Page 73 of Love in Overdrive

She slipped her arms around his neck, leaned in, and spoke against his lips, “We can get dirty later.”

He groaned. “Shoot, I have a thing with my parents tonight. But after.”

She did, too, but would have loved an excuse to get out of it. Internally, she sighed. Guess she was going to the church dinner after all. “I’ll text you when I’m done.”

“It’s a date.” He pulled her in close, kissing her soundly before letting her go. “Be careful backing out of the stall.”

“See you later.” Laney got in the car and pulled out of the building.

She frowned. Now that Cade wasn’t in her space, clouding her judgment with his pheromones, she tried to define what they had. She was having a hard time telling herself that this was just a fling anymore. Sure, they hadn’t talked about exclusivity or the future, but the old Laney was rearing her head.

Maybe this is the real thing, her soulmate. Visions of them in fifteen years flashed bright and fast, sitting on the couch after dinner, kids in the kitchen doing homework, and a dog sleeping on the floor by their feet. The whole scene warmed her.

Slow down. You don’t want to get hurt.

Dread seeped into her bones. She was failing at being an independent woman. What was wrong with her? Other people could separate sex and love, but not her. It had only been a couple of weeks, and her heart moved at the speed of light. She told herself to slow down, but one smile from Cade sent a safe, contented feeling washing over her.

Any thoughts of putting on the brakes flew right out of her head. The romantic in her was winning the battle as Cade left his mark on her heart.

At the stoplight, she glanced in the rearview mirror, noticed the dark smudge on her cheek, and laughed. Her heart wasn’t the only thing he had marked.