Thomas looked down, and his shoulders sagged. “You are? That’s great,” he said, failing to cover the devastation in his voice. “Uh, no, I understand. No, Trent, I get it. It’s okay. Yeah, I’m happy for you. I am. Okay. All right. See you then.”

Thomas pressed End and then let the phone fall to his lap. He held the steering wheel with both hands, his grip twisting so hard that his knuckles turned white.

“Want to talk about it?”

He shook his head.

“Okay. Well…I’ll be in my office if you change your mind.”

Just as I reached for the lever, Thomas grabbed me by the arm and pulled me to him, his amazingly soft lips melting against mine. Everything around us blurred, and I was transported back to the night we’d met—the desperate hands, his tongue deep in my mouth, his blazing hot sweaty skin against mine.

When he finally let me go, I grieved. Even though it had been my lips against his, when we’d parted, I was still left with that awful feeling.

“Damn it, Liis. I’m sorry,” he said, looking just as shocked as I was.

I was breathing slow but deep, still leaned in a bit.

“I know you don’t want a relationship,” he said, angry with himself. “But I’ll be goddamned if I can’t stay away from you.”

“I can relate,” I said, smoothing my hair away from my face. “Trent?” I asked, nodding to his cell phone.

He looked down and then back at me. “Yeah.”

“What did he say that upset you?”

Thomas hesitated, clearly not wanting to answer. “He was talking to me about Travis’s bachelor party.”

“And?”

“He’s the entertainment.”

“So?”

Thomas shifted nervously. “He, uh…has a deal with Camille.” He shook his head. “A while back, she agreed to marry him if he did something crazy and embarrassing. He’s going to do it at Trav’s party, and then he’s…” His eyes fell. He looked heartbroken. “He’s going to ask Camille to marry him.”

“Your ex.”

He nodded slowly.

“The one you’re still in love with. And then you kiss me to stop thinking about it?”

“Yes,” he admitted. “I’m sorry. It was a shit thing to do.”

My first reaction was to be angry. But how could I be angry when kissing him was all I’d thought about since we met? And how could I be jealous? The woman he loved would very soon be engaged, and he’d practically just given his blessing. All of that logic did me no good. I was envious of a woman I’d never met and who would never be with Thomas. I couldn’t be mad at him, but I was furious with myself.

I pulled at the lever. “Squad Five is meeting at three.”

“Liis,” he called after me.