it, or are we ignoring it?”

      “You know, I think I’d rather just ignore it for now. Just be aware that there might be times tonight where I might be distracted.”

      He smiled and slowly got up from his chair. “That’s fair. But let me try something, if that’s okay.”

      “What?…”

      He took a large step toward her, bent down a bit, and kissed her. She jerked back at first, unsure of what he was doing. But when she realized his intent, she let it happen. Not only that, but she kissed him back. It was soft but with just enough urgency to give her the idea that he had been thinking about this probably as long as she had.

      He broke the kiss before it started to get uncomfortable; they were, after all, sitting in a restaurant surrounded by other people. And Chloe had never been one for public displays of affection.

      “Not that I’m complaining,” she said, “but what was that for?”

      “Two things. It was me being brave…something I am rarely able to do with a woman. And it was also me giving you another distraction…hopefully one that can outweigh the distraction of your father.”

      With her head swimming a bit and warmth radiating through her entire body, she sighed. “Yeah, I think that might just have done it.”

      “Good,” he said. “Also, I suppose it negates the whole are we supposed to kiss at the end of this date nonsense that I always screw up.”

      “Oh, after that one, we better,” she said.

      And, as Moulton had hoped, thoughts of her father’s sudden appearance seemed very distant.

***

      Dinner went much better than she could have hoped. Once they wrestled around the topic of her father showing up and then continued onward after Moulton’s unexpected kiss, it went very smoothly. They talked about learning the ins and outs of the bureau, music, movies, acquaintances and stories from their time at the academy, their interests and hobbies. It felt natural in a way she had not been expecting.

      Sadly, it made her wish she’d gotten rid of Steven sooner. If this was what she had missed out on by taking herself off of the dating scene for him, she had missed out on a lot.

      They’d finished eating but stuck around for a few more drinks. It was another opportunity for Moulton to display his care and affection as he stopped at two drinks while Chloe had a third. He even asked if she’d feel more comfortable taking a cab if she was uncomfortable with him getting behind the wheel.

      He took her back to her apartment, pulling up to the curb a little after ten o’clock. She was far from drunk but had a nice enough buzz going to wonder about things she might not otherwise entertain.

      “I had a great time,” Moulton said. “I’d like to do it again very soon if you don’t think it will get in the way of work.”

      “Me, too. Thanks for finally asking me.”

      “Thanks for saying yes.”

      Never one to claim she was a master at the art of seduction, she responded to that comment by leaning in and kissing him. Like the kiss in the restaurant, it started slow but then started to build. His hand was suddenly on the side of her face, slipping down to the back of her neck to pull her closer. The armrest was between them and she found herself tilting her body to allow her hand to find his chest.

      She wasn’t sure how long the kiss went on. It was slow and wildly romantic. When they parted, Chloe