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“Drive straight back to the hotel. If you get lost again, I can’t save you,” I say in warning.

Sophia is wide-eyed and confused, like she can’t believe I handed over the key fob.

That’s right, Sparkles, for reasons I don’t understand, I’m willing to do crazy things for you.

I think I might let her rip out my soul and then thank her for it, even after only a few days of circling in her orbit.

Sophia bumps past me and climbs into the driver’s seat. She kicks on the motor and buckles up. Beside her, Amelia climbs into the passenger seat.

From behind the wheel, Sophia stares at me in disbelief, like she’s trying to work out my nefarious angle. Like this might be a trick in our round of fighting.

“If you think this agreement means our petty war is over, you’re wrong,” she says quickly. One perfectly sculpted eyebrow rises in defiance.

My dick abandons dancing and stands up. I’m eager to know what she has in store, because I can think of a few ways to punish her too.

“I’d be disappointed if you backed down,” I say with a grin. “We’re just getting started.”

At the challenge, her eyes glimmer like stars on a clear night.

I rake my hand through my hair as she reverses down the same road I arrived. A little farther away is enough room for her to turn around the vehicle. In half a mile, the GPS navigation will kick on, assuring they will get back to the hotel in one piece.

When the taillights fade, I spin on my heel and kick the dirt. I’m stupid giddy. No one has ever fired me up like Sophia.

Then I stop in my tracks and stare into space.

Oh my God. What is this feeling? Is my heart racing? I place my hand over it and discover it is. I think . . . I think I’m crushing on Sophia.

I haven’t schoolyard-crushed on someone like this since . . . I think back. Since Mary Agnes pinned me against the elementary school wall and kissed me with all the passion of a wet noodle.

No, it can’t be. I reject these feelings with a shake of my head.

I refocus on the jalopy. With a metallic shriek, I lift the hood. Underneath, I tighten a few wires in the engine. They shake loose on bumpy roads. Fixing them is a life hack I learned years ago. It’s one Tina knows, something she could have told the ladies herself. But then sending me to save Sophia falls nicely into her matchmaking plans.

I need to tell Tina to knock it off, and fast.

The first time I turn the key over, the motor roars to life with a pop. A song about having your blood sucked dry by a villain blasts on the radio. With the headlights on, I follow the ladies’ path to civilization.

I’m late for dinner at Tina’s, and I have a bone to pick.

12/

sophia

Saltier Than Expected

As I drive through the winding streets at the bottom of the mountain, I clench and unclench my hand. I’m trying to release the burn of Gio’s touch, but the heat lingers on my skin with no sign of fading.

When he arrived, I was prepared to make camp on top of that mountain rather than let him rescue me like some damsel in distress. Even if Amelia abandoned me, and she would out of hunger and boredom alone, I would have died there to prove a point.

But when Gio jingled the key to a functioning vehicle in front of my face, I couldn’t resist. There was something in his eyes asking me to trust him. It insisted he wouldn’t let me down, and for some unknown reason, I believed him. Which, of course, is insane given my track record with men, specifically this man in this scenario.

I need to dislodge the fuzzy feelings. I’ve been in a haze since he let me drive away. Why he did it, I still don’t understand. And the strangest part? He smiled the entire time, like he enjoyed it.

Thank God, Amelia successfully made one SOS call to Tina, but I’m still trying to understand why she sent Gio.

What’s their connection?

“Like I said, he’s hot for you,” Amelia’s hair blows in the breeze.