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to empty my balls.”
    She sputtered. “Wait, did you just say your balls?”
    He grinned.
    “You’re funny. And crazy.”
    “I try.” Then he grew serious. “It is that . I wouldn’t be a man if it weren’t. Being married is good, and I know ultimately I want it again.”
    She wanted to tell him she would never consider getting married again, but she was afraid he would leave. He was nothing like her dad. Where her dad always drilled it into her head not to be weak and not to show her hand, Nathan freely shared whatever was on his mind. Did that mean he’d failed in the army or been kicked out because he couldn’t hack it? She didn’t think so. He didn’t come off as a weak man at all. Maybe it was Melly who had gentled him, or his late wife. Their love could have made the soldier human, or his career hadn’t lasted long enough to change who he was as a person. Maybe her views were skewed by her own experiences. That wouldn’t be a surprise.
    “Let’s order,” he suggested, and she agreed.
     
     

Chapter Five
     
    Ciera walked beside Nathan with her hand in his. They had finished lunch, chatting over various subjects that interested them both. He asked about her art, and since she didn’t mind revealing more on that topic, she told him. Now, as she kept taking peeks at him, she wondered when the shoe would drop. If he didn’t ask her about herself, well, she had dealt with that from a few men. They spoke about themselves and their lives and never seemed to get around to her. After her divorce, she preferred it that way, but it spoke volumes about the man and tended to turn her off.
    “So,” Nathan said, and he stopped walking to move in front of her and block her path. His expression was kind but firm. “You’ve carefully avoided the subject when I ask about you.”
    Her eyebrows rose. “I told you all about my work and how I went to school at night to get my liberal arts degree. Fat lot of good it’s doing for me.”
    “Yeah, there’s that.” He stepped closer to her. She stumbled back, but he caught her fingers and drew her nearer. Her breath rattled around in her chest. “You, Ciera. Not your job.”
    “It’s a business.”
    “Maybe you’re married, and you’re cheating on him right now.”
    She gasped at the tightness in his jaw and the way his eyes snapped in offense. On one hand it amused her that he apparently felt strong about it. They were just out to lunch. Tony sure didn’t see it that way. Nathan’s anger was another point in his favor.
    “No, I’m not married. I’m divorced. He did the cheating.”
    Nathan’s anger died. “I’m sorry.” Then he shook his head as if in wonder. “How the hell did he cheat on you? Damn, he must be crazy. You’re—”
    “Stop.” She gave a pained smile. “I like the compliments, and I know I have my points, but I mean everybody feels differently. Maybe you think I’m cute now, but after seven years…”
    “Is that how long it was?”
    She didn’t answer. They started walking again. Nathan took her hand and laced his fingers with hers. She liked it too much and tugged away. He let her go without a fight. She tried not to see anything in it.
    “I want to know more, Ciera. You told me all that without a shred of emotion, like it had nothing to do with you. I know people hide their feelings because it’s like the socially accepted thing, but I hate it.”
    She stopped walking again. “So if you felt like crying, you’d just do it right here in the street?” Her earlier thought about him being weak came to the foreground.
    He chuckled. “No, I haven’t felt like crying much in my life. In fact the only time I ever have is when Melly was born and when my wife died.”
    “What about your parents?”
    He grumbled. “You’re doing it again, asking about me to turn the attention away from you.”
    Ciera clenched her hands at her sides. She noticed that they had started across a bridge and walked to the stone railing to lean on. A