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She smacked his arm with a fistful of brochures. “Yep. We have tons to see. And I’ve got our first stop.”
“No, I have our first stop.”
“Oh really?”
He paid and thanked the teller and took the bag before she could grab it. “Yes. I’m going to take you to my favorite spot.”
“You actually have one of those?”
“Yes. My favorite spot is in Big Sur, but at Yosemite there’s a place my mom used to take me when I was a kid.” Shit. He expected her to clam up, but she didn’t. Her eyes were bright and friendly and curious.
“Yeah? I can’t wait to see it. Should we get a couple of sandwiches?”
“Yeah.” He dug a twenty out of his jeans. “Why don’t you do that.”
“I have my own money.”
Her raised chin and flash of pride made him want to kiss her boneless. He liked how she sighed into him and opened. All heat and generosity. “I told you I’d take care of getting you home, remember?”
Her brows lowered. “Yes.”
He hooked his forefinger into her belt loop and dragged her in until she was on her toes, then tucked the bill into her front pocket. “Then let me.”
Dark eyes dilated, and her mouth opened. She flicked her tongue along her bottom lip. He groaned, lowering his head until their lips lined up. A hint of peppermint teased the air between them. He brushed his nose along hers and breathed her in. She stilled in his arms. Soft. So freaking soft and lovely.
He let her go.
Her gaze dropped to his mouth before she pressed her lips together and backed away. She turned to the eateries.
“Kendall?”
She swung back to him, her eyes wary and still a little wild.
“Roast beef with the works. Hot peppers too.”
She stared at him blankly for a moment before nodding.
It was going to be a long damn trip.
* * *
KENDALL SNAPPED HER gum as she waited in line. Nothing, grouchy, a hint of friendly, then stony, and then that. How the hell was she supposed to keep up? Just when she thought she understood the unspoken rules between them, he pulled that bullshit on her.
Dammit.
Her blood was humming as if she’d just run a circuit around the lake at home.
She crossed her arms over her chest to hide her stupid reaction to that man. She was tired of being the one at the end of the strings. Her skin flushed at her neck. She could feel the heat. More than once she’d definitely been tied to him in a different way.
“Can I help you, Miss?”
“Yes, sorry.” Derailed by food. She made her order and added a couple of bottled waters to the list. She turned to lean on the counter and wait. Shane came out of the mini-mart again with another purchase. She saw the telltale red bag and grinned. Well, well. Oscar couldn’t be all bad if he liked Twizzlers.
“Miss?”
She turned around and smiled at the kid behind the counter. He smiled back; the sandwich fell out of the bag. She laughed and tucked it in. “Thanks. Have a good day.”
“Yeah…uh, you too.”
