Page 49 of Point of Contact

He bought her birthday cupcakes.

Her eyes found Reed. "It's not my birthday."

He met her gaze, expression just as focused as it always was. "I know." He turned to the cashier, passing over a stack of bills. "I figured you had a lot to make up for, so you might as well get started."

She was speechless, which wasn't a normal thing for her.

Reed finished cashing out, collecting his change and the receipt before turning to her. He lifted his brows, expression stern. "Time to go, Princess."

She blinked, trying to work herself out of the stupor his shockingly sentimental purchase had put her into.

It must not have happened quickly enough, because he gripped her hips, spinning her away from him and toward the handles of her cart, urging her forward until she grabbed them and started to go. He snagged the front of his own cart with one hand as he leaned into her ear. "Good girl. Keep moving."

Cheese and rice. Did he just follow-up buying her birthday cupcakes with calling her a good girl?

The only thing that might make this day better is if he dished out birthday spankings. The possibility had her stomach flipping and her legs clenching tight.

Then she stepped out into the frigid air, losing her breath a little at how fucking cold Kentucky was. She'd made it all the way through Georgia and Tennessee sort of assuming maybe winter wasn't as bad around here as she'd heard. It couldn't be anywhere as cold as Alaska, right?

But for some reason, it felt like a fucking tundra as she pushed her way across the parking lot, huddling deeper into her brand-new coat and scarf. They'd had to park at the back end of the lot since the camper took up more than one space, so the hike there felt like it took forever. By the time they reached the door, her teeth were chattering and every inch of her skin was tight with goosebumps.

Reed opened the door and urged her in. "You stay there. I'll pass the bags up to you.

"Th–thank you." She grabbed the first bag, recognizing the pillows by their squishy feel and tossing them down the short hall onto the bed. "Did it get colder while we were shopping?"

Reed's eyes lifted to the sky. "Maybe. The clouds look a little closer, so it might be getting ready to snow."

She made a disgusted sound while catching the bundle that contained the duvet then chucked it on top of the pillows.

Reed laughed, the sound rich and deep. "Are you regretting your decision to drive across the country?"

"No." She caught the next bag, this one holding the sheets. "I just need to get used to it. And it's probably better if I'm introduced slowly instead of flown in and dropped into the middle of Fairbanks." She threw the sheets onto the bed. "I probably would've been a human popsicle by the time you got there." She turned to face him, wiggling her brows. "You would have had to warm me up."

She'd always flirted with Reed, but most of it had been harmless. Done for no other reason than to irritate the shit out of him. But the hungry way Reed looked at her now made it clear her flirting affected him in a completely different way.

A way that made her glad as hell she bought that box of condoms.

He continued passing in items, emptying out her basket before moving to his. He handed part of them her way, including the cupcakes and candles, but kept a few in the cart. Closing the door halfway, he paused to look her over. "You stay in here. I'm gonna go change out our wipers and fill up the fluids. I've got a feeling we’re going to need it."

She jumped a little when he closed the door, almost like she was jolted by the separation. And maybe she was. She’d gone her whole life without anyone to rely on. Having no one who genuinely cared about her. No one who listened when she talked. No one to get mad over the bad things that happened.

No one to buy her birthday cakes or candles.

Now there was, and it would make sense that she might get a little too attached a little too quickly.

But hell if she knew how to stop it from happening.

She blew out a breath, smoothing back her windswept hair. "Shit." That was a problem she would think about later. Right now she needed to get things situated so they could get moving.

While Reed worked under the hood, she went to work putting away the loose items. She opened up one of the blankets, shook it out and draped it over the rough weave of the couch. Then she added a couple of the cute throw pillows, placing them carefully even though the couch was even more uncomfortable than the bed. Hopefully they sold something similar so it could be replaced. If not, maybe it could be reupholstered and—

Courtney groaned, letting her head drop back as her eyes closed. "Shit."

She was absolutely getting too attached, and not just to the man under the hood. This was Reed's RV. Whatever he did with the upholstery would be his choice. Sure, he let her pick out some blankets and pillows, but that was probably because he felt bad for her.

Maybe most of what he did was because he felt bad for her.

And that felt gross. Disappointing and gross.

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