What? He studied her face for signs of jealousy...and only found confusion. And damn, that tugged at him far more than if she'd been spitting green fire. He released her hand to hook an arm around her shoulders, tucking her closer to his side. "She's more like family."
"That's what she said."
So Paige had asked? Interesting. And how ironic that he had Sister Nic as a mother figure and Nikki for a sister sort. Maybe it was sort of symbolic how they had similar names, like some kind of cosmic family connection to make up for his biological parents.
"Besides Nikki's not my type, and even if she was, her father would kill me."
"Like Vic."
"Well, yeah, but I guess you are worth the risk." He pivoted her back against his Jeep, liking all over again the way she looked in his shirt.
"She seems perfect for you." She toyed with his top button. "I can't see why she wouldn't be your type."
"Oh, really?" He let his gaze linger on her incredible chest with an obvious leer.
She swatted his shoulder. "You are such an outrageous pig sometimes."
"Made you laugh, though, didn't I?"
"Yes, you did." She stretched up on her toes to press a simple kiss to his mouth.
Simple for about four seconds, and then the heat started again. Next thing he knew a horn was honking and Cobra was heckling the hell out of him.
With more than a little regret, he pulled himself away from Paige and opened the passenger door. "Sorry about that."
"It's okay. Really. We have all night."
Ooh-rah. He closed the door.
She rested her hand on top of his on the open window. "Since we have all night, if you're not too tired, would you mind if we took a drive first?"
A drive? His libido shouted in hoarse frustration at the delay, but if that was what she wanted, patience and foreplay would eventually pay off. He'd learned long ago the best way to romance a woman was to listen. Eventually she made her needs clear.
"A drive sounds great. I got my second wind right about the time they cut the cake." He circled the hood and climbed behind the wheel.
"So you have an extra week in North Dakota and then you're back here for good." She twirled a lock of hair around her finger, threatening his control behind the wheel more than if he'd dipped into the punch.
Which he hadn't. He didn't want anything dulling his senses tonight.
Time was most definitely running out. "That's the schedule."
"How wild that it takes three weeks to fix an engine."
"Bureaucracy." He steered the Jeep onto the road. "Sometimes it takes forever to get the parts. Once, I sat in Spain for six days waiting for them to send a crew chief out to hit something with a rubber mallet."
"What is Mako's job, then?" She gestured for another turn.
Why the sudden interest in his military life? Idle curiosity or true desire to learn more about him?
And where the hell was she taking them on this surprise drive? "He's an in-flight mechanic, actually works over in the maintenance squadron. We don't always fly with one. Depends on the mission."
She pointed to the sprawling brick sign illuminated with a spotlight, marking the exclusive subdivision entrance. "Turn left here."
"Not that it really matters to me, but do you have a destination in mind?" He slowed along the quiet street in the sleeping neighborhood.
"Uh, take the first right then left." She kept her head tipped toward the sprawling homes that bordered on mansion size with their manicured lawns. "I've been mulling over what you said earlier."
"Which something?"