He studied her more closely. Those red streaks had said a lot about the girl he loved back in high school, not the woman sitting next to him. One more reminder that he didn’t know her anymore, not really.
Selena shifted closer to the little vents, where streams of warm air poured out. “D-d-d-d-damn, it’s cold.”
Oh, right. “You should ask Santa for a new raincoat.”
“Not sure how nice I’ve been this year,” she said dryly.
He could list a dozen things about her that were nice, things he really shouldn’t be thinking about right now.
“You’re too wet to get warm,” he said, frowning. “You need to take off some of your clothes. Jacket and shirt if they’re soaked.”
She gave a little snort of laughter. “Just like old times, right?”
“Not what I meant,” he said, but a smile was tugging at his lips.
He really hadn’t meant it that way, but now that she'd mentioned it, his mind went straight back to that well-worn scenario he liked best.Shut it down, buddy. Not happening.
Jace rummaged around in the bin behind his seat until he found an emergency blanket. When he turned around, she had shed her fancy shell of a jacket. Her white shirt was soaked, and he could see straight through it to her bra. Which was also bordering on transparent.Shit.He turned away as a rush of desire pulsed through him. Just like old times.
“I won’t look,” he said, pushing the blanket in her direction.
Selena shuffled around for a bit, her soft breaths echoing in the little cab, while Jace tried hard not to think about the naked woman next to him. Or the sound of her.
Don’t look. She wanted something more than a high school quarterback who restores vintage cars. Don’t look.
“Don’t look at what?”
Jace froze. Damn. Had he said that aloud? “Uhh...nothing.”
“I’m decent now, soyoucan look.”
When he turned back, the blanket was wrapped tightly around her, but Selena was still shivering.
“So,” she said. “Here we are again.”
She let out a laugh, but the chatter of her teeth made it sound closer to a hiccup.
“Yeah. Here we are,” he echoed softly. “You gonna be okay?”
She nodded.
Hell, she looked so cold. He wanted to reach across the seats to rub her arms a little, warm her up, but he resisted. There were boundaries between them. So many years between them. But how good it would feel to forget that for a while…
It was getting hot on his side of the truck. Jace unzipped the top of his coat and loosened the too-tight collar of his shirt.
“Your car broke down?” he asked. It was a stupid question, but it got his mind back to the present.
“Great way to start off the holiday season, right?” She smiled and let her eyes settle lower, on his tie. “Nice outfit. You usually rescue cars in that?”
“Only when it’s a Mercedes.”
Selena gave him a swat on his arm as the corners of her mouth turned up. She tucked a wisp of her hair behind her ear and brushed a drip of water off her face. Goddamn, she was beautiful. All these years of memories hadn’t done her justice. Selena’s full lips were red and wet from the rain, her eyes, dewy and deep brown. But she looked tired, maybe even weary.
Jace hadn’t realized he was staring at her until she looked up at him again. Her eyes widened, and she looked away.
“Where’s your husband?”
Selena frowned, and her brow furrowed, as if she didn’t understand what he was getting at.
