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She stepped on the brake harder than she meant to and the bus shuddered and there was a yelp from the living area behind her. “Sorry,” she called over her shoulder.

“What the fuck, Denver?” Mal roared from the back of the bus.

She winced.

“What did you do, piss yourself?” West quipped.

She tightened her fingers until they squeaked around the wide wheel. “I’m making a quick stop for food. I’m getting jittery.”

“Aren’t we close to Vegas?” Lauren popped her head through her partition.

“Still have an hour to get near Vegas, then the traffic inside…eh. Easier to eat out here.”

Lauren shrugged. “I’m up for Mexican.”

“Good thing.” Ryan came up beside Denver and tugged on her ponytail. “And this one probably drank a gallon of tea.”

Denver bent her lips in a smile because that was what she should do. “Maybe.”

She pulled into the wide, sloping parking lot of the restaurant. It was dusk and the lights of the sign above the wind-battered building buzzed with a flickering pink neon. The O in Carolina’s was out and the L was on its way, but man, it smelled heavenly.

Denver popped open the door and took the stairs at more of a run than she cared to admit.

“Have to go that bad, Colorado?” Ryan jogged up next to her.

“Kinda.”

“Well, I’ve been sucking down Gatorades myself.” He frowned at her. “All good?”

“Yeah. Of course.” She tugged on the hem of his shirt. “Just been a bear of a drive.

He nodded. “All right. If you’re sure.”

“I’m sure.”

“Meet you outside after?”

She nodded. “Don’t forget to wash your hands.”

He grinned and ran backwards. “Always.”

Her smile slid away the moment he was gone. She crossed her arms along her middle and headed for the bathroom. She really did have to go. And for a restroom in a restaurant off the highway, it wasn’t terrible.

She finished up and washed her hands, then splashed water on her face. No wonder Ryan asked her if she was feeling okay. Her eyes were huge and had circles under them. Ugh.

And since she didn’t wear makeup unless it was absolutely necessary, she knew it wasn’t raccoon eyes.

She blotted a wet paper towel along her neck and inside the neckline of her shirt. Five minutes out of the bus and she was dry and dusty as hell. The arid climate made her want to dive into a vat of lotion, but she settled for the tiny tube she kept in her jacket pocket.

The honey scent centered her, as did the natural routine. When she opened the door, she found Ryan lounging against the wall flicking through his phone. His long legs were crossed at the ankles and his jeans were just tight enough to remind her of all the glorious muscles—all of them—that were underneath the denim.

The way he made her feel. The way he emptied her mind of all the chaos she’d lived with so damn long. There was no denying Ryan had been good for her in ways she’d never dreamed possible.

Right now, she needed that quiet.

She glanced through the doorway to the huge round booth holding all of her friends. No, not even just friends. They were her family. More so than her flesh-and-blood family had ever been.

Even Mal, as horrifying as that was.

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