Page 69 of Crossing Every Line

She squinted at the dashboard clock. “Why’d you let me sleep so long?”

“What am I supposed to do? Prop up your eyelids with toothpicks?”

She jammed her overshirt behind her back against the door. “You could”—she gasped—“talk to me.”

“I was talking, and then you were snoring.”

“I do not snore!”

“You keep telling yourself that, Sunshine.”

She crossed her arms over her chest. “Ass.”

“Nag.”

She swung her leg out and nudged his thigh. “Was that a smart-ass remark there, Oscar?”

“No, you’re just a nag.”

She dug her toe into his thigh. “Jerk.”

“You want to make a pit stop? There have been signs for a place called Mom’s.”

“Where are we?”

“Someplace called Salina.” He shrugged. “I need something more than a Coke.”

She lifted the empty bag on the bench. “You ate my M&Ms.”

“You snooze, you lose.”

She took a swig of her lukewarm soda and winced. “Yeah, maybe we can get a sandwich or something.”

“I was thinking the same thing.”

She stretched and turned to look out her window. “Wow, desert is gone, huh?”

“Yeah, all about the mountains here. It’s cooler too, so you’ll probably need that shirt before we go in.”

She looked down at her tank top. “What? I’m covered.”

He gave her a sidelong glance. “One wrong move and everyone can see the trio of freckles around your nipple.”

She pulled the shirt away and looked down. “Huh. I don’t think I noticed those before.”

“They’ve been there all your life.”

She shrugged. “I don’t look at them. Do I look like the kind of girl who stands in front of the mirror and checks out all my flaws?”

“What flaws? Christ, Kendall, you’ve got a rockin’ body.”

She laughed. “I’m too skinny. I’ve been told that all my life. And when I had braces? Kids in my class kept asking me if I was going to fall forward because my head was too heavy.”

“You’re tiny, but it’s all muscle and softness. Believe me, I’ve enjoyed it all.” He pulled into the parking lot and found a spot along the back of the building.

She watched the flush slide up her chest and felt it in her cheeks. “Yeah, well, you’re already getting laid. You don’t have to lie about the merchandise.”

“I don’t know if you noticed, but I’m not a smooth talker. That was my father’s way. That’s how Kain works, but that’s not me. I say what I mean.”

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