The full moon dangled high in the sky. It cast enough gray light for her to see the dirt road once her eyes adjusted. She launched her phone and the screen glowed bright, attracting every bug within five feet. They hit her arms, buzzed in front of her face, zipped by her ears. She shivered. Nasty.

She brought up Mark’s number, tapped the phone icon, and waited. Gravel crunched and Dylan came up beside her. Joy looked at the screen, wondering why the call wasn’t going through. “Shoot.”

“Everything okay?”

She shook her head. “No signal.”

“Trying to reach Mark?”

She nodded. Damn. She should have called before they’d left the bar. Now she’d have to come up with another excuse as to why she hadn’t answered. Yet another lie.

“We can still find a hotel for the night. You can call from there.”

She shook her head. As terrible as she felt about avoiding Mark, she had no desire to get back on the highway and drive another hour or so. She’d been awake for over eighteen hours and hadn’t slept soundly last night. She was exhausted.

“Find the bug spray?” She slid her phone into her back pocket.

Dylan showed her the can. “Put your arms out.”

She did. He sprayed her arms, legs, and entire front side.

“Turn around,” he murmured. His voice skittered across her skin. She shivered and turned around, grateful for the dark. He couldn’t see how affected she was just from his whispered instruction.

Dylan sprayed her back and head. “Close your eyes.”

She heard him come around to stand in front of her and the spray can go off, but she didn’t feel anything. She looked up at him.

He raised a hand, moist with repellent. “Eyes closed,” he said, and gently wiped the Bug Off on her forehead, nose, cheeks, ears, and neck, dipping below the collar of her tee. His fingers slowed, lingered, and when her breath hitched, were gone. Her eyes shot up to his. He looked at her with an expression difficult to read in the dark.

“What?” she asked tentatively.

“You skinny-dipped today.”

“OMG!” She dropped her face in her hands. She’d hoped he wouldn’t bring it up.

“You threw your bathing suit at me.”

Her entire body flamed. “I knoooow. I’m sorry,” she said, mortified.

“That was . . .” He chuckled and slowly shook his head. “Wild.”

She lowered her arms. “It was stupid.”

He shrugged a shoulder. “It was fun. Shocking,” he said, eyes going wide. “But fun.”

Joy groaned.

“Warn me next time?”

“There won’t be a next time,” she said, disgruntled.

“Too bad. I would have skinny-dipped with you.”

Her eyes bugged. “What?”

He laughed, handing off the bug repellent, and turned around. “Spray me down, Anna Nicole.” The famous stripper.