God, I could drink this in, savor her for hours if given the chance.

I wish I could.

I wrap my fingers around her just enough to hold her before she’s gone.

Her breath catches, and the tips of her nails send my pulse racing through my veins. Only seconds have passed, but I’ve lived a lifetime of bliss inside them with her. I don’t want this to end. “Hey,” I start with a whisper, lifting her chin so her eyes meet mine again. “I know paying your way is important but let me take you to dinner. I promise to let you take me another time.”

She giggles softly. “You’ll let me take you out on a date? You’re good, Harbor.” Waggling her finger, she adds, “Very good.” She takes a deep breath as her eyes search my face and then nods. “But I also can eat, so okay.”

I’ve had more enthusiastic reactions when asking girls out before, but that okay was worth the wait.

“Give me five? I need to change clothes.” Her hand starts to slip from mine as she walks away, so I tighten my grip on her just enough to bring her eyes back to mine. Questions fill her greens as we stand there in the briefest moment of silence.

“You don’t need to change one thing, Lark. You’re perfect as you are.” Dressed in shorts and sneakers with a cropped pale-pink T-shirt, she looks great. But even she knows I wasn’t talking about her clothes. “Don’t change.”

Angling on her ankle, she tilts—her body and head, “Ever?” Her voice is low, quiet . . . seductive. My body vibrates, reacting to the sound. I don’t think she even realizes what she does to me, and probably to every other guy on this planet.

Her naïveté makes her more enticing.

I step back, needing a breather before this night goes sideways. We’re not fucking, after all. At least not before I have the chance to buy her dinner. I run my hand over my head and clear my throat. “So dinner, then?”

Crossing the room, she replies, “Dinner, then.” She pulls out a little yellow-and-red wallet, she takes her keys with a smile that feels personally tailored for me. She sweeps her hair off her shoulders and into a knot on her head. “I guess I’m ready.”

We walk to the car, and I open the door. Lark slips inside, her eyes roaming the interior, and her hand rubbing the leather beneath her. I close the door and walk around the front to the driver’s side. My chest tightens from the sight of her tucked inside my car. It’s not a feeling I’m familiar with or one I can pinpoint. Just feels good to be around her, and I’ll take that good and try to hold on to it because it’s not as common after the accident.

As soon as I start the engine, she rests her head back, and smiles at me. “What are you craving, Harbor?”