“All set.” Sloane exited Eagle Rock’s newest boutique’s changing room. “Okay if I keep one pair of thermal underwear on?”

Winter Wow’s shopkeeper smiled. “Sure thing. Just give me the rest of your stuff, and I’ll ring everything up.”

Another hit to the credit card she didn’t need right now, but Sloane had every intention of paying off her entire debt after she landed back on her feet. “Here.” She gave the woman her pile of new clothing. “Ben, you still want to hit the diner for lunch?”

He’d been distant ever since he’d taken his call. As for fun? None of that was happening either. A good thing, since she’d had time to reconsider his offer. After all, she’d punted one man who kept her in the dark about his major gambling addiction. Not that she expected Ben to tell her all his problems, but he knew hers, and she’d become super allergic to people keeping secrets.

He nodded. “Not going to say no to one of Al’s burgers. Been craving one for days.”

“Same.” Despite her decision to keep Ben at arm’s length, her body had refused to listen to good sense. And she’d also been craving her sexy Marine in her bed. So she’d resorted to using her trusty vibrator. Le sigh.

Sloane paid for her stash of clothes and exited the shop with Ben. They deposited her bags in his SUV and made their way to the diner. Aromas of frying meat and potatoes sizzling in oil wafted in the air as they walked to the last remaining open booth.

Within twenty minutes, Sloane swallowed her first bite of Al’s bacon cheddar burger. “Oh, man. My mouth is in heaven,” she said after swallowing.

“Yep. Best kept secret in Montana.”

Fluorescent lights hummed overhead, illuminating the linoleum-lined table between them. The scraping of silverware against plates mingled with chattering and occasional bursts of laughter. She scanned the fading eight-by-ten photographs hanging above the diner’s order window. “Love the pictures over the order window,” she said. “Like a time capsule.”

“Yeah. We all hung out here. Couldn’t do anything else on a Friday night until we hit twenty-one. Then Blue Moose Tavern got a ton of our money too.”

“I can’t imagine growing up in a small town. I’ve been surrounded by concrete, skyscrapers, and clogged freeway systems my entire life.”

“Sounds like my worst nightmare.”

He’d given her another reason they’d been smart to put their attraction where it belonged. Not acted upon and not pursued… not even temporarily.

Still, a girl could fantasize about doing all kinds of naughty, sexy things with Ben Lawson. She had. If she couldn’t have the real deal, she’d settle for her imagination and her guaranteed-to-please toy.

She licked her fingers. The burger tasted delicious, but the broad-shouldered man sitting across from her tantalized her more. His military-cut, chestnut brown hair accentuated his hazel eyes, which had flecks of gold dancing in them. And there wasn’t an ounce of fat on the muscular, handsome man. Her mouth watered. Flushing, she swirled a fry in ketchup and nibbled on it to douse her hunger. “Los Angeles isn’t for everyone, but I love California,” she said after she finished swallowing. “Plus, my folks still live in the house where I grew up. They’d miss me like crazy if I moved away.”

“Yeah. Mine have four to drive them nuts, but we’re always on the go. They are too.” Ben dunked four French fries into his ketchup and took a generous bite. “That’s why Delaney built her mountain house. Made it our hub. Only Jacob doesn’t bunk there anymore since he got hitched to Claire.”

“You haven’t seen your brother and his wife yet,” she said. “Sorry. That’s my fault.”

He narrowed his eyes, a muscle jumped in his jaw, and he shook his head. “It’s Gavin’s,” Ben said before taking another gargantuan bite of his burger.

Sloane’s knees went a little weak and tingles traveled along her nerves. He’d never wavered in his support despite the recent distance he’d put between them. “You want to go see them?”

“Yeah. We’ll hook up at the Blue Moose later this week. Maybe have dinner with them too. You cool with that?”

“Absolutely. I’d love to meet them.” Plus, being around other people would diffuse the desire constantly humming beneath the surface of their interactions.

“Oh my God.” A girl’s voice reverberated through the diner. “It’s him. And he’s coming here… oh my God.”

Ben’s lips flattened and his nostrils flared. “Your fucking ex is here.” He pushed out of the booth and moved to her side, shielding her with his body. “Don’t engage. The best way to get rid of a jerk like him is to ignore him.”

Sloane twisted to look toward the entrance. Suddenly, every sound in the diner boomed and echoed in her ears. Gavin had no reason to be in Eagle Rock other than her. “He’s stalking me.” She slid out of the booth to stand beside Ben. “And nothing I can do to stop him unless he…” …hit her again… threatened her… and he’d done neither. He only wanted her back and hadn’t done anything illegal in asking for another chance.

Still, she refused to let him get to her. Plus, she had Ben on her side.

Gavin moved through the diner, pausing to give autographs and take selfies with his fans. As usual, he had a million-watt smile lighting up his golden boy features. He radiated confidence and a casual willingness to spend time with the people flocking to his side. He thrived on the attention.

Sloane's throat scraped raw and hot tears pricked behind her eyes. Now, more than ever, she needed a friend.

As if reading her mind, Ben wrapped his arm around her waist and drew her closer. “He’s not getting through me,” he said. “From this point forward, he’s going to believe we’re dating. Got it?”

She nodded. “Maybe he’ll get the message once and for all that I’m unavailable.”

“Yes. We’re leaving.”

Ben waved to the server who quickly came over with their bill. “This should cover it.” He handed her two twenties. “Keep the change.”

Gavin caught Sloane's gaze, and she read a world of hurt in his beautiful, ocean blue eyes before he shuttered the pain to take another selfie with a fan. A part of her would always love the good side of her ex. And she’d never wanted to make him suffer, but she couldn’t fix him.

