Stunned. Chris stared into her ex-wife’s eyes completely surprised. “Uh, yeah.”

  “Good.” Andry leaned in and kissed her cheek. “I’ll see you around, Chris.”

  Chris nearly stumbled as she stepped backward and out of Andry’s reach. She waited until Andry sat back down with Isla, a knowing look on her face. Was the whole world out to get her into a relationship? First Mel and now her ex-wife? What was this? Especially considering she’d just met Ash that night—though Andry wouldn’t know that, would she?

  Ash wrapped her arm around Chris, and they started for the parking lot. Chris had parked up close since she had gotten there early enough. Ash snagged Chris’ hand and held her back. “Thank you so much for letting us sit with you tonight.”

  “You’re welcome.”

  “I hope we didn’t ruin your night.”

  “Hardly.” Chris couldn’t stop staring down into Ash’s eyes. “You honestly added to it. So thank you for joining me.”

  “Will I see you around?”

  “If you want, that’d be nice.”

  Ash squeezed her hand and then let go, snagging her phone. “Give me your number.”

  Chris furrowed her brow but put her number into Ash’s phone. This pretty much sealed the deal that there wouldn’t be one-night of fuckery going on. Ash was probably looking for more of a relationship than Chris was, which meant this wouldn’t work out in the end for either of them.

  “I’ll text you,” Ash said, looking down into Chris’ eyes.

  “Yeah. Sure.” Chris shoved her hands in her pockets. “See you around.”

  Ash snagged Char’s arm and dragged her toward the back of the parking lot. Chris pursed her lips and rocked back on her heels. She was attracted to Ash, that was for sure. No doubts about that. But she had doubts about everything else between them. Still, she was allowed to look at attractive single women. There was nothing holding her back from that, and Ash’s little glance over her shoulder as she walked away was the perfect reminder of that.

  Chapter Two

  Ash sat in the driver’s seat of her car, turning the key, and hearing nothing. The engine didn’t spark to life. The battery didn’t click. The radio didn’t even hum. All she had was the sound of dead silence. She closed her eyes, a pit in her stomach opening up and sinking. Of all things to continue to go awry. Everything had gone haywire since she’d decided to move to Cheyenne.

  “What’s wrong?” Char chimed from the passenger seat, her voice slurred from the amount of alcohol she’d had.

  “No clue. I’ll need a tow if Dad can’t fix it.” Ash fingered her phone, not wanting to call him. It wasn’t in her nature to ask for help, even when she knew her parents would freely offer it. They’d given her the chance to live with them until she found a house she liked, but she’d bought one as soon as she could to avoid that.

  “We can call him for a ride.” Char would think it was okay. She’d always been daddy’s little girl. Ash had been the independent one.

  “I guess.” She knew Char could probably barely hear her, but the sinking feeling in her stomach increased. Dinner had been so nice. Chris had been lovely, and Ash hadn’t willingly thrown herself into flirting since—she couldn’t think about that. Not now. If she did, she’d break down and cry.

  Frustrated, Ash grabbed her phone and got out of the car, needing space. Cold air bit at her cheeks in the late January winter, but she couldn’t be bothered with it. Was she even supposed to move here? Because it seemed like the universe was telling her this was a bad idea the moment the decision had been made. Even her girls had struggled with it. Hell, Avonlee still was, and Ash knew it was going to be a hell of a year.

  A car stopped in the middle of the parking lot, blocking her vehicle in. Panic swelled in her chest, but she had to remind herself that she was in Cheyenne, not Seattle. No one was going to kidnap her here. At least she hoped not.

  The driver’s window rolled down, and she was greeted with Chris’ confused and concerned face. She was adorable. There was something about her that had just put Ash at ease in a way she hadn’t been in so very long. Being childless that night had made the decision to break down some of her usual walls easy. And Chris had warmed to her in an instant.

  “Everything okay?” Chris stayed still, looking around at the car.

  Ash shook her head before she could stop herself. “My car won’t start.”

  “Shit.” Chris shoved the car into park, shifting in her seat. “Is the battery dead?”

