She tilts her head like she’s actually considering it. “Hmm. I don’t know. You were technically here to apologize. Kissing me wasn’t very professional.”
“Wouldn’t be the first time I mixed business and poor judgment,” I say, deadpan.
That earns me a full laugh. A soft, musical sound that slips right under my ribs and settles there.
I pull back slightly, just enough to see her clearly. Her legs are still tucked beside her on the couch, and her fingers linger near the hem of her shirt like she’s not sure what to do with herself.
I decide for her.
“Dinner,” I say quietly, looking straight into those warm, gorgeous eyes of hers. “You and me.”
“Is that a question or a statement?” she asks, raising her brows at me with a soft smile.
“A little of both,” I murmur. “Would you accept an invitation to dinner from this cocky chopper pilot who gave you an unsolicited cold shower?”
She pretends to mull it over. “Well, you’re already here, and I am hungry…” She trails off, her eyes sparkling with mischief. “But I swear, if you try to drop anything else on me, dinner’s over.”
I hold up one hand in mock solemnity. “No more aerial assaults, scout’s honor.”
She gasps. “Were you a scout too?”
“Hell no.” I smirk, rising from the couch and offering her my hand. “Army, remember? We don’t do cookies and badges. We do action and bad decisions.”
She slips her hand into mine, and it fits perfectly, small and warm.
“Shall we, ma’am?” I ask as I gently pull her to her feet.
“Yes, please,” she says as she straightens up, ducking her head to hide the blush creeping up her face. “Lead the way.”
Chapter Five
Ruby
I can’t believe I kissed a man I barely know…and now I’m heading to dinner with him.
Correction: I’m riding shotgun in the truck of the most rugged, insanely hot man I’ve ever seen, after pressing my lips to his like I’ve known him all my life. And the craziest part?
I’m loving every single second of it.
There’s something so easy about the way he talks, the way he makes space for me without even trying. I’m not used to that. Or the zapping, bone-deep pull I feel whenever he so much as glances my way. I want to tell myself this is just some wild detour, that tomorrow I’ll be back to normal…but right now?
I don’t want to wake up from this dream.
I steal a glance at him as he drives, one hand on the wheel, the other resting casually on his thigh. His profile is straight out of a movie—square jaw dusted with stubble, high cheekbones that look carved from granite, a nose that’s just slightly crooked like it’s been broken before, and that mouth…
God. That mouth. I know exactly what it feels like against mine now, and I’m already kind of addicted.
His eyes flick to mine. I freeze mid-stare, caught like a deer in headlights.
“Take a picture,” he says, the corner of his mouth twitching. “It’ll last longer.”
I roll my eyes, though my cheeks are on fire. “Maybe I will. Can’t let all thisTop Guncowboy pilot hotness go undocumented.”
He laughs, the sound deep and warm. “You think I’m a cowboy pilot?”
“You fly a helicopter, wear a uniform, and are kind of mysterious. Yeah, that’s textbook cowboy pilot.”
He gives me a sideways look, amused. “You have me all figured out, huh?”
