Page 45

Tank

I watched her drive away. The past eight hours had been amazing—more than amazing—but when the clock struck eight and her shift ended, reality crashed in.

Maddie had a life outside this gas station. A real life. A kid. Responsibilities. A routine that didn’t include a leather-clad wanderer lurking outside her job every night.

I dragged my fingers through my hair and let out a slow breath. Yeah, reality sucked right now.

The last three nights had felt like something out of a dream I hadn’t realized I’d been having. One where the girl was too good, too warm, too sharp to be real. And yet, there she was. Maddie. All fire and softness. Letting me in. Smiling at me like I wasn’t a mess.

I could still feel her. Taste her.

The way she’d looked at me like I was something more than I was. The way she’d touched me like she’d been waiting forever.

I closed my eyes for a second.

Damn, what the hell was I doing?

I wasn’t supposed to get attached. Wasn’t supposed to linger in one place long enough to memorize the curve of someone’s smile. And Maddie? She was the kind of woman who made you forget why you’d ever wanted to leave in the first place.

That terrified me.