To drown him. Who threatened to drown people, for Pete’s sake?
And now her brother had gotten to Cash, the only man who’d ever managed to arouse her by merely breathing. His military status squashed any notion of something long lasting between them, but that didn’t mean they couldn’t indulge in a little fling as long as they were living together. She got the feeling that sleeping with Cash would be a whole new experience, an introduction to the kind of sex she’d always craved—wild, passionate, uninhibited. But Carson had officially thrown yet another wrench in her love life.
“So you weren’t kidding the other day when you mentioned a crazy ex,” Cash remarked.
“I never kid about stalkers,” she answered with a sigh.
A bell dinged as they walked through the door of the ice cream parlor. Jen made a beeline for the counter and ordered without glancing at the menu posted on the wall. “Two scoops of Choctastic Verryberry Swirl in a waffle cone,” she told the pimply-faced kid who greeted her. “And a to-go gallon of the same flavor.”
Cash whistled. “As your friend, I should warn you that all that ice cream can’t be good for your figure.”
She bestowed him a sweet smile. “As the woman you refuse to sleep with, I should tell you that my figure is none of your concern.”
The kid behind the counter coughed and averted his eyes. “Um. What can I get you?” he asked Cash in a squeaky pubescent voice.
“Double scoop of rocky road. Waffle cone.”
After they paid for their cones and stepped outside, Jen headed for the wooden bench out front, but Cash took her arm and led her back to the SUV. “We’ll sit in the car,” he announced.
“We can’t eat ice cream in your air-conditioned car, cowboy. You’re supposed to eat ice cream outside, where it’s hot and sunny so the cold ice cream hits the spot.”
Unfazed, he dragged her to the passenger door. “Considering your knowledge of obscure ice cream flavors, you probably come to this place a lot. Which means Psycho McGee probably knows that. Which means he might be lurking in the bushes. Ergo, get in the frickin’ car.”
Lord, his hand felt like a steel band around her forearm. This man was strong.
More than a little annoyed at being manhandled, Jen reluctantly got in the SUV, frowning when Cash slammed her door and rounded the vehicle. He slid in next to her without a word and focused on his waffle cone.
Her gaze followed the movements of his tongue. Gosh, look at him go. Lick. Swirl. Flick. Her thighs clenched together as she imagined that tongue working between her legs with that same focused precision.
Plop.
She squeaked when something cold landed between her breasts. Great. Her ice cream was melting.
A second later, Cash shoved a paper napkin in her direction.
Shrugging away his hand, Jen curved her lips in an impish smile. “I got it.” Then she dipped her finger into her cleavage, swiped at the ice cream and brought that finger to her mouth.
Cash made a hissing sound as she licked her finger clean.
“So out of curiosity, how many female friends do you have?” she asked.
His expression turned stony. “None. How many stalkers do you have?”
“Just the one,” she said cheerfully, then licked the side of her cone before another drop of melting ice cream slid off.
From the corner of her eye, she saw that the tables had turned. Cash was now watching her, those vivid blue eyes glued to her mouth. Deciding to milk it for all she was worth, she licked her ice cream until she heard that sexy little hissing sound again.
She met his eyes. “Everything okay?”
“Yes,” he said stiffly. “So…uh…how’d you hook up with Psycho McGee anyway?”
“He came into my store to buy his mother a locket.” She lapped at the top of her cone, then rubbed her lips over the cold cream. “Gosh, this is so good. Wanna taste?”
Licking her lips, she stuck out her cone.
Cash stared at it as if it carried the Ebola virus. “No thanks.”
“Suit yourself,” she said, shrugging as she went back to diligent licking.
The temperature in the SUV spiked. The sound of crunching filled the air as Cash polished off his cone with impressive speed. The second he swallowed the last bite, he wiped his hands and mouth with a napkin and abruptly started the engine.
“That was fun,” he said in an overly cheerful voice. “We should do this again sometime.”
She rolled her eyes as he practically burned rubber pulling away from the curb. So he didn’t enjoy a little harmless teasing. Too bad, because he deserved it. It bugged her how he could so easily give in to her brother’s demands. That he was actually willing to shove her in the friend zone all because his commanding officer told him to.