“Where shall we go?” he asked when they hit the sidewalk. It was another hot and sunny day. Rose wished she’d brought her shades, but she didn’t want to go back up to the apartment and grab them.

She shrugged. “Where would you like to go? I’m easy.” She immediately winced at the poor choice of words. But he never picked up on it. Or, if he did, never took the opportunity to say anything.

Bellamy thought for a few moments. “Is there a river nearby? Or a boating lake?”

“Aha. Navy guy, right?” She squeezed his shoulder. It was tense, muscular. It felt good in her grasp. “Hornblower missing his water. I get it. If you want, I could pick us up some fast food or something on the way. I think I know just the place.”

To her surprise and secret delight, he offered her his arm.

She hesitated, staring at him. “Why are you such a gentleman?”

“Why do you think?” He backed his words up with a confidence in his eyes that practically overwhelmed her. He’d summoned it from somewhere, and it was potent.

Still, she hesitated. Weren’t things crazy enough already without her falling for the guy who’d crazied them up in the first place? “But why?” she reiterated. It was an unanswerable question. One she always hated to get asked herself.

“Why not?” He smiled warmly, but a bit devilishly. There was a gravity behind it, a sincerity. Bellamy was not cunning or treacherous. He was just honest. And honestly on its own could be quite charming.

She took his arm, happy to have their bodies touching in any way, and sidled up against him so that their hips and shoulders touched. Again, it felt so good. Too good. Electric even. Risky and safe at the same time. She noticed then that they were a similar height. He was maybe an inch taller, and quite a bit heavier with muscle mass. She’d seen how cut Bellamy was last night on the rooftop. He had to work out at a gym or something. Either that or he spent most of his free time playing sports. No way could a lawyer or a bean-counter stay in such good shape otherwise.

She led him up the street. “You ever been married, Bellamy?”

“Yes. A long time ago, back in England. She was...her name was Alice.”

“Divorced.”

He sighed. “Hmm.”

“But an amicable one, right? You parted as friends?”

He looked at her with simple wonder. “How did you know that?”

“Not sure. Intuition.” She quirked a grin his way. “You’re frustratingly hard to dislike, you know.”

He laughed. “I think that’s the nicest thing you’ve said to me yet.”

“Ouch.” Rose gave his arm a playful shake and then sighed heavily. “Yeah, I can be a bitch, I know.”

“Not from where I stand.”