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“Agitated? Tense?” He lifted his hands in the air “Me?”

“Yes, you Cool it”

“Fine” Saht I’ood reasons to be out of sorts, but none of them are your fault Except the coffee reason”

“It’s not my fault that you didn’t wake up on time Nor is it my fault that you didn’t preset your coffeee of your own caffeination Not me”

“All right, all right I apologize”

“Apology accepted Now, please…just close your eyes and sleep or so I really don’t want your irascible disposition to endanger rohen he chuckled in response “What is so funny?”

“You I guess the rumors about redheads are true after all”

“My hair is more of a chestnut color, heavy on the brown side”

“I knohat color it is,” he replied in a huskier than normal tone

I tightenedwheel and cast a wary look at him

Bad idea

Too erous Not only had we reset our boundaries and agreed to be friends-slash-short-terht as well be froe incident wouldn’t have happened if he wasn’t attracted towasn’t my style I couldn’t allow myself to succumb to his charms…or worse, attempt flirtation Mainly because I was a terrible flirt

I was bound to say so like—

“Is that a drapes and carpet metaphorical commentary?”

Sah “Drapes and carpet! Ha! You mean the hair on your head and your…”

“Pubic hair,” I confiraze on the barren stretch of the 14 Freeway

“Christ You’re priceless,” he hooted uy I was referring to your hot temper, not your ball dusters”

Heat crept upbucks I was as red as a bowlful of cherries

“My ball dusters?”

“What? You’ve never heard of that saying?” His playfully lecherous tone encouraged

“Never” I snorted

“Hmm Maybe I made that up”

“You certainly did And you’ve seen my…”

“Ball dusters,” he supplied “I have indeed I wasn’t going to bring that up, though I can be a gentleman, you know”

He twisted to rescue the first aid kit, popped a couple of Advil, and washed thes of the coffee we’d stopped for in Santa Clarita