“You did your homework.” The words are innocent, a compliment even, but I swear his eyes darken.

“We all did.” I shrug. “Plus, you wear boots all the time and you wore boots for years in the military. I figured it might help to get you pampered a little.”

“Don’t make me take back all the nice things I was gonna say about you.”

“Hey, I deserve those nice things. I was sweatin’ bullets for weeks leadin’ up to this little trip.”

He lifts a shoulder. “Sweating bullets is better than dodgin’ them.”

My mouth drops open, and he licks his lips as a small smile spreads over them.

“Did you just…?”

He made a joke. Sorren Mackay made a joke—a dark one—but a joke nonetheless. His shoulders shake with silent laughter as he leans across the console and presses a quick kiss to my cheek.

“Thank you,” he says, the deep resonance of his voice sending a shiver through my body.

I don’t blush but I don’tnotblush either.

“You’re welcome,” I say again and turn up “Everything I Shouldn’t Be Thinking About” by Thompson Square on the radio. I resist the urge to change the song because it hitswaytoo close to home right now, and I definitely don’t have the time to figure out why.

We’re friends. He’s like family.

This is fine.

“Lunch?” he asks and my head whips toward him. He must bereallyrelaxed. Or maybe I’m just suddenly jumpy.

“Really?” I ask, my voice a little higher than normal.

I can’t see his eyes behind his sunglasses, but I can imagine they’re sparkling right now. “Don’t think I didn’t notice you paid beforehand so I wouldn’t fight you on it.”

“So you want to settle the score?” I say with a flippant tone instead of the mild disappointment I’m feeling. His hand lands on my bare thigh, and he squeezes gently, his hand remaining until I look at him.

“I appreciate that we can still be us. That you just let me be me.”

There’s never been a more loaded phrase in the history of the world than that, and I don’t know how to respond. It’s the most incredible thing anyone has ever said to me, and the way he’s looking at me right now has me feelin’ all kinds of ways.

“Okay,” I manage even though the heat from his palm mixed with the roughness of his skin against mine is beyond distracting.

He’s close enough I could kiss him. All I’d have to do is lean in just a little, and I’d finally know how he tastes and how all-consuming that experience would be.

Because it would be.

The intensity radiating off him is a guarantee of that.

Clearing my throat, I hit the button to change the station and “Chillin’ It” by Cole Swindell comes on.

His lips twitch as he leans back in his seat and points out the windshield toward the road. “Let’s go that way. I know a place we can go to.”

He means lunch. I know he does, but that doesn’t make my heart beat any slower as I back out of the parking lot and make the turn.

We’ve had a good day, and that’s the only thing I need to focus on.

SORREN

PRESENT DAY

“Hey Marlee Girl,” I say as my sister wraps her arms around my waist. Her head rests on my chest as I pull her into a hug. Her grip is firm, and I bend enough to kiss the top of her blonde hair. “Are you okay?”