  Ash frowned. “Don’t think so. I was going to call my dad for a ride. Unless you know something about cars…?” She trailed off, hoping Chris would know everything about vehicles. Wasn’t that a thing? Lesbians could fix cars? Butches? But was Chris really a butch? She didn’t quite fit that definition, not that Ash liked labels.

  “Not a clue about anything under the hood. Well, that hood.” Chris’ cheeks lit up a bright red in the parking lot lights.

  Cursing her lack of luck, Ash straightened her shoulders. “Oh, well, thanks.”

  “Do you want to sit in my car while you wait? It’s cold outside.”

  Ash dragged in a deep breath, looking through the driver’s window. She put her hands against the sill, pulling herself up just to be closer to Chris. “Are you sure?”

  “Yeah, I don’t mind.” Chris touched Ash’s cold fingers. “It’s still warming up, but it’s better than being out in the wind.”

  “Let me get Char.” Flipping around the back end of her car, Ash went to the passenger side to drag Char with her. Ash was so thankful to be sitting inside Chris’ SUV warming up. They settled while Chris found a parking spot as close as possible to Ash’s dead car. That fix was going to be expensive, which was the last thing she needed that month. At least the car had made it to Cheyenne. That was the silver lining, she supposed.

  Blowing out a breath, Ash glanced at her phone, noting the time. It was close to ten-thirty at night. Her parents were likely sound asleep, and she really didn’t want to wake them up for something as benign as this.

  Char glanced at Ash’s hands with the phone and Dad’s number pulled up. Then Char locked her eyes on Ash’s. Leaning forward, Char mumbled, “You can thank me later.”

  “What?”

  “Do you think you could just drive us home? I don’t want to inconvenience you, but it’s late and we’d have to wake our dad up to get him out here.”

  “Oh.” Chris turned around in her seat, her arm brushing Ash’s in between the front seats as she looked back at Char. “Yeah, that’s not a problem.”

  “Thanks.” Char sat back, with her arms crossed, and a pleased look on her face.

  They gave over their addresses, and Chris backed out of the parking spot. By the time they reached the main road, the heat was on full blast, and Ash’s fingers were warming up instead of feeling like they were going to fall off. She had forgotten how cold the Rocky Mountains could be in winter.

  “Char, you’re the first one since it’s the closest.”

  “Righteo, ma’am.” Char chuckled.

  Ash resisted rolling her eyes, but barely. Char was good and drunk, and she would have the hangover of a lifetime tomorrow when they unpacked even more of her house. Which meant she would be in charge of something away from everyone else and not keeping the girls out of Ash’s hair while Ash set up their room. They still had to build the beds and find all their clothes, but their room was Ash’s first priority.

  Chris reached over and touched Ash’s hand as she drove down the street. This was the comfort Ash had found, and it was so odd that it was with a complete stranger. Then again, something about Chris seemed so familiar, like a name on the tip of her tongue that she just couldn’t manage to form the syllables of. Looking out the front windshield, Ash noted that everything was darker here than in Seattle. Less lights because of less people. It suited Ash’s mood for the last two years. She’d been unable to get out of the funk since her wife had died, not that she was looking to fully get out of it either. She’d found she liked being the broken widow.

  Leaning back in the seat, Chris drove, and silence permeated the car. Ash had no idea what to say to get the conversation going, but she didn’t really want to either. She enjoyed the quiet, which was a rare occurrence when she was stuck at home with her two girls and no one else. Their fighting had been reaching an all time high lately. It took everything in her to keep from losing her temper, and she failed at that most times.

  If only Mari was still there with her. She had the patience of Job. Ash found herself gripping Chris’ hand tightly, and she pushed all thoughts of her late wife from her mind. Mari was gone and had been for two years. And it had been two years since Ash had allowed another woman to touch her. So what was it about Chris that made her think about this?

  “Oh! This is me!” Char bubbled from the back seat. Chris pulled up at the apartment building and parked. “Call me in the morning, Ash.”

