Page 63 of The Rescuer

“That’s not what I meant.”

“So you’re not even going to counter the bit about me being an asshole? I only floated that out there so you could deny it’s true and stroke my ego.”

“Seriously?”

“Moving on. Besides cussing me out, I don’t knowwhatshe said, though I’m pretty sure she won’t be sending me a Christmas card. I think the message sank in this time, though, because she hasn’t called back.”

“And that’s something she normally does?”

“Ever since we parted ways, yeah. She calls until her phone runs out of battery. I’m kidding. Let’s just say she calls repeatedly, and when I don’t answer, she finally gives up, but she’s tenacious.”

Shaking her head, Neve returned to her dicing. “Sounds like she’s in denial.”

“Do you have any best practices for how to get someone to leave you alone?”

Neve peeled an onion and attacked it with her knife. “You’re askingme? Sorry, dude. You should hit up someone with more experience with relationships. That’s not me.”

Good sense told him to rein in the next bit, but common sense was in short supply lately, so he barreled ahead. “If I were to marry anyone right now, it would be you.”

Her mouth opened and closed—several times. “What?”

God, why couldn’t he have kept his big mouth shut? “You heard me.”

Her mouth wiggled from side to side. “The thing is, youdidmarry me.”

“Well, yeah, but I wasn’t in my right mind.”

Muttering something unintelligible, she turned back to her chopping.

The wine mixed with acid in his stomach and soured. “Maybe we should move on to a more benign topic.”

“Oh, you mean like our wedding blackout?” she deadpanned.

“I saidbenign.” He stuck his head in her fridge. “Like me pulling together a salad to go with the fettuccine. Would you chop a little extra onion that I can use?”

Despite the air hanging between them like a curtain of awkward, the mood soon lightened, his stomach settled down, and they were working side by side, her bossing him around and him not minding one bit. This was comfortable, easy, relaxed—but that was how it had always been around Neve … except for this morning, when he’d awakened beside her soft, silky skin and moments later caught a glimpse of perfect white globes sticking up while she was prone on the floor.

Wonder what they would feel like in my hands?

Yeah,thatwasn’t inappropriate—just like the dirty thoughts that had sprung up in his mind this morning. The sight had conjured images that had made things almost painful, and the sensation was currently repeating itself, knotting his belly and tightening other parts of his body. He shifted his stance to accommodate his growing reaction to said images.

She elbowed him. “You okay?”

“Why do you ask?”

“You sucked in a huge breath and then stopped breathing.”

“Uh, brain fart.”

“I’ve been having a lot of those myself today … after themassivebrain fart that was last night. What are we going to do, Reece?”

“First we’re going to enjoy a nice dinner. Then we’re going to bed.” He rushed to add, “In separate rooms. I’m talking about getting a good night’s sleep. We’ll be able to think more clearly in the morning and work up a plan of attack.”

“I googled Nevada laws while you were napping,” she blurted out.

“And?”

“If that license is real, it looks like our only recourse is to go through a formal process to unwind it.”

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