How was he going to make it through today and tomorrow without touching her, kissing her, fucking her?
He cleared his throat and forced a smile. “Great. I’ve got the list, and I cleared space at home for everything.”
“Let’s go then.”
Rylan almost groaned. That smile. It made him think of a million dirty things she could do with her mouth. Starting with kissing. He licked his lips.
Shit!
They needed to get moving, get to the shop before he pushed her back into her house and took that mouth with more than his.
“Ready?” He growled as he spun around and all but ran for his truck. He was behind the wheel, the engine running before Mazey got in.
“Are we in a hurry?” she asked as she locked her seatbelt in.
“What?” His gaze darted to hers. “Oh, no. Sorry. I’m a little nervous about tomorrow.” It wasn’t a lie, but it wasn’t the entire truth either.
She put her hand on his arm. “It’ll be fine. It’s just a backyard barbecue with friends.”
There was that word again. Friends. He had plenty, including the woman next to him, but he wanted far more than friendship with Mazey, and for the first time since he’d agreed to be just friends, Rylan realized he wasn’t going to be able to keep that pledge.
Because his plan to wait a year after moving to Sunnyville and starting at Mercy-Life to get back in circulation was a failure since he found himself already circling. And the woman in his sights didn’t want him.
Well, she did. He couldn’t deny the heated looks she gave him, and he couldn’t miss the way her body reacted when he was near.
No. Mazey Novak might not be looking to get involved, but neither of them could deny their chemistry.
Rylan only had to wait her out.
He glanced at the hand on his arm and covered it with his own. “If I haven’t said it yet, thank you for helping with this.”
“No need to thank me. It’s not like I’ve got anything else to do.” She shrugged and pulled her hand from beneath his.
He didn’t miss the way her breathing had hitched when he’d touched her, and he didn’t miss the hungry look in her eyes either, but like the goodfriendthat he was, Rylan ignored it and put the truck in gear. “Me either. It’s why as much as I’m nervous about having everyone over, I’m also excited. I’ve never done this type of socializing. In the army, if we hung out away from work, it was usually at a bar.”
“I guess that’s the standard for single guys.”
“The women too. No shortage of females in the army, and they were just as likely to be found at a bar as the men.”
“Oh, I didn’t mean . . .”
Rylan smiled. “I know you didn’t.”
“Well, um, where’s the list?”
He tipped his chin at the console between them as he navigated through traffic. “On my phone.”
“Can I add a few things to it? I thought of something this morning,” she explained, reaching for his phone.
Glancing at her, Rylan asked, “You’re still making pies, right?”
“Yes. But I have an idea about something else for the kids. I thought maybe you should have some popsicles on hand. It’s supposed to be hot tomorrow.”
“Really?” He hadn’t thought about checking the weather. Shaking his head, he admitted, “I didn’t even think about the weather.”
“They’re saying high eighties.”
“Wow, okay, yeah, popsicles for the kids would be a good idea.” He pulled into the grocery store parking lot. “How many are coming? Kids, I mean.”
