I took another bite as fast as I could. “I’m not scared of you.”
She moved to sit on one of the chairs on the porch. I followed behind, inhaling another bite. I only had two more bites left and was already wondering how I could beg her for another slice without sounding needy.
“Should we set up a few rules for our dates?” I asked. “To keep you in line?”
Just as I knew it would, the look she gave me made that whole comment worth it.
“Rules so we don’t fall in love? Like what?”
My eyes drifted briefly to her legs, and I wanted to ask her not to wear those shorts again, but I couldn’t figure out a way to say it without her chopping my head off.
“I’ve got one. No more offering me treats.” I pointed to my nearly empty bowl and added, “Because THIS makes me want to haul you off to see the preacher right now.”
I smiled, enjoying the light flush my words brought to her cheeks.Rein it in, Marten.
“If you recall, I didn’t offer any of this to you.”
“How about we keep things light between us?” I said. “Easy conversations. No deep thoughts. You keep your secrets, and I’ll keep mine. We’re just a couple friends having a good time without getting emotionally invested.”
“Is this the speech you give all your women before you go on a date?”
“I usually don’t have to speak this much at all.”
She elbowed me in the arm. “Why are you so scared to get emotionally invested? Isn’t that just basic friend stuff?”
“I’ve found that I’m a real sweetheart beneath the chiseled physique, and I can’t risk you seeing that. It would compromise our whole mission.”
She shook her head, trying not to laugh.
“You got anything for me?” I asked.
Tessa hesitated, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear before she said, “No more of your cologne.”
I met her gaze, very interested. “Really? What does my cologne do to you?”
She didn’t look directly at me. “Wear it or don’t, but just know…you’ll be walking a fine line.”
I laughed, suddenly feeling high as a kite, though I wasn’t sure why. “We can’t have that.” I peered into my now empty bowl. “You being here is the only thing stopping me from licking this bowl clean like a cat. What do you put in this stuff?”
“Butter and sugar.”
“One more scoop?” I asked her hopefully.
“Didn’t you just make a rule about no treats?”
I grinned and held out my empty bowl toward her. “Rule starts in ten minutes.”
She shook her head, grabbing the bowl from my hands and moving toward the house. “Nope. Not before hiking.”
“Killjoy.”
10
Tessa
After a quick ten-minute drive, Logan parked his truck at the base of a small mountain chain that was dry and covered in sagebrush except for the top, which was dusted with a large crop of green pine trees.
As we made our way toward the trailhead, our phones buzzed simultaneously with a text from Jake, just checking in to make sure we were followingallof the rules.
