Chapter 7

DEZMOND

Dez couldn't take his eyes off the vision that had him pushing aside all the damn crap that was
suffocating him over the past few months. Anna was an instant balm on his scattered mind from the
moment he laid eyes on her.

(Anna.)

Dez repeated the name in his head a few times as he unpacked their food. It was a fitting name and it
was climbing up on his favorite names list.

"Do you live in this huge loft alone?"

Her voice slid over him like a soft caress, causing Dez to shiver. That sort of response to a woman's
voice was peculiar and it took Dez a full minute to shake off the unusual sensation. Once he did, he
realized he hadn't answered Anna's question. When he looked up, she was watching him.

"Uh, yeah, I live here alone."

"Hmmm," Anna said. She turned around and looked at his bookcase.

Dez continued placing their food on the plates he took from the drawer. He kept looking up, watching
Anna glide around looking at this and that. With Anna inspecting his books, movies, and décor, he felt
strangely inadequate. Like he hadn't read the right books, watched the right movies, or decorated his
place nice enough.

After the plates were filled, Dez carried them to the table. He went back to the kitchen and grabbed the
wine and two glasses when he heard an ear-splitting scream.

(What the hell?)



Dez was taken aback; the wine bottle and the glasses he carried wobbled in his grasp. He had to
juggle to keep them from falling as he rushed to the dining room to peer into the open space of his
common area. His heart raced until his eyes fell on Anna.

She was fine, or rather, Anna seemed to look fine as she stood in front of one of his full-sized arcade
games. She whipped around, excitement gleaming from her hazel eyes.

"You have Gorbert? I love this game!" The smile on her face was mesmerizing.

Anna's enthusiasm made Dez forget that he was ready to kill to protect her. He smiled as he stared at
her.

(Damn, this woman is sexy, cute, and she likes my favorite game.)

"Can we play?" Anna asked then turned back to the game and inspected the front. "Do we need
quarters?"

Laughing, Dez raised his brow as he watched her. When she turned back and glared at him he laughed
again at the hopeful look in her eyes. "I rigged it to just start but it's unplugged. Damn thing is an
energy drain." He turned and walked back to the dining area, avoiding the pillar he almost plowed into
when he heard her scream. Dez glanced over his shoulder and said, "Food is ready. Come eat, we can
play later."

When Anna came to the table, Dez was there to pull her chair out.

"You don't have to do that you know? Pulling chairs out and opening doors." She had a scowl on her
face as she stared up at him.

Dez locked eyes with her for several seconds. He loved that she didn't look away; it showed she was
confident. "The men you date, they don't hold doors and pull out chairs for you?" He watched her curl a



stray braid around her finger then place it behind her ear as she looked away.

Ah, he thought as he took his seat, her past relationships are not up for discussion.

"It's just not necessary for you to do, every time."

Dez poured her wine first then his own before he straightened his posture and spoke with a proud tone.
"I feel that manners and being a gentleman are very necessary, Anna. My parents raised me to value
my role as a man and to appreciate a woman's worth." He shrugged. "To do otherwise would not be in
my nature."

Anna was smiling but Dez noticed that when he mentioned his parents her smile faded some. She also
started tapping her foot under the table. (Family issues too.) Dez filed that with all the other things he
was discovering about this captivating woman.

"So, you are an independent woman, who likes salmon and salad, and loves to play games that were
popular before your time."

"That's about all there is to know about me," she said with a shrug.

Dez smiled to himself, he knew there was much, much more to know.

Anna lowered her head, for what he figured was to say grace, for several seconds, then lifted her full
fork to her luscious lips. The idea of watching her eat was a tantalizing thought, but instead Dez began
eating his braised beef, potatoes, and seasoned green beans.


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