  “Yeah, will do.” But Ash wasn’t looking at her sister. Instead she found herself looking into Chris’ deep brown eyes, the tight curls of her hair as it fell over her shoulders and curved right along with her breasts. Ash’s heart raced. Was she really considering this?

  It would only be one night—that was for sure. Because she had already found the love of her life. She didn’t need to find it again. Mari had been her perfect match, and she wasn’t going to let that go ever.

  “Where do you live?”

  “Sun Valley.”

  “I know that area well. My best friend lives there.” Chris still hadn’t put the car back into drive. They were still looking at each other. Chris reached up, her fingers hesitating before she brushed a strand of Ash’s hair behind her ear. “I hope that’s okay.”

  Ash smiled, genuine happiness filling her chest. When was the last time that had happened? She nearly cried, feeling as though she should dig back down into the pit of grieving where she belonged. “It’s welcome.”

  “Good.” The lines in Chris’ face softened, her smile fully blooming. “I’d hoped I wasn’t misreading things.”

  “Char’s you’ll thank me later wasn’t enough of a tell?”

  “I never like to assume.” Chris’ thumb brushed along Ash’s cheek.

  The tender touch moved tingles through Ash’s body, over her breasts, and hardened her nipples. Her breathing increased, and she leaned into it. One night. Physical touch. That’s all this would ever be. “Are you going to take me home?”

  “Do you want me to?” Chris’ thumb moved to Ash’s lips. “We can go anywhere you want.”

  “My house is a disaster. Boxes everywhere. No sheets on the bed.” The excuses were already piling up, but Ash shoved them back down. Just because she’d found the love of her life didn’t mean she couldn’t also enjoy the physical side of being with someone. Right?

  “Where would you be more comfortable?” Chris trailed her thumb down the hollow of Ash’s neck, curling her fingers around the back, her thumb pressed right to the center.

  It was possessive, but in a gentle way, a taste and promise of what Ash hoped was about to come. Ash wrinkled her nose at the unintentional but perfect pun. She loved that Chris was asking this. No one ever had before. With Mari, their first time had been in a random hotel room while they’d been on a work trip. Ash bit her lip, raising her gaze to meet Chris’ and pulled herself out of her thoughts again.

  “I’ll be comfortable anywhere.”

  “Want to go to my place? It’s messy, but I do have sheets on the bed. I may even have a blanket if we get cold.” Chris winked, and it sank any excuses Ash had left. Not that she was looking very hard for them.

  “What did your ex-wife say to you before we left?” Ash leaned in closer, the pressure of Chris’ thumb on her throat tantalizing.

  “She told me that she wanted me to be happy.” Chris dashed her tongue across her lips. “She told me that I should allow myself to be happy.”

  “Do you hold back?”

  “Not from this.” Chris’ voice was husky, full of deep desire. “Never from this.”

  “And what is this?”

  “A night of happiness.”

  Ash could get on board with that. Leaning in closer, she nearly pressed their mouths together, but again, something held her back. Ash locked their gazes, her breathing shallow as Chris kept her grip on the side of Ash’s neck firm. “Why do I feel like I’ve known you for years?”

  “No idea.” Chris’ voice was soft, merely a breath of words. “Are you sure you want this? We can always stop. I can drop you off at home, and that can be it.”

  Ash couldn’t look away. Her body screamed Yes, touch me! Still, something lingered in her brain that there was more going on than merely sex. It was her first time since Mari. The first occasion she’d allowed herself to be this free with someone.

  “Take me home, Chris. A night of happiness is what you promised me, and I’m cashing in on that.”

  Chris’ grin was gorgeous. Ash’s lips tingled, desperation pulling at her to just act already. But Chris didn’t kiss her. Not yet. They would do this quickly, in the right time, when they were just there for fucking. Or was Chris one of those women who wouldn’t kiss her at all? Ash would hate that, but she would go along with it if it was what Chris wanted.

  With the car in drive, Chris pulled out of Char’s apartment complex. Ash didn’t want to lose the connection they’d found, so she rested her hand on Chris’ thigh, trailing slow circles against the inside of her leg.

