At the same time, he wanted to promise her that she’d have that pleasure, with him, for a very long time.

Also impossible.

He made a point of not looking at her. “It should always be that way, honey.” He gripped the wheel tighter and forced out the words, as much to remind himself as her. “Any guy you sleep with should be equally concerned with how you feel.”

* * *

ARIZONA FLINCHED at what he said.

Any guy she slept with.

Meaning he still wanted to fob her off on that nameless, faceless other dude.

The idea repulsed her. And it infuriated her.

But facts were facts: Spencer wanted to rehab her, and that’s all he really wanted. Oh, yeah, she knew it wasn’t a chore for him to sleep with her. She wasn’t a hag, and her hang-ups aside, she wasn’t too weird or obnoxious in bed.

But what she’d told Marla was true; he was still in love with his wife, and a woman like her would be only a temporary substitute—in bed. Nowhere else.

Nowhere that really mattered to his life or to his own personal issues.

She wished she could help him as he wanted to help her. Not that there was any real comparison. Spencer was one of the greatest, most awesome, incredible guys she knew.

And, Jesus, didn’t she sound like an infatuated sap?

Well, unlike Marla, she had pride galore. Pride had kept her going when others might have given up. She stared at Spencer for a long time, willing him to meet the accusation in her gaze, but he kept his attention on the road.

Screw it. She wouldn’t debate sleeping with other men, so instead she just said, “Good to know. I’ll try to remember that when I sleep with someone else.”

An interesting muscle clenched in his jaw, and his big hands—hands that could be so gentle and so hot when he touched her—squeezed the steering wheel.

Possessive. That’s what he was. She knew all about that because Jackson was the same. For as long as she slept with Spencer, he didn’t want her sleeping with anyone else. Not like he’d let her out of his sight long enough for her to go carousing anyway.

And that could be a problem, given she had to meet Quin tomorrow.

“So other guys are on the list,” she said, “but for tonight, soon as we can wrap up this nonsense at Dare’s—”

“Your birthday is not nonsense.”

“—I want to try out this control reversal you mentioned.”

He opened his mouth to further explain the importance of her birth celebration—and then her words registered.

Going silent, he clamped his mouth shut. New tension coursed through him—but this was tension of a very different kind.

All sexual—the fun kind of tension.

Grinning, Arizona watched him.

He pawed the steering wheel, his jaw flexing, and he flashed her a glance of heated comprehension. “You want to see how far you can push things?”

“With you,” she stressed, because whether he wanted to hear it or not, she didn’t want to roll with anyone else. “So…yeah, that’s what I want.”

Two slow, deep breaths expanded his chest. He tried for a cavalier shrug. “Okay, sure.”

She smirked. Of course he was agreeable about it; she hadn’t expected anything else. Men were so predictable.

To up the ante, she whispered, “How you kissed me, Spence? Where you kissed me? I want to kiss you like that, too.”

He cleared his throat. “You mean…?”

She nodded. “You on your back, hands to yourself, letting me make you nuts.” She tipped her head. “You think you’ll like my mouth on you?”

“Yes,” he said without hesitation.

“You think you’ll be able to keep your hands to yourself?”

“I’ll try. But for now, let’s stow that, okay?” Shifting in his seat, he adjusted his jeans. “We’re at Dare’s, and I don’t want to face them all with a boner.”

Her gaze dropped to his lap, and sure enough, she’d gotten him all stirred up. “Nice. I have skills with this, too, huh?”

Her boasting made him laugh. “I suppose you do. But around you, I’m pretty easy, so don’t let it go to your head.”

A nice confession. She’d enjoy taking control of him—later, after she survived this little celebration.

Ugh. She made a face and peered out the windshield at the heavily wooded area.

Regardless of her personal preferences, she had to admit that Dare had a terrific place. Uneasy, she said, “I can see the lake already.”

“And smell the air?” He took the window lower. “Fresh.”

“Everything smells green.” She filled her lungs and tried not to think about swimming.

As he pulled into the long drive leading to Dare’s impressive home, Spencer reached for her hand. “Try to relax, okay? Just forget about the lake for now—we’ll deal with that later. You’re here with friends, with people who care about you. Enjoy their attention, and yes, their gifts.”

She groaned. Gifts? “My birthday is over already. This is dumb.”

Understanding and, as usual, soothing her, Spencer lifted her hand and kissed her knuckles. “Whatever happens today, honey, know that I’m right here with you, okay? You aren’t alone.”

Yeah, that helped. For now.

Today.

But she’d soon be all alone again—sooner than even Spencer suspected.

CHAPTER NINETEEN

THE SUN BLAZED AGAINST the pale blue sky without a single cloud in sight. A light breeze stirred the air, sending the surface of the lake into mesmerizing ripples that glinted like diamonds.