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It didn’t surprise me that there was a variety of restaurants lining the marina before we spilled into the ocean. What did surprise me was Hawk choosing the cheapest, greasiest option, which would require me sitting on a plastic bench outside in the cold in nothing but his shirt.

He chuckled when he saw the look on my face. “What?” he asked. “You didn’t really think I was going to let you take me to a fancy schmancy restaurant, did you? At least this way, I wouldn’t feel bad about having you pay for dinner.”

“You know my dad is a billionaire, right?” I asked, shooting him a look. “I could eat breakfast, lunch, and dinner there for the rest of my life and I would still have more money than I knew what to do with.”

“You think I care about that?” Hawk gave me a look, one I didn’t particularly like directed at me. “You think I care about money? I’ve seen things that make up nightmares, little girl. Things you probably couldn’t even imagine. There’s more to life than having lots of money. The fact that I have the freedom to sail my boat and watch the stars, the sunset, without worrying about being blown up - that’s what I appreciate. That’s what I’m grateful for. Not eating at a fancy restaurant.”

I couldn’t argue with him about that, even if I wanted to. Instead, I pressed my lips together and looked away. He fought for our country, not knowing whether he was going to survive the month, the week, the day, the hour. And here I was, wishing we were eating at an upscale restaurant when he wanted something simpler? My mother would be ashamed of my behavior.

“Fine,” I said. “I’ve never actually been to one of these things before.”

“Yeah, that doesn’t surprise me,” he said.

“You should probably put on a shirt because, um.” I felt my mouth water just looking at him and I hated how obvious I was making my attraction to him. “You know. The whole service thing.”

He grinned at my clear loss for words as my eyes feasted on his body. “Actually, I can wear flip flops and a bathing suit and they would be happy to serve me.”

“I’m sure,” I said with a snort.

Hawk docked the boat in a slip. It was like a parking lot for boats and each boat got its own slip. I climbed on deck and he offered me his hand so I wouldn’t fall as I stepped from the boat to the - I couldn’t even call it a restaurant. Diner also didn’t feel right. Snack shack, maybe?

I followed him over to the window where a woman a few years older than I was appraised him with the same look I knew was on my face when I saw him standing there without his shirt on. Was it wrong that I wished he would put a shirt on now?

I nearly scoffed at my reaction to her look. He didn’t belong to me. I had no claim to him. It wasn’t fair of me to expect that he would act like we were together when he could barely stand me.

“Princess.”

His gruff voice cut off my thoughts and I blinked, tilting my face so I could lock eyes with him easily.

“What?” I asked.

He sighed and I could clearly detect he was annoyed with me.

“What would you like?” he asked. “Keep in mind, they have three options: hamburgers, cheeseburgers, and hot dogs. You can add chili if you’re feeling particularly adventurous.”

I shot him a look before looking at the woman. Except she was too busy staring at Hawk. I cleared my throat, trying to get her attention.

“Hey,” I said. “I’d like a cheeseburger with extra Thousand Island, no pickles or tomatoes, with a chocolate shake and fries, please?”

Her brow wrinkled as she gave me a judgmental look, but I didn’t care. I didn’t really eat greasy fast food all the time. Sushi was my preferred food of choice. But every now and then, I let myself indulge. It was always worth it.

I paid for our food and let Hawk lead me to a table close to the edge of the dock. Luckily, there was an awning over us or else I’d constantly be looking up, worried about the sea gulls potentially pooping on us and our food. We got our food surprisingly quickly. I hoped the woman didn’t spit in mine. She probably did.

We ate in silence. I was surprised how relaxed it was. I noticed a few people giving me off looks for being in a dress shirt, but I thought I did a decent job of making it look like I wore a dress rather than a walk of shame.

The burger was delicious. I shouldn’t have been surprised, but I was. I devoured the shake as well. By the time I finished, Hawk watched me with blue eyes, his lips curled up in mild amusement. Without saying a word, he reached out and slowly wiped the Thousand Island dressing off of my face.

“You eat like an animal,” he pointed out.

My eyes darkened. “That’s not the only thing I can do like an animal,” I retorted.

His eyes darkened and he swallowed but said nothing. Instead, his eyes went to the water. I couldn’t help but crane my neck before shifting my body to try and see what he was looking at.

And then I saw it.

The most gorgeous sunset I had ever seen. My breath caught in my throat and I couldn’t find the right words to accurately describe what I was feeling. By the time the sun slid into the water, I wiped stray tears from sliding down my face. I never reacted this way, even to sentimental moments. And yet, watching this with him, I couldn’t help but be moved. I didn’t know why. Maybe because to someone like him, someone with his background, it meant more than to a spoiled princess like me.

I locked eyes with him and whispered, “I think I get what you mean.”