“No way, I’m not going to let you pay for me. I’m not that girl,” she said, her hands landing on her hips. God, she was stubborn as shit. And hot as hell.

“Just this once,” I said. “You can pay for—”

“What if we just got a room with two queen beds?” she said, cutting me off. “You put your monster to rest for the night. I’m not scared of him. Or of spending the night in a room with a guy friend.”

“Well then I guess it’s settled,” I said, a smirk on the edge of my lips. Still, my hands were shaking at just the idea of it. “Let’s check into a motel. And then find a bar.”

“Sounds about right,” she said quietly, her shoulders finally unwinding.

I held out my hand. “I’m driving. In case that tire blows, I want to be in the hot seat.”

“What the hell, Nate?” she said, just like I knew she would. “Is this because a girl wouldn’t be able to handle it?”

“Knock that shit off,” I said, my voice booming. She was not going to win on this one point. “That’s not what I meant. I can’t explain it—I just want to drive your truck. Now give me the damn keys.”

She stared at me, her jaw slack. Like she couldn’t believe I had basically just bit her head off. Her eyes moved down to my lips then up to my eyes.

“Fine,” she said and stomped off to the passenger side of the truck. I couldn’t help grinning.

I placed the key in the ignition and adjusted the mirrors. “Geez, you’re a little thing. I can’t see shit.” Then I pushed back the seat so I could stretch out my legs.

I gingerly steered the truck onto the road, trying to avoid the potholes littering the street. A few minutes later, after we had driven past a darkened service station, my stomach twisted into a knot over the idea of having to stay overnight with Jessie. More time spent getting to know her, meant more time liking her, and I was already positively on fire for her. My rules weren’t going to hold up in this situation.

I made a few more turns, ending up on the main street near the rural part of town again. If I was remembering correctly, there was a cheap and decent motel around here somewhere.

Jessie sat in silence beside me, either fuming because I was driving or because she was going to be out a couple hundred dollars when all was said and done. Little did she know there was no way in hell she was splitting that room with me. But for now, I’d let her think she was.

I turned into the motel parking lot and pulled into one of the many empty spaces. The bar next door was hopping, though. It was so full; cars were parked on the grass.

I remembered that bar. It must have changed ownership because it was now called Lucky’s.

“Looks like we won’t have to go far to find a drink,” she said.

“Lucky for us,” I said, parking the car. She looked down at her lap and smiled.

We walked inside and got our room situated after I made it clear that it would be charged to my credit card and she could pay me cash later.

After she dug in her purse and shoved money in my hand, we headed toward the exit with our room key. I was too exhausted to fight her about it, so I just pocketed the bills and would decide later how to get the cash back in her possession.

Since Lucky’s was such a hit, our only option was to squeeze in at the bar. Two guys in cowboy boots looked Jessie over and I had the urge to put my arm around her, slide her against my side to keep her protected.

Yeah right. If I was being honest, it was more than that. I wanted to claim her as mine. But she would probably think that was a dick move and besides, there was no claiming a girl like Jessie. She didn’t take shit from any guy, which was why I let myself become friends with her in the first place.

After flagging down one on the bartenders, I ordered us two beers and a couple of shots. There was a country band playing and Jesse looked so out of her element, it was hilarious.

“What the hell are you laughing about?” she asked after taking a sip of her beer.

“This just doesn’t seem like your kind of bar,” I said, turning and sliding the shot her way. “Sorry, pretty sure there’s no biker bar anywhere close.”

“Well then I guess these guys would be safe from Cory,” she said, shouting over the loud music, and I laughed. “Is this your kind of thing? Are you a closet country music lover?”

“Maybe,” I said, messing with her. “What if I am?”

Her eyebrows rose. “Then I’d say you’re even more of a puzzle.”

“A puzzle?” I said, surprised by her answer. That was the second time this weekend she had hinted at that.

Two women in tight jeans and cowboy boots stood up from their seats at the bar and I motioned to them so we could grab them first. I grasped for Jessie’s hand and tugged her a couple of feet along with me. That was the way to deal with Jessie, I now realized. If you surprised her, she didn’t have time to react.

One of the girls was a knockout blonde with a little too much makeup on. She held my gaze and smiled at me. When she looked down at our entwined hands, I felt Jessie’s grip tighten.

“Thanks for the seats,” I said. “Have a good night.”

The blonde opened her mouth as if to say something else, but I just nudged past her and pulled the seat out for Jessie to slide into. Jessie’s gaze shot up to mine, a hesitant look in her eyes. She leaned forward and said, “Do you want a minute, to . . . you know, do your thing?”