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Skye’s singsong sounded in my ear. “Someone needs to upgrade his pickup to a turboooo…”

Unbeknown to her, I remained fixated on my hand, still wound tightly around Reid’s leg. Like my brain wouldn’t allow the moment to go unnoticed. The unnatural still of him told me the moment had not surpassed him, either. I looked up to find his whiskey gaze nailed to mine.

“Red?” he rasped, lowly.

His thumb shifted against the underside of my wrist, and moths swarmed my stomach. His gaze didn’t move from mine, a tether holding tight between us. I didn’t know what it was.

How much had I drunk tonight?

I mentally clocked them and came to the conclusion that it was not nearly enough to be imagining this.

My gods, get it together.

I felt his heavy glare at my side, and there was a long pause before he removed his hand from me.

Pulling my own from him, I straightened in my seat, opting for the first smart comment I could muster. His thighs. “Figured they’d be puny,” I said. He adjusted himself in his seat once more. Again, more man-spread thighs.

His voice lowered, barely audible beside me. “Nothing about me is puny, Red.”

I squared him with a sidelong glance.

He turned back to the window as though he’d never spoken.

I turned my attention back to the road where the car lights stabbed into the fog ahead. I knew he’d drank a lot tonight, but he didn’t seem overly intoxicated. He could apparently handle his alcohol, although his suggestive retort made me question if what he’d said in the bar was true. He’d made his position painfully clear regarding us.

I remained silent, my mind dragging me straight back to the alley behind Jinxed. I’d seen enough that night to know one thing: Reid was definitely not puny.

I clenched my thighs at the thought.

Beside me, he shifted in his seat again.

When we pulled into our driveway, Skye piped up beside me. “Colt, do you mind dropping me at Tyler’s? I left my overnight bag there.”

“Yeah, no worries.” He glanced in the rear-view mirror at Reid. “I’ll get your car back to you tomorrow.”

Reid gripped his shoulder. “Thanks.”

I turned to Skye. “You owe me a fruit bowl,” I muttered, and she snorted. She wiggled her eyebrows suggestively before giving me a playful push toward the door.

Following Reid out of the car, we said our goodbyes just as a snowflake dusted my nose. My teeth chattered as I attempted small talk, because the vibe between us was driving me crazy. I needed to sleep tonight off.

Reid made for the path leading around the side of the house. “I’ll go grab some firewood from the shed. You head upstairs,” he said, darting me a look. It lingered, and I didn’t know what to say.

“Okay,” I managed, reaching for the front doorknob.

“And Red…”

I turned, glancing at him over my shoulder. “Yeah?”

“Sleep well.” He disappeared toward the shed before I could say anything else.

“You too,” I whispered.

***

An incessant beeping had me bolting upright in my bed, my feet finding the floor faster than my mind registered. The fire alarm.

I flew down the stairs two at a time, landing at the bottom with a thud before racing into the kitchen. Smoke billowed through the room, and I turned to where Reid stood, fanning a tea towel over the smoke detector overhead.