“I told him I’d think about it and talk it over with you. I don’t want to accept it if having me on staff would make it hard for you to do your job. I also don’t want you to get tired of me too quickly.”
He laughed out loud at this. “Thatisn’t going to happen. Besides, we won’t see each other as often as you might think.”
He explained that she’d be on the medical team, not the tactical team. They wouldn’t be part of the same staff meetings. Sometimes, the medical staff flew out first, so they wouldn’t always be on the same flight. Whenever they operated in a country where Cobra had a compound—Uganda, Afghanistan, Iraq, Australia, and now South Korea—she would stay in the compound while the tactical team was in the field.
“Once in a while, when people are badly injured, they’ll transport you to the scene by helicopter. On this last mission, Doc never left the jet. It just depends on the situation. Most of the time, there aren’t serious injuries—just scrapes, sprains, grazes.”
“I’ll take that over broken, bleeding bodies any day.” She opened the front passenger door for him, buckled his seat belt, then went around to the other side and got into the driver’s seat. “What do you think?”
“I think it’s your career, and you should do what interests you. If that’s working at a clinic for low-income families, you should do that. If it’s working in a busy urban ER, do that. I support you, whatever your decision.”
“You mean that?”
“Hell, yeah, I mean it. I want you to be happy.”
Even as he said those words, Malik knew she would accept Tower’s offer. At her core, Kristi was as much of an adrenaline junkie as he was.
22
Five weeks later
Kristi followed Malik into the condo. “What would you like for dinner?”
“No cooking tonight.” He took off his coat, hung it, then reached for hers. “We’re going to get dressed up and head out. I’ve got a reservation at the Palace Arms at seven. Tonight, we celebrate.”
This was a fun surprise. “What are we celebrating?”
He drew her close, smiled down at her. “Your new job. My being free of those damned slings. Besides, you’ve done a hundred percent of the cooking and cleaning these past two months. If I want to treat you, I will.”
He kissed her, soft and slow, the feel of his embrace precious. He hadn’t been able to hold her like this for eight long weeks, and, oh, she had missed it. He stepped back, released her. “Go. I’ll be right up.”
She went upstairs, washed her face, and put on fresh makeup. She was searching the closet for her favorite little black dress when Malik walked in and stripped off his fatigues. Her gaze moved over him, taking in the view. “Are you sure we shouldn’t just stay home and have crazy animal sex?”
He grinned. “We can do that afterward—and I finally get to be on top.”
That sent a flutter through her belly. “Please.”
Ten minutes later, they walked out the door, hand in hand. Malik drove, heading downtown to the Palace Hotel, where he left the car with a valet.
“Valet parking? Fancy.” Kristi took his arm, walking with him into the Palace Arms, one of the city’s most upscale restaurants. “Wow.”
The Napoleonic decor reminded her of Paris, the scents wafting through the air making her mouth water. They left their coats in the cloakroom and then checked in with the host, who picked up two menus and led them to a candlelit table in the corner.
Malik held her seat, whispering to her, his breath hot on her nape. “You look incredible in that dress.”
Was she blushing? “Thanks.”
No matter where they were, he always made her feel special.
They perused the menu and placed their orders—filet mignon and a glass of Shiraz for him, chicken marsala and Chardonnay for her.
“This is lovely. Thank you.” Kristi glanced around, ran her hands over her bare arms. “It feels strange to be sitting in public and not looking over my shoulder or wondering where the lions are.”
She’d had a few nightmares over the past weeks, but so had Malik.
Malik reached over, took her hand, his gaze soft. “It’s hard to go from fighting for your life to living in normal society. We call that ‘re-entry.’ One minute, you’re under fire, wondering if this is the end, and the next you’re buying toilet paper.”
The way he said it made Kristi laugh, but it wasn’t funny, not really. “You must have been through this dozens of times.”