found an apple. I wiped it on my shirt in a halfhearted effort to clean it.
“Do you want some?” he asked, tipping his head at therotating container in the microwave. “If that’s all you brought for lunch, I have more than enough for two.”
I raised a doubtful brow.
“Thanks, I’m fine.” I showed him my apple. I didn’t know who he was. He looked about my age, maybe a couple of years older because he was an officer, and you had to have been in the army longer before you could be one. He was tall and very dark, so that his blue eyes were almost startling when you looked him full in the face. If I hadn’t felt slightly cornered, I would have thought he was cute.
“You might be having headaches because you aren’t eating right.”
“How did you know I had a headache?”
“You keep rubbing your right temple,” he said.
I dropped my arm.
“You’re too skinny.”
I narrowed my eyes at him. Sometimes officers let their responsibilities go to their heads. I was not about to let him order me to gain weight. I did notice that he had nice hands, broad across with long, tapering fingers. It was almost a shame he was so annoying.
“Who are you, my mother?”
He started to smile, stopped, tilted his head, and looked at me. Finally he stammered a bit, cleared his throat and said, “What I meant to say was, do you want to go out sometime?”
Well, that was rich. “Do you even know my name?”
“Sure.” He shoved his hands in his pockets and rockedback on his heels. “You’re Maya Laor, you work for Lieutenant Colonel Beral, and you’ve been here for a couple of months, plus or minus a few days.” He grinned and his eyes crinkled so that only a wedge of blue showed.
Had he been spying? The movie I’d watched the night before was all about a charming but demented stalker.
“How do you know who I am? And who are you?”
“Dov Morelan. I work with intelligence one floor down. Don’t freak out. I saw you walk to work a few times, asked around, and found out. You don’t exactly blend in with the crowd.” That was an odd compliment. Did he mean that I was pretty? Or just strange-looking? “I’ve been having lunch here all week, but this is the first time I’ve seen you.”
“I usually skip lunch.”
“Then no wonder you’re downing pills like candy. Come on, let me take you out.”
“Thanks, but no thanks.” The weird thing is I was tempted. He followed me to my desk and leaned a hip against it.
“So what are you working on?”
“Can’t you take a hint?” I asked in disbelief. He looked very comfortable there, leaning against my cluttered desk. I tried to look cold and uninterested, but he was cute. He could also get in a bit of trouble, a lieutenant flirting with a private. I could feel people staring at us.
“What?” he raised his hands as if I held him at gunpoint. “I’m just being friendly.”
“I’m not interested.” I tried to talk quietly, but I knew I was going to get ribbed for this no matter how softly I spoke.Good-looking officer, not from our floor, asking me out? Oh yeah, I was going to get a lot of grief for this.
“Who said I’m interested?” he asked.
“You asked me out to lunch.”
“That was out of pity, sweetheart.”
“What?”
The fact that I just squeaked like a mouse wasn’t a good thing. The fact that he threw his head back and laughed wasn’t so good either. “Kidding. I’m just kidding.”
I couldn’t help it. I laughed.
“You’re impossible.”
“I’ve been told.” He straightened off my desk and winked. “See you around, Private Maya.”
“Sure, whatever.” But I turned back to my computer and had to fight a silly grin that kept wanting to take over.
Not quite love at first sight, but that was me, I guess. Give me a glass slipper and I’d twist my ankle and shatter the shoe.
The first time we went out for lunch, a week after our first meeting, Dov ordered for me before I had the chance. When he saw the look on my
“Do you want some?” he asked, tipping his head at therotating container in the microwave. “If that’s all you brought for lunch, I have more than enough for two.”
I raised a doubtful brow.
“Thanks, I’m fine.” I showed him my apple. I didn’t know who he was. He looked about my age, maybe a couple of years older because he was an officer, and you had to have been in the army longer before you could be one. He was tall and very dark, so that his blue eyes were almost startling when you looked him full in the face. If I hadn’t felt slightly cornered, I would have thought he was cute.
“You might be having headaches because you aren’t eating right.”
“How did you know I had a headache?”
“You keep rubbing your right temple,” he said.
I dropped my arm.
“You’re too skinny.”
I narrowed my eyes at him. Sometimes officers let their responsibilities go to their heads. I was not about to let him order me to gain weight. I did notice that he had nice hands, broad across with long, tapering fingers. It was almost a shame he was so annoying.
“Who are you, my mother?”
He started to smile, stopped, tilted his head, and looked at me. Finally he stammered a bit, cleared his throat and said, “What I meant to say was, do you want to go out sometime?”
Well, that was rich. “Do you even know my name?”
“Sure.” He shoved his hands in his pockets and rockedback on his heels. “You’re Maya Laor, you work for Lieutenant Colonel Beral, and you’ve been here for a couple of months, plus or minus a few days.” He grinned and his eyes crinkled so that only a wedge of blue showed.
Had he been spying? The movie I’d watched the night before was all about a charming but demented stalker.
“How do you know who I am? And who are you?”
“Dov Morelan. I work with intelligence one floor down. Don’t freak out. I saw you walk to work a few times, asked around, and found out. You don’t exactly blend in with the crowd.” That was an odd compliment. Did he mean that I was pretty? Or just strange-looking? “I’ve been having lunch here all week, but this is the first time I’ve seen you.”
“I usually skip lunch.”
“Then no wonder you’re downing pills like candy. Come on, let me take you out.”
“Thanks, but no thanks.” The weird thing is I was tempted. He followed me to my desk and leaned a hip against it.
“So what are you working on?”
“Can’t you take a hint?” I asked in disbelief. He looked very comfortable there, leaning against my cluttered desk. I tried to look cold and uninterested, but he was cute. He could also get in a bit of trouble, a lieutenant flirting with a private. I could feel people staring at us.
“What?” he raised his hands as if I held him at gunpoint. “I’m just being friendly.”
“I’m not interested.” I tried to talk quietly, but I knew I was going to get ribbed for this no matter how softly I spoke.Good-looking officer, not from our floor, asking me out? Oh yeah, I was going to get a lot of grief for this.
“Who said I’m interested?” he asked.
“You asked me out to lunch.”
“That was out of pity, sweetheart.”
“What?”
The fact that I just squeaked like a mouse wasn’t a good thing. The fact that he threw his head back and laughed wasn’t so good either. “Kidding. I’m just kidding.”
I couldn’t help it. I laughed.
“You’re impossible.”
“I’ve been told.” He straightened off my desk and winked. “See you around, Private Maya.”
“Sure, whatever.” But I turned back to my computer and had to fight a silly grin that kept wanting to take over.
Not quite love at first sight, but that was me, I guess. Give me a glass slipper and I’d twist my ankle and shatter the shoe.
The first time we went out for lunch, a week after our first meeting, Dov ordered for me before I had the chance. When he saw the look on my
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