Good, she had his attention.
“Did I do something wrong?”
Again with the jaw flexing. The man was going to need dental work if he kept that up.
Slowly, he shook his head. Then he surveyed their surroundings.
“No.”
She stared up at his profile, noting the full lips that had played a starring role in her fantasies lately. The thick, dark brows were currently furrowed.
Sabrina took a deep breath and held for a count of ten. Maybe now wasn't the time or place.
“Good talk.”
“Sabrina…”
She'd just stepped forward to rejoin the others when a blast echoed across the crowd. An arm wrapped around her midsection and then she was on the ground, staring up at the night sky. A sharp rock stabbed into her hip as David's body pressed into hers.
“Stay low.”
She wasn't sure who spoke, but she couldn't have moved if she'd tried. He was big and solid. His hand cradled the back of her head. An uneasy laugh traveled through the crowd and she peaked around David's shoulder to see a low rider cruising through the parking lot.
“Fucking backfire,” David ground out and rose to his knees.
She turned to see Jill laying on the ground next to her, Teo crouching behind a metal trashcan. He blew out a sigh and turned back to his girlfriend. He was at her side an instant later.
“You okay?” His hands hovered over her, checking for injuries.
Jill nodded.
Relief poured through Sabrina.
She wasn’t sure if her heart was racing because of fear or adrenaline.
Around her, the men straightened, dusted themselves off, checked those around them. If a backfire sent them into overdrive, how did they stay sane in a world where there was noisy construction and car alarms? She wondered how they managed living with the memories. No doubt they were used to far more lethal threats. It was obvious with how quickly David moved that he was still expecting a threat. Maybe it was muscle memory or training, but his body was coiled for a fight.
Around them everyone stood up. David dusted off his jeans and held out a hand to her. The instant she slid her palm against his, she was enveloped in his warmth. He pulled her to her feet and glanced over his shoulder as if checking to make sure the threat was really benign.
The weight of his full attention returned to her and he studied her for a moment. Then he reached out and plucked something from her hair.
“You must kick ass at burpees,” she murmured as he tossed the piece of straw. The gesture reminded her of all the times he’d looked after her when they were kids. It wasn’t the first time he’d pulled something from her hair or helped her up. Even when there was an invisible barrier between them, he was looking out for her.
As she’d hoped, the corners of his mouth turned up. He wasn't as aloof as he seemed.
“You okay?” he asked, looking her over.
His concern warmed her.
“I’m fine. You?”
“Fine.” He took a step back and seemed to withdraw back into himself.
It killed her a little. Maybe he'd had a rough day. She could relate. A bride had changed her colors scheme, again, after Sabrina had already painted new artwork for the invitation suite.
She'd give him his space.
But she didn't have much time. Three days. That gave her tonight, tomorrow, this weekend and then Monday and Tuesday.
“So, we're thinking about hitting a burger joint on the way home,” Reya said, bursting through the silence. Sabrina could have kissed her.
“Sounds good,” Sabrina said.
“You in?” Reya cocked her head up at David.
“Red meat, I'm there.”
Typical man.
“Great,” Reya turned back to Dylan, leaving Sabrina and David to themselves again.
The silence returned, stretched. Silence between them had never been uncomfortable before.
But there was so much she wanted to say, so much she should have said before leaping into his arms. Where did she start?
“I've been thinking,” she said.
“Sounds dangerous.”
She ignored his teasing tone.
“I want a second date.”
His brows rose, and he pegged her with a surprised look. All hint of teasing disappeared.
“Isn't that what we had the other night?”
She leaned closer and lowered her voice. “That was sex. Not a date.”
He seemed to mull that over.
“Why would you want a second date? Didn't seem like you liked the first one that much.”
“I did.” She swallowed at the pain in his voice. He obviously wasn't ready to forgive and forget. Somehow, she had to lay everything out there and make him understand just how tortured she'd been back then.
She had an idea of how to do it, she just had to get him to agree.
“You had an odd way of showing it.”
“I agree.”
He huffed out a sigh and crossed his arms over his chest. “Can we just enjoy the haunted house?”
Avoidance. She supposed that was standard operating procedure considering how she’d acted all those years ago.
“No.” She wouldn't be able to enjoy anything until the tension between them was dissolved. And that meant telling him about what she'd heard, about the mean girls, Ethan, everything.
She'd been silly to think that sex had changed anything between them. All it'd done was make her body insanely aware of his. It hadn't solved their past, it hadn't rekindled their friendship. He didn't sweep her into his arms and spout sonnets.
That was all in her mind.
She could be forgiven, she supposed, given what she did for a living. She was surrounded by love and couples.
“But I'll try,” she said and stepped up to the ticket booth. For him, she'd try anything. She owed him that much.
Boomer followed Teo into the burger joint and inhaled appreciatively. He could never get enough hamburgers. It was the one food he and his team had looked forward to most during their endless years of training and missions.
Give him a heaping helping of fries and he was a happy man.
“You guys wanna hit the range next week?” Dylan asked.
“Heck yeah,” Teo said, but glanced at Jill as if asking for permission.
Boomer was secretly glad that he answered to
