And I hated it, because what I wanted to do was close the distance between us and press my face into the crook of his neck and breathe him in until the ache stopped.
But instead, I said, “There have to be ground rules.” If we were doing this, I needed boundaries or I'd lose my mind. “During cup events, we're rivals. There’ll be no going easy or weird looks across the field.”
He sighed. “Yes.”
“Nobody finds out, not your crew, not mine, and not Harold at The Sidedoor.”
His sheepish expression had me rolling my eyes. “Is that how you got my number? From Harold?”
“Mmmm.”
I groaned. “Fine. He can suspect whatever he wants, but we don't confirm anything.”
Larkin locked eyes with me. Damn, he shouldn’t do that. My knees were weak, and I was worried I would slide onto the ground.
“And what about between events when we're off shift?”
That was a loaded question with so many possibilities.
“We figure it out as we go.” I wasn't ready to commit to more than that, and he glanced away. His side profile was as yummy as his front, and I almost gave in and kissed him.
He extended his hand. “Deal.”
This wasn’t supposed to be how new mates ended their first real encounter. Clothes should have been removed, and we’d be pressed against one another, marking our mate, not shaking over a shitty agreement.
Knowing what would happen the moment I touched him, I hesitated. At the barbecue, we’d brushed against one another. This would be deliberate.
My dragon waited, thinking we wouldn’t be able to resist one another.
Larkin's grip was as firm as I expected, and his fingers closed around mine. The tingling that raced up my arm and overpowered my mind and body was so seductive I fell under its spell.
But I had to let go. Life would be too complicated if we mated now.
“Six weeks.”
I jerked my head toward my truck. “I’ve got a shift starting at six tomorrow morning, and I haven't done laundry in a week.”
“We can’t have Station 9 showing up in dirty br— ummm, shorts.” He glanced away.
“Nice save. But our shorts and the rest of our clothes are always clean. Our engine might be old, but our laundry game is flawless, including our briefs.”
There I said it and got a smile out of him, the first one. I wanted to collect his smiles in an album so when I’d had a bad day, I’d open it up and run my fingers over them.
I climbed into my truck and started the engine. Larkin was still standing beside his vehicle, watching me.
“Hey, Larkin? Don't think this changes anything for the cup. I'm still going to beat you."
“Look forward to watching you try.” He turned around. Oh, nice ass. Spectacular. Shame he didn’t bend over.
I pulled out of the lot with a wide grin. My palm was tingling where he'd gripped it, and I kept opening and closing my fist as if I could trap the feeling.
I'd agreed to six weeks of standing across a field from the man whose scent was still wrapped around me like a blanket I hadn't asked for but refused to take off. I’d be sneaking around and hoping nobody noticed the flush on my cheeks when someone mentioned Station 12.
FIVE
PERCY
It had been three days since we met at the trailhead, and I was losing it.