Ben kissed her temple and whispered, “Looks like he’s figured out we’re a couple.”

The warmth of his breath tickled her skin and heat flashed through her, making her panties damp and her nipples pebble into taut points. Quickly, she grabbed her coat from the hook on the side of the booth to draw it on and cover her reaction. “Agreed.”

Ben lifted his winter jacket and shrugged it on just as Gavin arrived to stand in front of them.

“Hey there, pretty,” he said. “You got a minute to chat?”

“Absolutely not,” she said.

“Aw, you know you don’t mean that.”

“You heard the lady. She’s not interested in conversation.” Ben moved her ever so slightly behind his large frame to create a human barrier between them. “I suggest you listen to her.”

Gavin’s gaze widened. “Sloane? Please. Hear me out. This guy isn’t good enough for you.”

Sloane’s pulse raced, sending a surge of adrenaline into all her extremities. She curled her hands into fists and then released them slowly. No way would she dignify his comment with a reply. Ben had honor built into his DNA, and she’d be thrilled to call him hers for real. But he’d been hiding something from her since he’d gotten the text a few days ago. And after Gavin’s betrayal, she didn’t trust her instincts or desires. They’d fooled her before.

“You got your answer.” Ben moved closer to Gavin. “Leave my woman alone or face the consequences.”

Gavin blanched and blinked rapidly. He opened his mouth and then shut it again when Ben curled his free hand into a fist.

“We’re out of here. Stop calling and texting. She doesn’t want you.” He walked around Gavin with Sloane firmly in his hold. “She wants me.”

The diner’s clatter faded and the crowd held a collective breath as Ben escorted Sloane down the aisle and out into the frigid Montana air. “He’s following me,” she said through chattering teeth. “Thank God he’s scared shitless of having his face ruined. But still…” Old fears and the memory of Gavin’s fist slamming her cheek rushed through her, making her knees tremble.

She tripped over her feet. Heaving in breath after breath, she couldn’t feel the air getting into her lungs. Spots floated in front of her eyes, and the bitter taste of acid slithered into her throat. “I c-c-can’t…” she stammered.

“Easy.” Ben steadied her before guiding her to where they’d parked only hours earlier. “I’ve got you.”

She slumped against the SUV’s passenger door and played with her necklace’s infinity symbol. “I know… but as long as he’s alive, I’ll always be looking over my shoulder, wondering… I don’t even have enough shit on him to file a restraining order, either,” she said. “I’m alone and I have no one. Not even my parents can protect me from him. Not forever.” A longing moved through her, making her heart ache.

“You’re not alone.” Ben brought her into his strong arms and lowered his forehead to hers. “You have me.”

A band squeezed around her chest. “Not really,” she whispered. But oh, how she wished she did, even if only for a moment.

Sloane’s words misted the air and hung between them. The desire in her chocolate brown eyes, along with the clouds moving through them, carried both a promise and a plea.

He wanted to answer both with a yes. “Aw, hell,” he said and closed the millimeters separating their mouths to brush his lips against hers while still holding her gaze captive with his.

Everything he’d wanted to see mirrored in a woman’s eyes when he kissed her shimmered in Sloane’s. A yes wrapped in trust… certainty reflected in their depths.

Suddenly, Ben didn’t give a damn anymore about the uncertainty of his future. He only gave a damn about showing Sloane he cared.

She wrapped her arms around his waist and brought him closer, welcoming him with a soft sigh. He swept his tongue past her parted lips and drove inside her mouth, deepening his kiss.

God. She tasted so damn good. Better than he’d expected. Like hot chocolate and whipped cream, melt-in-your-mouth decadence. He could easily become addicted to her flavor… and to her.

The warmth of their bodies melding… the heat of their tongues sliding against each other… the flare of need blazing through his blood obliterated the cold wind that carried the scent of winter snow.

His cock grew harder and strained for release. Kissing Sloane only made him crave her more. He cruised his hand down and cupped her lush ass, showing her just how much.

Ben wanted to be with her, on her, in her. He wanted to make them both forget the separate hells they’d been through during the last few months. He wanted to kiss her from the top of her curly black hair to the tips of her toes and back up again until he plunged into her, making her his.

Over and over, he drove his tongue into her mouth, tangling with hers in an age-old dance. His blood ran south, and he grew even harder. Every beat of his heart sounded in his ears and punched into his ribs. He didn’t just want her in his bed, he also wanted more time with her. Wanted to get to know her better… see where the heat between them could lead.

He pushed that longing down with a quick reality check. Each of them had lives to rebuild after their current arrangement ended. And they didn't have the same trajectory once they parted ways.

Still, even if they couldn’t have forever, they could have now.

If anyone deserved a bit of happiness, they did.

The wind kicked up, blasting his back with a slap of bitter, freezing air. He wanted her, but first he had to get them back to the mountain house before they turned into popsicles.

He wrenched his mouth from hers. “Sloane, I could get addicted to kissing you.”

“That makes two of us, but not here.” She hugged herself as he opened her door, and then she stepped up into the SUV. “My new thermal underwear is at max capacity. I don’t know how people live here during the winter, year in and out.”

“We spend a lot of time indoors.” He shot her a grin. “Why do you think so many kids have summer birthdays around here?”

She laughed. “Point made.”

“Excellent.” Because he intended to show her every way people in Montana beat the cold, dark days during the winter months.

He shut her door and rounded the back to his side, just in time to see Gavin glowering at them with hooded eyes and a scowl on his face before he turned away and walked toward his jacked-up black SUV. Too damn bad, Pretty Boy. She’s mine.

For now. Not forever. But he’d make the most of the time he had with his sassy screenwriter.