“Not wanting to see you,” she said and looked around. “Seriously. What. The. Hell?”

He waited while she ran things through her addled brain and saw the exact second it all clicked together.

“I was arrested!” she gasped.

“No. You were brought here to sleep it off, and for questioning in the matter of destruction of property.”

“I thought it was my car,” she said and put her hands over her eyes. “Oh my God. I beat up the wrong car.”

“Did a good job of it too.”

She dropped her hands and narrowed her eyes at him. “I haven’t been given my phone call.”

“Because after you got here, you went right to sleep.”

She was still glaring at him like this was somehow his fault. “You weren’t there,” she said. “So why are you here?”

“Boomer called me after your parking lot show.”

“So you came here to what, save me?”

“Are you still in a cell?”

“Yes.”

“Then I haven’t saved you,” he said.

“Good.” She crossed her arms. “Because I don’t need saving.”

“No shit.”

She narrowed her eyes. “What does that mean?”

“Nothing.”

“It means something.”

“Fine. It means you’re the most stubborn, most frustrating woman I’ve ever met.”

“Yeah, well, you’re . . .” She grimaced and went back to holding her head. “Lots of annoying stuff too.”

“I didn’t say you were annoying.” He moved closer. “Look, I know this week’s sucked for you and that you feel all alone in what you’re going through, but when are you going to get it? You’re not alone. There’re people here who care very much for you and want to help.”

“You?”

“Yes, me,” he said.

“You have no idea what I’m going through.”

“Because you won’t talk to me. Or, for that matter, River.”

She crossed her arms. “If I’m not arrested, let me out of here.”

“Sure,” he said. “Soon as you’re sober.”

“I’m stone-cold sober.” A statement she ruined by nearly falling over.

The bench caught her.

“Okay,” she said with a sigh. “So I’m not all the way sober. And you know what? I’m glad. No one should be sober for this. Also, I’m hungry.”

He tossed her a Snickers.

“My favorite.” She eyed him. “It might be cute if I wasn’t so mad at you. How did you know?”

“I know a lot of things about you,” he said.

“Such as?”

“Such as your eyes change color to suit your mood,” he said. “They darken when you’re aroused and spark like fire when you’re pissed off.”

“Are they sparking like fire now?”

“No.” He smiled. “Because I just fed you your favorite candy bar. And you can’t be pissed off at me, I’m ‘cute.’”

“Cute was one hundred percent the wrong word,” she said and took a big bite of the Snickers before rattling the bars. “Let me out of here.”

“You’re done playing destructo?”

“It was a mistake,” she said.

“Trying to get into a car that looks like yours is a mistake,” he said. “Breaking and entering a car that looks like yours is destruction of property.”

“I didn’t enter.”

She was standing there, hands on hips, hair more than a little crazy, makeup smudged, looking fierce. She was not a woman to back down when up against a wall, and damn if that wasn’t attractive as hell.

“Look,” she said. “I’m sorry about the car.” The thought of staying in jail had the air backing up in her lungs. Breathe in for four, out for four. Repeat. Today’s foods . . . she struggled to think back that far. A breakfast bar. Some pasta. Chicken wings. And a Snickers. “I’ll pay for the damages, of course. No need to arrest me.”

“You’re right,” he said. “There’s no reason to arrest you because the owner of the car you beat up isn’t going to press charges.”

She dropped some of her bad ’tude. “They’re not?”

“It’s Boomer’s car. Let’s just say he understands mistakes.”

She dropped her hands from her hips, looking hugely relieved. “Wow. Thanks.”

Twenty minutes later they were in Mark’s truck. He found a drive-through for Lanie and stole glances at her as she ate, making tiny sounds of pleasure that were his undoing. “Lanie?”

She licked ketchup off her thumb with a loud sucking sound that made him hard. “Yeah?”

“On a scale of one to Britney Spears shaving her head, how drunk are you?”

“Not even close to shaving my head.”

He wasn’t sure he believed her with that flippant tone, but he let it alone. She was doing her damnedest to hold it together and he knew from his experience with all the women in his house that it was most likely a front, but hell if he’d call her out on it. She’d had a rough night.

He took her to the bluffs, backing in to park. He pulled a blanket from his truck and sat with her on the tailgate, the blanket wrapped around her shoulders as the sky slowly began to shift from midnight black to a kaleidoscope of purples and blues as dawn hit. The reds, oranges, and yellows came out next as the sun came up, casting impressive beams of sunlight across the water.

“Wow,” Lanie murmured softly, and with a sigh she snuggled into the crook of his arm, pressing her face to his throat. “Mark?”

The way she said his name never failed to get him and he tightened his grip on her, an utterly reflexive move. No matter what his brain tried to tell him, his body wanted hers close, as close as he could get her. “Yeah?”

She let out a shuddery sigh, her limbs going heavy as the last of the tension seemed to leave her. “Thanks,” she said softly.

“For . . . ?”

“Everything.” After a pause, she sighed again. “This is nice.”

He looked down at the top of her head and smiled. “You’re not even watching the water.”

“Maybe I’m not talking about the water.” She was quiet a moment. “I’ve never stayed up all night and seen the sunrise.”

“And you still haven’t,” he said. “Your face is planted in my throat.”

She gave a shuddery sigh, her breath warming his skin. “I’m still hungry,” she said, apropos of nothing.

“Okay,” he said. “We’ll get more food. What do you want?”

“I don’t know. Everything.”

“I’ll make you breakfast.”

“You’d do that?” she murmured.

“Yes.” He was surprised by the realization that he’d do just about anything for her.

“Maybe . . . pancakes?” she asked hopefully.

“Sure.”

He felt her sigh against him and then, not two minutes later, her body got heavy.

She was out cold.

He held her close while she slept through a pretty fucking great sunrise. He’d always known she harbored some deep wounds, but he was just starting to get how deep. She was strong and independent and tough as nails, and a little prickly to boot.