“Did you just ask mydogwhat his plans are this Friday?”
“What?Noooo!” she drags out. “But also maybe.”
“You have some serious problems.” I grab Denver’s suitcase from the bed of the truck and drop it to the ground. “He’s not busy.”
“Oh. Huh.” She reaches into the truck to grab Steve, and I have the best view of her ass as she stretches across the cab. “Good to know.”
I press myself against her when she stands, and I’m certain she feels just what the view she gave me has done to me.
“Neither am I,” I say, my lips against her ear.
Her breaths come out stuttered. “Th-That’s nice, Shep.” She steps away. “Quit trying to bang me again.”
“Don’t you mean again again again again ag—?”
“How many times are you going to say again?”
“As many as it takes to catch up to how many times we…banged? Is that the right word?”
“Ugh,” Denny groans, pulling Steve free from his crate and turning to face me. “Shut it.”
I laugh and take a step away from her to keep myself from tossing her right back into my truck and keeping her forever.
“Why’d you wanna know what Steve is doing on Friday?”
“Gala, duh.”
“We’re off until after the wedding.”
“Really? You mean Idon’thave to spend the next two weekends with you?”
“Haveto? No.Wantto?” I lean into her. “You want to spend time with me, especially after this weekend. Don’t play, Den.”
We didn’t talk about our past any more on the ride here. We left everything we had said hanging in the air between us, especially that part about us having a future together.
I want one—I’ve always wanted one—and it gives me so much hope that Denny does too.
“How about we call a truce? Try for that future we missed out on?”
“You mean the one you stole from us?”
“Den…” I rub a hand over the back of my neck, trying to relax the knots the tension of the past few hours helped form. “I’m trying here.”
“I know. That wasn’t fair. I mean, it totally was, but I shouldn’t have said it.” She kicks at invisible rocks on the ground to avoid my eyes. “Sorry,” she mumbles.
“Don’t apologize to me, not after everything.”
She lifts her head. “Truce?”
“Only if you agree to a date with me one night this week.”
She beams at me. “I’d like that.”
“What?” I raise a brow. “No pretending to hate me? No declaring you don’t want to be seen in public with me?”
“Nah. We called truce. Besides, if we’re going to the movies, it’ll be dark. The movies don’t count as public.” She winks then grabs her bag from my hand. “See ya later, Shep.”
“Denver?”
