She squeezes her eyes shut and sucks in a massive breath.
“Okay,” I say. “I’ll give you a piggyback ride.”
The suspicious look is back. “You willnot.”
“I will. It’s getting dark. I need to get out of the cold. You probably do too. Fastest way down the path when you have a broken snowshoe. Not like we’re trading footwear so you can give me a piggyback ride.”
Those bright green eyes probe my face.
It’s like she’s asking if this is a trick. If I planted the fox so Jitter would run so I’d have to offer to carry her. If I’m planning to drop her. If I’ll enjoy having her arms and legs wrapped around me.
Only the last one is a resoundingyes.
“Who’ll hold Jitter’s leash?”
“I can handle you both.”
She flashes a cocky grin like she can’t help herself. “Big talk, boss-man.”
“I’d rather you call meSuper Vengeance Man.”
“I’ll consider it if you get me safely back to my car.”
Yes. “Climb on up, Duchess.”
“You wish,” she murmurs.
“Hawaii was fun.”
I get another eyeball ofdon’t push this, but after she’s pulled off her second snowshoe and hung them both on her backpack, I squat in front of her and she climbs onto me, wrapping her arms around my neck and her legs around my hips and holding on as if she thinks I’ll drop her.
“The only reason you’re not rolling in the snow being pelted with snowballs right now is because I want to get home,” she says as I stand.
“This the last snowfall of the year?”
“Not even close. Tell me if you get lightheaded.”
“Doing fine.” Better than fine.
And possibly terrible at the same time.
I want her to kiss me again.
And I know if she does, I’ll probably break and agree to not change her café, and then I’ll realize I don’t actually need to be here, and all of this will come to a screeching halt.
If I don’t belong in a lab, and I’m actually terrible at beingSuper Vengeance Man, and I don’t want to go back to Connecticut even if it would put me closer to Mimi, then who am I and where do I fit in this world?
It’s a heavy question.
And I still want to kiss Sabrina again. Peel back every layer of her clothes until she’s completely bare. Study her skin. Her curves. Her breasts and her pussy.
AndpretendI belong.
“I had a dog,” I tell her while I follow Jitter down the path, Sabrina’s body pressed tightly to my back. “My ex took him in the divorce.”
“I know.”
“You know?”
