Smiling, he touched her mouth, amused by the mulish set to her lips. "I had to find your key card." He let his hand drop to her narrow shoulder. "Wanna tell me about that phone book?"

Her brows puckered. "I usually keep numbers stored in my phone, but if my phone dies-"

"Sure. But why are you carrying numbers for Armie, Stack or Miles in the first place?"

Very slowly she eased away from him, her breaths slow and shallow. The lack of makeup added to her wounded expression, and her cough-strained voice finished it off. "What are you accusing me of?"

"I'm just asking." Because you're mine. Damn it.

Her eyes searched his. "No, I think it's more than that."

Right. It was the near-savage need to stake a claim. Knowing he couldn't say anything that over-the-top, he said instead, "I think you and I need to come to an understanding."

"What kind of understanding?"

"Several actually, but let's start with exclusivity."

Uncertain, she slicked her tongue over her bottom lip. "So...you won't be seeing anyone but me?"

Hell, since meeting her no other woman had appealed anyway. "And vice versa."

Her chin lifted. "For how long?"

She'd come around in one hell of a mood. His jaw ticked, but he wasn't about to say how much it mattered to him. "As long as it lasts."

Looking like that answer bothered her, she deflated, closing her arms around herself and putting her head back on the seat. "Cannon insisted I have the numbers. I live with Rissy and you know how he is." She lifted a hand, flapped the air. "Two women, all alone. He wants me able to reach him-or one of you-if anything happens."

Yeah, that made sense. And now, seeing her so closed off, he felt like a damned bully. He tugged on a lock of her hair. "If there ever is reason to make that call, call me first."

She flashed him a weary smile. "Funny, but Cannon insisted the same thing."

Denver held silent. Cannon had rights that he didn't have-yet.

Saving him from coming up with a reply, Cherry put a hand to her stomach. "You know, I think I'm actually a little hungry."

A good sign. "Perfect timing, since we're at a quickie mart."

She looked down at her bare feet, touched her mussed hair. "I'll need my sandals."

"I can run in for you."

Relief showed, though she tried to hide it. "You wouldn't mind?"

How could he not kiss her? Drawing her close, he touched his mouth to the bridge of her nose. It wasn't enough. Not even close. Soon as she was well, he planned to taste her again. All over. "Glad to do it. What would you like?"

"Maybe...pretzels? And a cola?"

It'd be better if he let her eat before grilling her more. He should have talked with her about her damned relatives instead of the phone book anyway. "You got a call from Merissa while you were sleeping. Why don't you text her back while I'm in the store. And Cherry? Stay in the car with the doors locked, okay?"

Busy digging out her phone, she said, "I don't suppose you'd let me pay-"

"No." He caught her chin and turned her face toward his. "I'm serious, girl. Promise me you'll stay in the car, doors locked."

Confusion tweaked her brows, but she nodded. "All right."

"I'll only be a minute." He took the keys with him, pressed the automatic door locks, and closed the door behind him.

There were only a few teenagers in the lot, an older man walking with a cane and a mother with two kids. Still, he rushed through buying her things and was back out to the car in under three minutes.

With the phone to her ear, Cherry smiled and nodded, but when she saw him, she hastily ended the call.

As he got in, he asked, "Merissa?"

"Mmm-hmm."

Something in the way she acted, avoiding his gaze, her cheeks flushed, got his attention. "You told her you were sick?"

"Yup."

"Cherry." When she looked up, he cocked his head. "What else did you talk about?"

A darker rush of color stained her cheeks, but it wasn't from fever this time. "She, um, wanted details."

"About?" Able to guess and entertained by it, Denver opened her cola and handed it to her. "Us?"

In a rush she said, "Everyone knows I've been hung up on you forever."

Hung up on him, so not just looking for some fun? Nice. And if true, it gave him plenty to think about.

She gulped, and her voice faded. "I probably shouldn't have said that."

"You don't want me to know you care about me?"

Making a rude sound, she asked, "How could you not know? I've been so obvious."

True, but he hadn't realized anyone else was paying that much attention-especially with the easy way she teased with every man who got near her. "Others picked up on it?"

Nodding, she shifted nervously. "Rissy said I should stop chasing you so hard. She said I made it too easy for you."

"Rissy was wrong." His feelings for her had never been easy. Had Merissa warned her off flirting with other men, as well? Or had he been singled out?

Confused, she chewed her lower lip. "She and Vanity both told me I should accept a few other dates."

Jesus, he hated the games some women played. "Other guys asked you out?"

"Well..." She looked at him like he was nuts. "Yeah."

Of course they had. He knew how badly he'd wanted her, so it stood to reason other men reacted to her the same way.

Her smile flickered and she teased him, saying, "You know, Denver, I don't always look like this."

