“Double scoop of rocky road. Waffle cone.”

After they paid for their cones and stepped outside, Jen headed for the wooden bench out front, but Cash took her arm and led her back to the SUV. “We’ll sit in the car,” he announced.

“We can’t eat ice cream in your air-conditioned car, cowboy. You’re supposed to eat ice cream outside, where it’s hot and sunny so the cold ice cream hits the spot.”

Unfazed, he dragged her to the passenger door. “Considering your knowledge of obscure ice cream flavors, you probably come to this place a lot. Which means Psycho McGee probably knows that. Which means he might be lurking in the bushes. Ergo, get in the frickin’ car.”

Lord, his hand felt like a steel band around her forearm. This man was strong.

More than a little annoyed at being manhandled, Jen reluctantly got in the SUV, frowning when Cash slammed her door and rounded the vehicle. He slid in next to her without a word and focused on his waffle cone.

Her gaze followed the movements of his tongue. Gosh, look at him go. Lick. Swirl. Flick. Her thighs clenched together as she imagined that tongue working between her legs with that same focused precision.

Plop.

She squeaked when something cold landed between her br**sts. Great. Her ice cream was melting.

A second later, Cash shoved a paper napkin in her direction.

Shrugging away his hand, Jen curved her lips in an impish smile. “I got it.” Then she dipped her finger into her cle**age, swiped at the ice cream and brought that finger to her mouth.

Cash made a hissing sound as she licked her finger clean.

“So out of curiosity, how many female friends do you have?” she asked.

His expression turned stony. “None. How many stalkers do you have?”

“Just the one,” she said cheerfully, then licked the side of her cone before another drop of melting ice cream slid off.

From the corner of her eye, she saw that the tables had turned. Cash was now watching her, those vivid blue eyes glued to her mouth. Deciding to milk it for all she was worth, she licked her ice cream until she heard that sexy little hissing sound again.

She met his eyes. “Everything okay?”

“Yes,” he said stiffly. “So…uh…how’d you hook up with Psycho McGee anyway?”

“He came into my store to buy his mother a locket.” She lapped at the top of her cone, then rubbed her lips over the cold cream. “Gosh, this is so good. Wanna taste?”

Licking her lips, she stuck out her cone.

Cash stared at it as if it carried the Ebola virus. “No thanks.”

“Suit yourself,” she said, shrugging as she went back to diligent licking.

The temperature in the SUV spiked. The sound of crunching filled the air as Cash polished off his cone with impressive speed. The second he swallowed the last bite, he wiped his hands and mouth with a napkin and abruptly started the engine.

“That was fun,” he said in an overly cheerful voice. “We should do this again sometime.”

She rolled her eyes as he practically burned rubber pulling away from the curb. So he didn’t enjoy a little harmless teasing. Too bad, because he deserved it. It bugged her how he could so easily give in to her brother’s demands. That he was actually willing to shove her in the friend zone all because his commanding officer told him to.

As frustration boiled in her belly, Jen focused on her cone, wishing that she weren’t so damn attracted to the man sitting beside her. But he was just so…sexy. And he smelled terrific—the scent of his woodsy aftershave kept wafting into her nose and giving her a head rush.

“Four months,” Cash finally said, bringing the conversation back to Brendan. “When did you realize he was nuts?”

“After he started texting me every hour.” She shook her head, the arousal plaguing her body fizzling as memories of Brendan crept in. “And if I didn’t respond, he’d call and demand to know where I was and what I was doing.”

“Sounds fun.”

“Yeah, real fun. Clingy and possessive are deal-breakers for me when it comes to relationships.”

“No kidding.”

“Once he showed me that side of himself, I knew I had to end it, and when he told me he was being transferred, it gave me the perfect opportunity to break it off. He tried convincing me to have a long-distance relationship, but I held my ground and told him it was over.”

“And he didn’t take it too well,” Cash filled in.

“Nope. He caused a huge scene at the restaurant, cursing and yelling, which was embarrassing as hell, by the way. I figured he’d cool down in a few days and get over it, but he didn’t. He started sending me long, desperate emails, texts pleading with me for another chance. He had flowers delivered to my apartment every day for a week. Finally I called him and told him to stop, making it clear that it was over.” She sighed. “He didn’t like that one bit.”

Cash’s jaw went stiff as he said, “Carson said he attacked you.”

“He grabbed me,” she admitted. “I was at a club with my friend Tessa and he followed us there. When we were leaving, Tessa was on the sidewalk hailing a cab, and Brendan just appeared out of nowhere. He grabbed my arm and begged me for another chance, and when I told him to leave me alone, he shook my shoulders and started yelling.” She couldn’t help but grin. “I kicked him in the balls and dove into the cab.”

“Good girl.” Cash’s blue eyes glimmered with approval.