  “Keep doing that, and we might not make it home.”

  Ash gave a short grunt. “I’ve had sex in a car before.”

  “Recently?” Chris shot her a glance before focusing back on the road.

  “No. Not since I was in my early twenties.”

  “I’m a bit old for car sex, I think. Unless it's in the bed of a truck with an air-mattress.”

  “Not too difficult to arrange.” Ash slid her hand up, pressing the edge of her pinky against the crease in Chris’ leg. “Too much?”

  “No,” Chris squeaked. “Feel free to go farther.”

  “My kind of woman. Knows what she wants.”

  “When it comes to sex, I’ve never been accused of being timid.”

  Ash flicked her fingers between Chris’ legs, over her crotch, against the heat pouring from between her legs and through her jeans. “You already feel amazing.”

  Chris grunted, her fingers tightening on the steering wheel, but she widened her knees enough for Ash to get a better angle and apply more pressure. “I can’t wait to touch you.”

  “You’ll have to. This is the bonus of not being the driver.” Ash pressed three fingers hard against Chris.

  Chris wiggled, and it brought a smile to Ash’s lips. She still had it. Two years of no sex meant nothing. This was like riding a bike.

  “Do you like it when I touch you like this?”

  Turning to fully look Ash in the eyes, Chris winked. “You can touch me however you want.”

  “Perfect,” Ash purred. “Because if we’re only going to do this for one night, I want to make the most of it.”

  When had she become so confident? Ash was loving this side of herself. Something in Chris pulled it out of her in a way that she was adoring right now. In any other situation, she probably would hate it.

  “Oh yes,” Chris crooned. “Yes, let’s make the most of it.”

  “That’s all I can ask for.” Because Ash didn’t want anything else. “To our night of happiness.”

  Chapter Three

  “We’re here.”

  Chris pulled up outside her rental and put the car in park. Now what? Ash still had her fingers against her crotch, a slow deliberate pattern playing against her clit which made her anticipate what was to come more and more by the minute. But this still felt so awkward, somewhat stilted. Chris wasn’t good with words. She wasn’t good with controlling these kinds of situations despite what she’d implied earlier. Suddenly, she was nervous. That’s what this was.

  “Good.” Ash leaned over, increasing the pressure between Chris’ legs.

  Chris groaned, rolling her shoulders back into the seat and closing her eyes as she finally let the full brunt of the sensations Ash caused to flow through her. She missed someone else touching her like this. Her own hand was useful, but having someone else interested, someone else who directed was gold. Chris bit the inside of her cheek.

  “Keep doing that, Ash, and we’re not going to make it inside.”

  “Definitely wouldn’t want to miss that.”

  With a thundering heart, Chris forced her eyes open. Ash looked so damn pleased with herself, her eyes bright and wide, her cheeks flushed. Chris blew out a breath and cupped Ash’s chin, pulling her forward so their mouths could touch. The kiss was quick, and when Chris dove back in for a second one, Ash surged forward, and their teeth gnashed. Ash hissed and pulled back, rubbing her fingers over her lips.

  “Sorry,” Chris murmured. She wasn’t good at this anymore.

  Ash giggled and moved in swiftly with a peck of a kiss. “Don’t stop now.”

  Chris pulled herself together, gathering what self-esteem she still had and dragged Ash’s mouth back to hers. This time was so much better. They went slowly, a gentle push of lips against lips. Ash’s hand was still pressed between Chris’ legs, and as soon as Chris dashed her tongue against Ash’s lips, Ash moved her fingers in a mimicking swipe.

  Holy crap, she knows what she’s doing.

  Moaning, Chris opened her mouth and accepted Ash’s tongue. Their embrace deepened. Heat rose in Chris’ cheeks, sending shivers down her body, through her veins as the anticipation of what was happening ramped up again. Ash moved her fingers fully now, press in, release, press in, release. Chris was going to lose her mind without even making it inside.

  She pulled back, rapid breaths leaving her lips. “We need to go inside.”

  “Yes, yes we do.” Ash sounded as harried as Chris felt.