Free Dark Light (The Dark Light Series) by S.L. Jennings Page B

here?”
    “I’ve only been here once and everything I had was fantastic. Do you like seafood?” Dorian puts down his menu and folds his hands on the table in front of him. 
    “I love it,” I reply. 
    “Good. Their mussels and clams are excellent,” he remarks.
    Just as I’ve decided what to order, our server approaches us, a tall, thin brunette with a bright smile, a notable change from our waitress from the sports bar. She is pretty in a girl next door kind of way and has kind eyes. 
    “Bonjour, mademoiselle, monsieur,” she greets each of us with a bow of her head. Dorian returns her friendly acknowledgment and answers back in flawless French. I fail at hiding my shock after the waitress leaves.
    “Whoa. You speak French?” I ask, clearly impressed. 
    Dorian answers with a sheepish half-smile and a shrug of his shoulders. “Yes. Among other languages.” 
    I note his nonchalance with a raised eyebrow and a shrug of my own. We make small talk until our server returns with glasses of wine and a large bottle of sparkling water. I take a swig of the cool, crisp rose wine and an involuntary ‘ Mmmm ’ escapes my lips.
    Seeing as it is still pretty early in the day, I opt for a Muffeletta sandwich while Dorian orders a Nicoise salad. The waitress smiles at us both and leaves to put in our food orders, returning moments later with a large platter of clams and mussels in a white wine sauce. They look and smell amazing. Dorian must’ve ordered these in his perfect French along with the wine. 
    “Dig in,” he offers and he scoops a few shells onto each of our plates. 
    He was right; the seafood is exceptional. We lose ourselves in the delicious shellfish and giggle as sauce dribbles down our chins. It’s remarkable how down to earth and easygoing Dorian is. Though I am taken aback by his startling good looks, he has a way of making me feel totally at ease with him, something I’ve only experienced with Jared. I feel this inner draw to him, as if I can tell him anything. Like I can already trust him wholeheartedly.
    “So what do you plan to do after you receive your degree in May?” Dorian asks.
    “Really, I have no idea,” I reply, finishing the last mussel on my appetizer plate.
    “No plans to head to a 4 year university to get your Bachelor’s?”
    “That would be the most logical thing but I really don’t have the desire to. Then again, I definitely don’t want to be a sales clerk for much longer.” I put my napkin down and sigh. “To tell you the truth, I have no idea what I want to do with my life.”
    “Really? What’s your major?” he asks.
    My mouth twists into an uncomfortable grimace. “Undecided.” About just about everything, that is.
    “Well, what are you passionate about?” Hmmm, good question.
    “Honestly?” I give him a fake smile to mask my shame. “Nothing. I’ve never been great at anything in school. Never was a cheerleader or even an athlete. The only thing I really excelled at was martial arts but that was some years ago.” Dorian looks at me quizzically. “Oh yeah, I was known for being a bit of a bad ass,” I snicker, nervously. 
    My rough and tumble ways are probably a direct opposite, if not insult, to Dorian’s cool and polished demeanor. Even with his bad boy good looks, I can tell he comes from a refined background. Might as well lay all the cards on the table now.
    “You? Really?” He eyes assess the length of my body, causing me to squirm. 
    “Yeah,” I shrug sheepishly. “I never was one of those girls that wanted to be a princess or a ballerina. A while ago, I really wanted to enlist in the Marine Corps. Then ultimately, try to join the CIA. But it was just a crazy dream.” I chuckle nervously, shaking my head at my absurdity. 
    “It’s just…I never wanted to be some dainty damsel in distress. I never wanted to be rescued. I've never been that girl. I wanted to be the one kickin’ ass and taking names. I wanted to be the hero, you