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Kiera started when she found Romi staring at her. Studying her. Those

green eyes were sharp and intelligent. Romi probably never missed a thing.

“He is,” she choked. “We’re, uh, only children so we…have a lot in

common.” Stupid. That was an incredibly stupid thing to say.

“I can see that.” Romi nodded sweetly. “I have a brother and a sister and

my parents each come from big families, so I wouldn’t know what that’s

like. It must be nice to date someone who understands how you grew up.”

“Are you always this nice?”

Romi’s nose wrinkled. “What do you mean?” The girl couldn’t even

frown properly.

Kiera focused on the road instead of on how unfortunately cute Romi

was with a puzzled look and dirt streaks on her face. “Nothing.” She felt

pressure to say something, to explain, since Romi was still studying her and

she could feel that gaze like a burning brand while she drove. It made her

blurt out the first thing that came to mind. “What’s your boyfriend like?”

Shit. Fuck. “Sorry. That was rude. And personal. You don’t have to answer

that.”

Instead of getting mad, Romi actually laughed. “I’m actually single. And

I’ve never had a boyfriend before.”

Kiera was approaching the turn off to get back onto paved roads. She was

already slowing down, which was a good thing, because she whipped her

head around to Romi so fast she probably would have taken the truck with

her and fishtailed all over the road and jackknifed the trailer. Shock coursed

through her, practically paralyzing her.

“You’ve what?” Kiera gasped. She must be wrong. Have heard that

wrong. “You mean, you’re just…but you’re twenty-four. You have to have

dated before.”

“I have.” Romi shifted, clasping her hands together tightly in her lap.

“Just not guys.”

“I-I see…” Kiera realized she was sitting at the stop sign, not moving.