“Had a one-night fling with a fellow officer,” he said. “Her idea.”

“Didn’t go back for seconds?”

“No, I don’t do seconds.” He met her gaze, hoping she understood.

She nodded. “Me either, at least not anymore.”

Their gazes continued to hold for a long beat and then by mutual silent agreement, they went light and silly for a while with the game. Things like never have I ever . . . cried/flirted their way out of a ticket (her), and never have I ever made out with a stranger (him), and never have I ever repurposed a household item as a sex toy (her).

“One time!” she said, blushing when he nearly bust a gut laughing. “I got a neck massager at an office Christmas party and it didn’t look like a neck massager and it’d been a long dry spell . . .” She rolled her eyes when he only laughed harder.

When he got ahold of himself, her arms were crossed in mock annoyance, and he straightened. “Never have I ever,” he said, “ . . . brought someone here before.”

She looked pointedly at the trailer beneath them. “Is this the man cave?”

She was wearing a soft smile and a flush, clearly warmed up and possibly a little drunk, though she’d only taken a couple shots before switching to cookies. Seemed tyrant Lanie was a lightweight.

“Am not,” she said, making him realize he’d spoken out loud. “And I’m only a tyrant on the outside.”

This, he knew.

“So . . .” she said. “Tell me. Is this where you bring your women and have your way with them?”

He laughed.

She stared at his mouth for a beat and then smiled. “I hope you at least bring them inside the trailer to do the deed so no one gets mosquito bites in their secret places.”

“Secret places?”

She blushed and it was cute. “No,” he said. “This isn’t my sex den. I bought this land, which butts up against the winery. I’m saving to build a house out here for me and the girls.”

“Oh,” she breathed and then nodded. And then shook her head. “I’m . . . conflicted.”

“On the cookies? Open another pack. You’ve got four more.”

She snorted. “Not on the cookies.” She paused. “I wanted you to be an asshole, you know. A selfish dick who dumped his girls on his family so he didn’t have to be a dad.” She took another swig of the Jack and he gently took it from her.

“There were a few years that felt like that,” he admitted, “when I was overseas.”

“But when they needed you, you came back.” She pointed at him, misjudging the distance and nearly taking out one of his eyes. “You gave up a career. You gave up everything and had to start over. All for them.”

“It’s what dads do.”

“No.” She shook her head. “I don’t know if your alpha-ness can register this, but it’s not true. Not all dads would do that. Mine wouldn’t.” She stared at him for a beat, let her gaze slide to his mouth, and then stood up abruptly.

He stood with her, righting her when she would’ve toppled.

“I’m not a very good drinker,” she whispered. “When I forget that, I tend to do things I shouldn’t.” She licked her lips. “The last time I drank too much, I went to Vegas with my boyfriend of six months and got married.”

He stilled. He could hold his liquor. Hell, he could drink his entire unit under the table, but this made his head spin. “You got married on a drunken whim?”

“Are you judging me?”

“Hell, no,” he said. “I married a woman who could walk away from her own kids.”

“And you,” she reminded him. “She walked away from you too.”

He shook his head. “I’m an adult, I can take it. But the girls . . .”

Her eyes softened. “Your girls are amazing. You’re enough for them, Mark.”

He wasn’t so sure about that, but the way Lanie was looking at him drained his tension. “Thanks,” he said quietly, unable to help being moved by her. “I’m sorry your husband was a dick too.”

She shook her head. “That’s the thing. After five years of being married and only the first two of them being good, I knew we weren’t right for each other. But I didn’t know Kyle was a dick until after he died. I can’t trust love to be good for me.” She hiccupped. “Sorry. I’m really not good at the Jack.”

Maybe Mark was the dick because he shouldn’t have let her have three shots. She never would’ve talked to him like this if he hadn’t. But there was no fucking way he was taking her home until he made her understand something. “Love can and should be good for you, Lanie. You just need to find the right person to trust, that’s all.”

“Shh.” Reaching up, she set a finger over his lips. “My inability to get love right is a secret about me. Don’t tell anyone, ’k?”

His heart ached and he opened his mouth to say something more, but she beat him to it.

“Never have I ever,” she said softly. “Wanted to kiss someone that I didn’t want to want to kiss.”

He groaned and slid his arms around her. “Lanie—”

“No falling,” she said. “And no going back for seconds. I know.” She added a nod and a sassy salute.

He met her gaze and saw her wounds just beneath the surface. He hated that and slowly slid a hand up her arm, her throat, then around to the back of her neck, his fingers burying themselves in her hair. With his other hand, he cupped her face, his thumb softly caressing the skin beneath her ear and over her jaw.

She shivered, and her hands came up to his wrists, her eyes fluttering closed as he brushed his lips over hers in a questing kiss before pulling back.

“More,” she breathed, eyes still shut, lips parted.

With a low groan, he covered her mouth with his and immediately lost himself in her. She wrapped her arms around him tight, pressing even closer, urging him on. He gave her what she wanted, what he wanted, kissing her slow and deliberate, teasing them both until she tore away and opened her eyes to stare up at him.

“Oh. Wow.”

Yeah.

She licked her lips like she needed that last taste of him. “I didn’t expect that,” she said.

No. He hadn’t expected it either. Not the explosive hunger between them and not the strength of the urge he had to take even more. Not trusting himself, he took her home after that and walked her to her cottage.

At the door, she hesitated, pressing her forehead to the wood. “Just go inside, Lanie,” she said out loud. And then didn’t move.

With a soft laugh, he reached past her to open the door for her. She turned and gripped his shirt in two fists, yanking him down to her. Then she planted her mouth on his and kissed every single thought right out of his head, and while he was trying to remember his name and why exactly she was such a bad idea, she pulled back and let out a breath. “Damn,” she whispered. “Still wow.”

He laughed again. Because yeah. Still wow.

She went inside without another word after that, shutting and locking the door behind her, and he walked away. Probably the smartest thing he’d done all night, but at the moment, it sure didn’t feel like it.