No, she usually looked hot as hell. "First, you don't look bad, so stop saying that. Actually, if you were up to it, I'd be all over you right now."

She blinked in surprise. "You would?"

He let his attention drift over her face, her throat, her body. "You look soft and mellow and extremely fuckable."

"Oh."

"Second, these other guys sniffing around-you refused them?"

"After meeting you, why would I want anyone else?" The second she said it, her eyes widened and she fell back in her seat with a dramatic groan. Given her thin, raspy voice, that groan held a lot of effect. "I probably shouldn't have said that to you, either."

By the second his mood improved. "You can say whatever you want to me."

Her disbelieving laugh turned to a cough.

Denver waited until she'd caught her breath again. "Merissa and Vanity are wrong, okay? Just be honest with me, always, and things will work out better."

She didn't look convinced, but she agreed with a nod anyway.

"So, what'd you tell Rissy about us?"

Her gaze skittered away and she cleared her throat.

"Come on, Cherry." Despite himself, he felt his mouth quirking. "What details did you share?"

Lacing her fingers together and again looking at her feet, she muttered, "Only that you're amazing."

Nice. But not for a second did he think that covered it all. "And?"

She lifted her shoulders, looked out the window. "That you're-" she toyed with her hair, took time for a big swig of cola, and finally muttered low "-even bigger than we'd imagined."

"What's that?" Pretending he hadn't heard her, Denver hitched a brow.

Wincing, she faced him again and said in a rush, "You said I could brag to my girlfriends, and Rissy is my best friend. She knew I wanted you forever and that you'd been dodging me and-"

"Slow down before you get yourself coughing again."

"-she'd heard the same things I'd heard."

Unbelievable. "About the size of my cock?"

Again her eyes flared and she inhaled so sharply that she coughed, then had to swill more cola before she could answer. "We're close, Denver," she explained, still wheezing. "We talk all the time."

More amused than bothered, he thought it would have been terrific to be a fly on the wall during those conversations.

"Being with you was so awesome-well, except for the part where I got sick-"

"Gossiping women." Shaking his head, feeling indulgent, Denver said, "I guess you both heard it from Armie?"

"Welllll... After I heard it from Armie, I sort of told Harper and Rissy."

Harper, too? Too funny. "You sort of told them?" Damn, he'd never really pictured a bunch of women-especially women he knew as friends-sitting around and discussing his package.

She carefully drank in a breath, then went on the offensive. "You can't tell me men don't gossip about women."

Shrugging, he said, "Sometimes."

She squared her shoulders, which made his attention drop to her impressive rack.

"Guys talk about boobs all the time," she accused.

"Maybe not as often as you think." But yeah, often enough to make her accusation accurate. Reaching out, he cupped her left breast. She was braless, her breast heavy and firm. By habit alone, he moved his thumb over her nipple. "As nice a set as you have, you can believe I won't be sharing details with any of the guys at the rec center."

She stared at him, guilty and flushed, and he felt bad for continually doing this to her, touching her in ways that excited her-and him-when he knew they couldn't do anything about it.

He withdrew his hand even as his curiosity ramped up. "What else did you tell her?"

Struggling to compose herself, she braced one hand on the door, the other on the seat beside her hip. "You want to hear it all?"

"Hell yes." Though God knew there were other far more important things they should be working out while she felt up to it. "You can summarize for me."

Bracing herself, she stated, "I told her how incredible you are. You know. In bed." And then, with feeling, "Because, Denver, you really, really are."

Sensation washed over him as he recalled how it had felt to be inside her, feeling her squeeze him tight as she rocked out a hard release. The way she affected him, visually, emotionally, with her body and her words and those damn sweet smiles, was almost alarming. "I think maybe we were just incredible together."

"And see, you're humble, too." She gave him another of those boner-inspiring sweet smiles. "I also told her how hot you look naked, how indescribable you smell-"

"Yeah?" Bragging was better than if she'd been disappointed and complaining to her friends.

"-and how badly I wanted to do it all again and again, and instead you're stuck taking care of me." She grabbed another pretzel. "Rissy was appropriately bummed for me that I'd get sick now."

All in all, Denver figured he could take that type of gossip.

"I'm where I want to be, so don't think I'm stuck, okay?"

Unconvinced, she hunched her shoulders. "You're a trooper, I'll give you that. But no way can you be enjoying this."

Her being ill, no. But caring for her? He sure as hell didn't want anyone else doing it.

"Granted, it's not how I thought I'd be spending my time with you." He made a point of looking at her body-specifically her lap. "I'd rather have you naked on your back again."

She went wide-eyed, her gaze locked on his face, slowly eating a pretzel without blinking.

He thought about her breasts, her narrow waist, and that gorgeous ass; the sounds she made while coming; how physical exertion had intensified the scent of her heated skin.

Thinking it fired his blood, because damn, she had a gorgeous body.