“Guess he’s a smart guy, then.” Reed ambled into the room, eyes narrowed on Brody and then her. Like she owed him some kind of explanation. Well, screw that. She waved him off, hoping he’d go away, but he dropped into a recliner instead.

Maybe Brody was right—maybe Reed was trying to string her along.

“You playing, Reed?” Nicole pulled a Frozen tiara from her purse, clearly pilfered from Tony’s daughter’s toy box. “I’ve got our Queen Bitch crown right here. Since Brody’s obviously full of shit and we’re too ladylike to admit when we went last, I think you should start.”

Reed brought his beer to his mouth, all the while glancing subtly between her and Brody. “Yeah, I’m in. Seems like all the action is in here anyway.”

Was he really going to do this? God.

“Alrighty then, let’s get this show started.” Nicole kneed her way across the floor and stuck the tiara on top of his head. “Pick your cards, servant bitches.”

***

“A girl’s best friend is...” Heather twisted her lips and considered the cards in front of her. “Hands down, a girl’s best friend is multiple orgasms.”

“Booyah!” Jenny high-fived the bartender over the coffee table. “I got you figured out, girl!”

“No fair. I don’t have any sex cards.” Carissa pouted while Heather handed Jenny the crown for the fifth time in an hour. “Someone trade me.”

“Not a chance, baby doll.” Maddie giggled and crowded her cards close to her chest. “Maybe Brody will share. I can tell by the pervy look in his eyes that he’s hoarding all the good ones.”

Jenny snorted. “Nah, that’s his normal look. Total perv, 24/7.”

He chuckled and, from his position behind her, nudged her in the ass with his knee. “Just read your card already, sugar. I’ve gotta get going soon.”

Wasn’t that was a shame. The night was young and, just like Vegas, she didn’t want him go. But asking him to stay again...that would be a dead giveaway. Not to mention it’d go against the solidarity she’d worked so hard on the past month and a half.

Clearing her throat, she pulled a black card from the pile and read it. Then she burst out laughing. “Oh, my God, I love this one.” She turned to Brody and smiled. “What is Superman’s guilty pleasure?”

A devious glint flashed in his eyes and he reached forward, ferociously throwing down a card. Like he’d been sitting on it, waiting for this moment.

“That was fast. You must be sure of this one,” she teased as the others added their cards to the pile.

“Superman and I are like this.” He lifted two crossed fingers and grinned. “Let’s see how well you know him.”

“Hmm, game on.” Gathering the cards, she read them aloud, immediately eliminating Jack’s magical beans and wet flatulence.

“What do you have left?” Reed grinned, completely clueless to the private joke between her and the sexy man behind her. The man who’d somehow managed to make her laugh and feel desirable at the same time.

“I’ve got chocolate covered blowjobs.” She cast a quick glance at the girls, gurgling with amusement. “Masturbation.” More giggles. “And, last but not least, a finger in her ass.”

“Lois Lane is a bitch, so you know Superman’s taking it to hand every chance he can get,” Maddie spoke up and everyone laughed. “It’s definitely masturbation. No question about it.”

“I don’t know. Superman probably likes his fair share of BJs, too. In fact, he probably gets them from all the damsels he saves.” Brody wasn’t the kind of guy who’d turn down a woman on her knees, but somehow that answer felt too easy. The other one? Hot damn. She squeezed her cheeks together just thinking about it. “I’m going with the ass play. I’ve got a feeling Superman’s a dirty, dirty boy.”

“I think you’re right.” Brody leaned forward, tossed his cards onto the table, and winked. “I win, but unfortunately, I’ve gotta run. It’s already past Gram’s bedtime.”

Jenny’s heart sank, but she put on a smile anyway. “That’s probably a good thing, since that shirt you’ve got on is completely inappropriate.”

“You just want it for yourself, sugar, don’t lie.”

He was right. But she didn’t want it for the slogan—she wanted it because it would smell like him. She might’ve stuck her face in his pillow for an extra few seconds before leaving her hotel room in Vegas, in an attempt to figure out what kind of shampoo he used. So she could buy some for home and...yeah. Dirty shower scenarios may or may not have come into play with that fantasy.

“Well, it was good to see you again, Nelson.” Reed stood and offered his hand, though the skepticism on his face still showed clear. Good, Jenny thought, let him wonder. “I ran into Sam Conrad in Omaha a couple weeks back. Said something about another deployment in the near future.”

Oh, no. Brody hadn’t mentioned that. Then again it wasn’t like they’d chatted much—at all—in the past six weeks. She swung her attention to him just in time to see him grimace. Shit. He was leaving, wasn’t he?

He scratched the back of his neck, his discomfort obvious. “Yeah, some of the guys are headed out again. A short-term stint. Nothing serious.”

“You’re going?” Wow, was that her voice sounding so devastated?

He shook his head. “No. Not this time.”

Thank God. “Good. I’m glad to hear that.”

“At least one of us is.” He chuckled, but there was no humor in that deep rumble. No light in those normally bright gaze. Why would he want to go back after everything that had happened?

“Can I walk you out?” she asked, not giving a damn that she was opening herself up to all sorts of presumption in this room full of friends, including Reed. Brody had been there for her in Vegas and if she could offer something similar to him in return...

“Sure, Jenn.” He smiled, but the shine still didn’t return to his eyes. “Let me say goodnight to the guys.”

***

With one glance, she’d damn near murdered him right there in Josh’s living room. First, it was the fear that had fallen across her face and then it was the hero worship. Neither of which he deserved. He’d signed up for this—it was his job. And if he’d been anything close to heroic, two of his best buddies wouldn’t have fucking died on his watch.

Still, she’d looked at him with more concern than he felt worthy of and now she stood outside in this cold ass, single digit weather for him, too. Though the snow had subsided, she pulled the furry hood of her parka over her head while he started his truck and cranked the defrosters. She looked like an Eskimo, all warm and cozy, and he wished he didn’t have to leave, so he could pull her in close and share in her comfort just one more time. Then he’d tell her that he wasn’t the man she thought he was. That she should save her fear and compassion for a guy who deserved them. A guy who hadn’t left his buddies’ souls back in the desert.

“Tell me you have a hoodie in there somewhere,” she said when he closed the truck door and tucked his hands into his pockets, bouncing on his toes to ward off the chill.

“I’m fine. It’s you I’m worried about. You didn’t have to come out here.”

“Yes, I did.” She shifted forward and slid her arms around his waist without hesitation. “Here, let me warm you up.”

Jesus Christ. She really wanted to kill him, didn’t she?

“You know he’s probably peeking from behind the curtain,” he said, turning his face into the protection of her hood.

“Good.” She ran her hands up and down his back, creating heated friction between her skin and the cotton of his shirt. “Maybe he’ll stop watching my every move.”

“You using me to piss off your ex, sugar?” When he tried to rock them from side to side, hoping to make light of the only half-sarcastic question, she tensed. “I’ve been that guy before. I’d do it for you if it meant getting him off your back.”

She pulled back, her pretty brow furrowed. “This isn’t about him.”