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He put the truck in park and relaxed his shoulders, not realizing they’d been hunched in anticipation the whole ride.
He reached for her arm to nudge her awake, but her sleeveless denim top made him hesitate.
Seriously, Eli? Tess’s voice played in his head, and he could see her dark brown eyes rolling as she spoke. I’m not going to be jealous if you wake a stranger. Hell, I’m not going to be anything, babe, because I’m still dead.
He knew that. Of course he knew that. It had been three years already. But despite it stating the obvious, her voice was still there. He could still conjure it, remember it, and that was all that mattered, preserving her memory the best he could.
He shook his head and scrubbed a hand across his jaw, then cleared his throat.
Beth didn’t stir.
He watched her chest rise and fall, wondering how she could possibly be comfortable with the window as a pillow.
She hummed softly with her next exhale, the sound breathy and sweet—and strangely intimate. He’d met her less than two hours before, and now he knew the noises she made when she slept.
He dipped his head toward the long, tanned legs beneath her army-green shorts, then to the air cast on her left.
She let out a soft snore, and he laughed. She made the sound again, but this time it was punctuated with something that sounded like a whimper.
His head shot up, and he noticed her eyes—her lashes—were damp.
Eli cleared his throat again. “Beth?” he said softly. When she still didn’t respond, he spoke louder and finally gave her shoulder a quick shake. “Beth!”
She gasped, knocked her head on the glass, then sat bolt upright.
“Shit!” she hissed, rubbing her temple. Then she turned to him, her green eyes wide with tiny gold flecks gleaming in the glint of the sun. “Did I doze off?” she asked with a laugh.
He was probably supposed to say something, but he couldn’t look away from her eyes.
“Hellooooo? Eli?” Beth waved a hand in front of his face.
“Huh? Sorry. I was just—”
“Staring?” she interrupted. “Don’t worry. They’re used to it.” She gave her shoulders and chest a little shimmy. “You don’t spend your early twenties as a Vegas showgirl without a little ogling.”
“What?” he asked, incredulous. “Jesus. No. I was not staring.”
She raised her brows and crossed her arms.
What the hell? This was worse than small talk. This was…
“The female ferret will die if she doesn’t mate once she goes into heat!” he blurted.
Good god. Could the floor in the truck just open up and let him plunge into the fiery depths of hell? Please?
“Oh my god!” Beth stared at him now, horrified.
But then she doubled over, laughing. Squealing with unbridled giggles. Eli thought he might have even heard a snort.
“Oh my god!” she said again, out of breath, shoulders still shaking as she straightened in her seat. “I don’t know what to ask first, if that’s even true or why it’s the first thing that comes to mind when you get flustered.” She swiped at the corners of her eyes where tears fell freely, but these were, without a doubt, tears of joy.
Eli couldn’t help it. Her laughter was infectious, the momentary joy contagious. Was he mortified beyond recognition? Abso-freaking-lutely. Was he laughing anyway? Yes. Yes, he was.
When they’d both caught their breath and the laughter finally died down, he had to ask.
“So…what are the odds of you keeping my random ferret fact just between the two of us?”
Beth squeezed his forearm and smiled sweetly. “Zero to none, Dr. Murphy. Zero. To. None.”
