Page 13 of How You See Me (You and Me Duology #2)
“Rise. I get up early every morning for workouts.”
Her entire body recoils. “How early?”
“Before said sunrise.”
She groans. “You’re not doing that on this trip, are you?”
“I’ll be quiet.”
“Whew. I’m a night owl, so sunsets for me. When you pass out from exhaustion around eight p.m. like a grandpa, I’ll try to be quiet, too.” She grins at the dig .
She may try not to disturb me, but I have a feeling she’s never been quiet a day in her life. There’s too much sparkle inside her to ever go unnoticed.
“We’re only five years apart, you know?”
“Maybe so, but you’re an old man in the fun category.” Thinking nothing of the insult, she yanks the bun out of her windswept hair and starts putting it back up into a ponytail. “When was the last time you did something spontaneous or outside your norm?”
Knowing the truth will cause more questions, I consider lying, but I’ve never been good at that. “The night we danced.”
Her hands still in her lap, her chest moving with shallow, uneven breaths. Both shifts are subtle, but I notice. I notice a lot of things about her.
Her eyes dart nervously around the van before she resumes her usual relaxed demeanor. “That’s it? We barely even swayed.”
But it was enough to send my system into overdrive. Shouldn’t that count? “It was outside my norm.”
“Me, too. Despite what you may think.” She continues when I scoff. “I’m not usually that forward. Grant dared me.”
“That’s why you asked?” The question tumbles out, disappointment lacing the words sharp enough to bite.
I thought she asked because she wanted to, not because she was playing a game.
While I felt something magnetic toward her that night, maybe it was one-sided.
Not that it matters. Holding her again shouldn’t have left such a deep imprint on me.
Nothing could come of us even if she’d shown an honest interest that night.
“Grant thought you were hot and wanted to see if you’d reject me or if all those women would make a scene. He wanted some entertainment.”
“I don’t like this guy.”
“He’s a good person and cares about me. He’s just opinionated and brash.” She checks her phone and types something before setting it back in her purse.
Quiet settles in as she watches the passing scenery for a moment. “Mountains or beach?”
“Mountains.”
“Finally. Something we can agree on.”
She unbuckles her seatbelt and disappears into the back.
“What are you doing?”
Ignoring me, she soon returns to her seat with a large sketchpad. Flipping it open, she holds up a picture of a mountain, so detailed it could pass as a photograph.
“This one is yours now.”
“Did you draw that?”
“Yeah. I did a lot of drawing and painting while Jordan was in the hospital. This one of the Blue Ridge Mountains is one of my favorites.”
“Thank you. Is there a place to hang it up in the back? Somewhere it won’t get damaged?”
She grins. “I’ll look.”
After climbing into the rear again, she comes back to her seat with newfound energy .
“It’s hanging in the perfect spot beside the bed. Okay, next question." She crosses her legs under her. “Card games or board games?”
“Cards. We spent a lot of time playing in the barracks and during deployment.” “Same. I mean, I didn’t play in the military since I never—” Her face scrunches up. "Well, obviously I'm not a— You know what I mean.”
“I think you like to play card games.”
“Right.”
"Me, too."
"I heard that somewhere."
Another lingering glance. Another hit to my willpower. My grip tightens around the wheel as I train my attention to stay on the road and not her mesmerizing smile.
“I’ve got another important question that might impact the trip.”
“What’s that?”
“Go fast or enjoy the experience?”
My brain fumbles. “Depends on the context.”
“Thought it might.” She holds up a finger to start ticking off options. “Driving.”
“Fast.”
“Visiting a new place.”
“Slow. Unless we’re on a schedule.”
She rolls her eyes and unfurls a third finger. “Sex.”
I choke on air, jostling the steering wheel. The van swerves slightly and the ceiling beads rattle like they’re laughing at me .
“I’m not going to answer that.”
“Coward. One night stand or relationship?”
“Same answer.”
“Come on. I need to know what kind of travel companion you are. If we go out, do I need to worry about you disappearing into someone’s car for a quickie?”
“Jesus, Josie.”
“What? It’s a valid question. And it’s okay if you want to. I can take care of myself, and—”
“I’m not going anywhere. I promised Jordan I’d protect you, and I meant it.”
“I’m not a child.”
“Doesn’t matter.” My voice raises without consent. “I’m doing it either way.”
“Good cheesy puffs. You don’t have to yell.”
I shoot her a look. “Cheesy puffs? That’s not a nickname is it?”
She laughs, killing the tension. “No, but now that you mention it . . .”
“ No was the right and only answer.”
“If you say so, Cheesy Puffs.” She winks, and I almost concede to letting her call me whatever she wants. “It was an exclamation point, by the way. Some people curse. I don’t.”
“Why not?”
“It just sounds stupid coming out of me.”
“You could never sound stupid. ”
“That’s kind of you, but you don’t know me very well yet.” She lets out a quick laugh. “So, no one-night stands for you.”
“Either of us.”
“I didn’t agree to that,” she feigns obstinance, but there’s no hiding the coy twinkle behind it, despite the evening shadows.
“I can’t ensure your safety if you’re off with a stranger doing God knows what.”
“It would be sex, Staff Sergeant. The sole purpose of a one-night stand.”
“We’re not going to talk about that.”
“Why? We’re both adults. What if some sexy cowboy strikes my fancy in the wild , Wild West? What if I want to ride his—”
“Josie!”
“Horse!” She laughs. “I was going to say horse.”
“Sure, you were. I’m not letting you out of my sight. End of story.”
“Guess you’ll have to watch, then.”
She flashes me a wicked grin, and my brain creates the image before I can stop it—her tangled up with some random guy, moaning and lit up from the inside.
Sweat beads on the back of my neck. My stomach threatens to send the protein bar I ate an hour ago back into my throat.
“Josie, I am not—”
“Calm your own horses, big guy. I’m joking.”
Thank God.
“I hope you know I’m not that kind of girl. Anyway, I’ve sworn off men and anything that involves them. Except road trips, of course.”
Relief rushes through me so fast it leaves me dizzy. She’s not hoping to run off with anyone, and she isn’t getting any impossible ideas about me.
This trip will be a hell of a lot easier if I don’t have to worry about either of us getting attached. The most we can become is friends. Nothing more.