Kiera sighed. The unexpected visitor knocking at the rented room's door didn't give Alec Sadler much choice. He had to hide. Since he was a smart boy, he ducked under the bed. How would it look? An underage boy, alone with her? All clear now, she went to see who it was, although she had a pretty good idea. When she faced him, she smiled at the indefatigable detective, who never took no for an answer. Whatever he had on his mind, she guessed it couldn't have waited until tomorrow.
He walked in through the door that was ajar. His presence, commanding.
"Hey, Carlos. What've you got that's making me hungry?" she asked, having stood aside to let him come right in.
"I don't show up empty handed," he replied, sounding proud of himself. He had skipped breakfast this morning, hadn't had much lunch. He was starving.
Alex hugged the industrial grade carpet, that wasn't very clean, beneath the bed. His chin rested on his folded hands. He chuckled, guessing why Fonnegra was here. He had a crush on Kiera. It couldn't have been more obvious if it had been written in the sky. His appetite was piqued. The overpowering aroma of Chinese takeout made his mouth water.
"I hope you're hungry and like beef and broccoli. Kung Pao Chicken, too. I got a large pork fried rice so we can share." Carlos had gone on to set the takeout containers, decorated with bright red pagodas, on the only table in the room. "Love what you've done with the place."
"It's not much of a place to do much with." As facetious as he'd sounded, Kiera said, "Thanks." She took another whiff of what smelled delicious. "I could eat."
"I don't know what you like," he answered apologetically.
"That's fine. How would you? We've never eaten together before."
His sloppy grin washed over his handsome face. "We're about to fix that. I figured I owed you a makeup dinner. LiberEight ruined our plans with that first attempt."
Nodding, Kiera accepted chopsticks he held out to her. Funny, she wondered how he knew she knew how to use them. "I hope you brought plates."
Carlos eyed her thoughtfully. "Yep." He removed two Styrofoam plates from a bag. "Help yourself."
Alec loved beef and broccoli; he scarfed pork fried rice. Maybe they wouldn't eat it all; there'd be some left for him. Carlos never said anything about egg rolls. Hope he brought some of those too…
Kiera filled her plate with everything he'd brought.
Carlos, his mouth already stuffed with Kung Pao Chicken, blissfully chomped away. The man looked like he was on cloud nine.
"Good?" she asked bluntly, while savoring the tangy flavor of beef and broccoli.
Mindful, he swallowed before talking with his mouth full. "The best." He swiped at his mouth dripping sauce with a dinky napkin. "Well, are you hungry, or just going to watch me put it away?"
Kiera had stopped eating, setting her chopsticks aside. Nothing was wrong with the food. The setting, as stark as it was, made her long for what was far removed. Her real home.
As if a light bulb sparked to life above his head, he remarked, "It's not gourmet, but this place gives plenty."
Alec smiled, hoping that meant he'd be eating too, once Carlos went his way.
Giving Carlos a long thoughtful look, hoping to draw him in, she asked, "Could I ask you something?"
"Shoot," he invited, still chewing away. Hunger pangs eased, he regarded her evenly.
"If you had any say in the matter, would you want to be stuck with me?"
"What makes you think I don't have a say?" He grumbled further, "I'm not stuck. I'm partnered with you. There's a big difference. Any partner I've ever worked with, I've learned from."
Kiera picked at her food with the sticks. "I show up out of nowhere, and I'm calling the shots. That has to sting."
Alec' eyes danced in their sockets. He heard the cop of this century sigh loudly.
Carlos said, "I do what I'm told. I'd sooner work with you, than with half of the jerks on the squad." Her stark look mellowed him. "You're here on special assignment. I don't have any problem with that." Tersely, he followed up, "You're like a breath of fresh air." On that note, he tucked into more Kung Pao.
The shadow of a smile graced Kiera's lips. "So, we're good."
"Stop with all the questions, and eat. Your food'll get cold, and you can't reheat it." He waved the egg roll he was about to stick into his mouth around in the air. "Eat up!"
"Is that an order?" Her chopsticks were at the ready.
His eyes took on a touch of whimsy as the corners of mouth curved into another smile. "Just eat your food. Okay?"
"Okay," Kiera complied, putting food into her mouth. "This is really good." 2012 food had life to it, unlike the optimally processed food of 2077. Cooking was for the quirky in her age, realizing what a shame that was.
"Do you have a cuisine preference?" he asked.
"Not really," Kiera confided, losing a grip on one of the chopsticks. She was rusty.
Carlos reached into a bag and produced a fork. "Here. You'll get more into yourself this way."
Accepting the snow white plastic utensil, she said, "Thanks. You think of everything."
He had the urge to say that she hadn't seen anything yet, but instead, he simply replied, "I try..."
If he was flirting, Alec thought, Carlos needed help.
As Kiera bit into an egg roll, the kid under the bed silently whined. Should he come out from under and get in on the eats before everything was gone? He so wanted to, but he hesitated.
Carlos and Kiera locked eyes. It dawned on her that his eyes were a velvety, smoldering shade of dark brown. They bored into her with all the intensity of a drill?
The sound of his voice made her comfortable.
"What are you thinking?" Carlos asked lightly.
The Protector really wasn't thinking anything, for a change. She was taking it easy, and it was nice. "I'm glad you brought this food."
"Me too. Do you cook?" He wiped his mouth clean, sliding another napkin across his lips.
"Not really. I haven't had anything like this since..." Her voice trailed purposely. Since, when? Never.
"That's my story too when it comes to cooking. I dabble when I have a yen. Mostly, it's take-out and snacking. You know how it is. A cop's schedule. What would you say to me fixing you a home-cooked meal, sometime? At my place?" He was boyish as he tried seeing if there was any interest.
Alec rolled his eyes, thinking, Hey, Casanova, Kiera isn't available...
Patiently, she replied, "I'd like that."
Carlos popped the rest of the egg roll into his mouth. His eyes danced. "A willing assistant...nice. Have you ever had paella?"
"Paella?"
"Yeah. The seafood kind. Done right, it's scrumptious."
Kiera's brow wrinkled. "It sounds like I must try it."
"And you'll help?"
Confirming, she said, "Sure. I'd love to."
"It's a date," Carlos shouted, polishing off another portion of his second helping of Kung Pao.