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“This is nice. I like being out with you.”

“Same.” He flashed her a smile that sent warmth over her body.

Why did his smiles affect her so much? She wasn’t the giggly girlfriend type that was easily impressed. She’d lived through enough to have some level of jade interwoven in her personality. But for some reason, Harry made her feel different. It was dangerous.

Hanging out with Harry would eventually lead to both of them wanting more. For now, they had it under control. They were just friends. Nothing was going on other than two people spending time together. She would contact her chain of command if anything developed between them and see what they said.

For now, she would keep everything casual. Harry was very good-looking and nice, but they were both adults and could be friends. Because that always worked out so well.

Chapter 6

Harry had been thinking about Rory all week, but real life didn’t compare with his memory. She was better than he remembered. Inviting her to the picnic at the park would be risky, but they weren’t dating. No matter how often he told himself that, he still got tingles when she touched his arm or accidentally bumped into him.

They’d both ordered breakfast sandwiches and coffee. He grabbed two packets of sugar for her and handed them over. She flashed him a smile as she took them. There was an empty two-top outside, and they settled into the seats with their food.

After the first bite, she moaned. “These are great.”

“Yeah, I like them a lot. I don’t come here often, but this is one of the guilty pleasures I treat myself with.”

“I understand the desire to get food here. I don’t know what’s in this bread, but it’s amazing.”

They didn’t talk much as they ate. It was nice just to sit and eat without the pressure to fill every second with conversation. It was like they just fit together.

After he finished his sandwich, he sat back and glanced around. He didn’t think anyone out here was military, but he wasn’t positive. He wasn’t asking her on a date, so it didn’t really matter, anyway.

“Tomorrow, we’re having a picnic. I was wondering if you’d like to go. It’s just the guys on my team. Nothing big, just getting the kids out to let them run around while we hang out.”

She’d lifted her sandwich halfway to her mouth and froze. “Just as friends, right?”

He nodded, though he was lying to himself. He saw the promise that whatever he had with Rory would become much more than friendship. He didn’t doubt for a minute that they would hook up before the end of the year.

“If you give me the address, I’ll show up. Do I need to bring any food?”

“Heck no. They have the food covered.”

She narrowed her eyes and then shook her head. “Okay. I’ll be there.”

Excitement buzzed through him. He was thankful she would be at the park. The guys could meet her, and they could give him their thoughts on how he should handle moving forward with her. Maybe nothing would happen, but he hoped it would.

The next day, he was nervous when he got to the park. While he was driving, Rory texted that she was on her way. The idea of her showing up made him even more nervous. He wanted her there but knew his buddies would see straight through his bullshit of only being friends with her. He had to keep this from going deeper. Staying friends was best.

He heard her car before he saw it. He needed to fix the engine. Maybe there wouldn’t be an easy fix, but he would try to make it run better.

“So who is this?” Wild asked as Rory pulled into a parking spot.

“A friend.” Harry fought to keep his voice even. The thrill he got just from seeing her wove through him, making him excited. Judging by Wild’s raised eyebrows, he’d failed to keep his excitement low-key.

“Really? Just a friend?” Wild asked.

Harry met Wild’s gaze. “She really is just a friend. We’re hanging out, that’s all.”

Wild shot him a look, then moved over to the car Rory had just arrived in. Harry knew he would catch hell for this, but he wanted to spend more time with Rory.

Ava came over to Harry and made a motion to the car that had just arrived. “What’s this?”

Harry blew out a huge breath. Ava would see through him, too. She naturally saw through most of their bullshit. Wild couldn’t get away with anything.

“A friend,” Harry said, trying to make his voice sound even so he didn’t give away the fact that he wanted Rory as more than a friend.

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