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“What makes you say that?”

Wizard kept his eyes on the road as he answered her question. “She’s been blowing up his phone.”

“That’s not good.”

“No, it isn’t.”

“He could block her,” she suggested.

“He did. She’s been at the clubhouse all day. I gave orders not to allow her inside, but she’s been parked outside, waiting to catch him when he comes out.”

“Damn.”

From her tone, Wizard didn’t think she had anticipated Lucia being so persistent.

“Before you ask, I’m not calling the cops on her.”

“I don’t want you to. I don’t want to get her in trouble.”

“Is she normally this tenacious?”

“No. Before Marco told me she had broken up with him, I thought she was as meek and mild as a mouse. This turnaround in her behavior has me shocked.”

“Love will do that sometimes.” He laughed, finally shaking off her interest in Buck. If he had known she would run her hands over the truck’s seats the way he wished she would run them over him, he would have bought a truck just to impress her, and he fucking hated trucks.

“How do you know? Have you ever been in love?”

“So far, I can’t say I have,” he answered steadily, giving no hint of the turmoil her question had raised.

Keeping his hands steady on the steering wheel, he showed no reaction to the wave of pain that struck him.

Thankfully, the turnoff he was looking for appeared, allowing him to dodge any follow-up questions when something else caught Natalia’s attention.

“You’re taking me to a drive-in?”

“I thought it would be a nice change of pace for you. Tink told me you’re constantly working at the restaurant, so I didn’t think taking you to another restaurant would be much fun. Besides, I thought you might like some fresh air instead of doing something indoors.”

After driving through the lot, he found a good spot. He backed into the space, parking the end of the truck bed near the speaker.

When he turned off the engine, he saw her staring at him suspiciously.

“How are we supposed to see the screen this way?”

“I thought we could sit on the tailgate. The weather’s nice, but I brought a couple of blankets in case we get cold.” He hesitated before getting out of the truck. “If you’re not game, we can go somewhere else.”

“I’ve never been to a drive-in,” she said, reaching for the door handle. “Do they have popcorn?”

“There’s a concession stand. We have about twenty minutes before the movie starts.”

They both got out, and Wizard met her at the tailgate as they walked around the truck.

“You could’ve at least waited for me to open the door for you. It’s dark, and that’s a big jump. You could have fallen. Next time, wait until I get there so I can catch you if you need me to.”

Natalia tilted her head back to glare at him. “Let’s get a couple of things straight. Number one, I have perfect balance—I wasn’t going to fall. Number two, if I do fall, I can pick myself up.”

“Let’s get a couple of things straight,” he repeated through a clenched jaw. “Number one, I don’t know what kind of men you’re used to dating who don’t open doors for you, but don’t confuse me with them. Number two, next time, fucking wait, regardless of what kind of vehicle we’re in.”

Indignation blazed in her eyes as her body went still. “I don’t take orders from you!”