I open my eyes to find him watching me, one brow cocked, his hands on his hips. He looks . . . gorgeous. Good enough to eat. Irritated with me, too—I can see it in his pretty crystal-blue eyes. But there’s amusement flashing there as well, so he’s not that pissed at me.

Only sorta.

“Don’t you have stuff planned today? In Sac? You know, looking for a job, an apartment, all of those important things a girl needs to do to move on with her life?” he prods.

It’s all coming back to me now. God, my brain is a foggy mess, especially when I haven’t had my first cup of coffee yet. “I have two job interviews later today. Both of them not till this afternoon, though.”

“I’m sure you’ll find a job pretty quick.” He sends me a look, one that’s all business. “If you need a reference, don’t hesitate to put my name down on the application. I won’t sabotage this for you, Jen. I hope you know that.”

“Of course you wouldn’t,” I automatically say, but really? I’m not too sure. I’m suspicious of his mood. He’s been protesting my wanting to leave since I made the announcement and now he’s going to be my first-class, sexy-as-hell escort into my new life? I don’t get it.

More than anything, I flat-out don’t get him.

“I’d love to stand around and chat, but we’re wasting time. You need to get ready.” He grabs the end of the comforter and yanks it right off me, making me shriek. Damn it, I’m in nothing but a thin white tank top and no bra, plus the shorts that bared my ass to him already.

I may as well be naked.

Scrambling for the comforter, I try and grab it, but he keeps it out of my reach. “I’m practically indecent,” I tell him, giving him a meaningful stare.

He doesn’t pick up the hint. “I’ve seen you in less,” he drawls.

My cheeks warm with embarrassment. “Yeah, when I was eight and you caught me skinny-dipping in the creek. That totally doesn’t count.”

“Actually, you were nine. And it definitely counts.” He smirks. I hate it when he smirks. Makes me think he’s turning into a big ol’ douchebag, though really, I know he’s not. He’s just so damn cocky sometimes and it bugs me, because he has reason to be. The man is almost perfect. “You’ve come to my bed wearing the same exact thing. What’s the big deal?”

“You’re really going to go there?” I’m shocked. This is the last thing I want to do, discuss his scary dreams and bring our mood down. I much prefer the happy, carefree Colin. I can’t remember the last time I saw him like this.

“There are lots of places I’d like to go with you, Jen. I just haven’t told you about them yet.” With that, he turns and leaves my bedroom, quietly shutting the door behind him.

I slump against the headboard the second he’s gone, breathing easy once more. What did he mean by that? He makes me nervous. The whole butterflies-in-the-stomach, I-can’t-eat, I-can-hardly-think-or-talk type of nervous that no other guy has ever been able to make me feel. I love it. I crave it.

It also scares the shit out of me.

“So how were you going to get here?” Colin asks over three hours later as we’re driving around Sacramento, looking for a place to eat close to my first interview. We’d already scoped out the building, Colin overly attentive in making sure it was in a safe, clean neighborhood. He doesn’t want me working in a bad area, he already told me on the drive down. He gave me a fifteen-minute lecture on safety and checking my surroundings wherever I’m at and blah, blah, blah.

At any other time the lecture would have bugged me. Now, I kind of appreciate it. It means he cares. For a man who has a hard time showing his feelings, I cherish this little glimpse. Does that make me lame?

Maybe, but I don’t care.

“What do you mean?” I’m not really paying attention to what he’s saying to me, because I’m so focused on trying to find a decent restaurant before my stomach starts to growl loudly.

“You never did tell me if you arranged a ride with someone else.” He sends me a quick look. “Who was it?”

Oh. Yeah. I did arrange for someone to take me, but I cancelled via text message after Colin left my room. “Jason.” I shrug. He’s one of the waiters at The District. Great guy, going to college, cute and smart. I could be interested if someone weren’t so busy screwing with my head.

Or my heart.

“Jason as in my waiter, Jason?” Colin’s voice is tight. He almost sounds . . . jealous.

Yeah, right.

“I don’t know any other Jasons, so that’s the one.” I keep my gaze purposely averted. No way do I want to look at him, see all the curiosity and speculation. Should I let him think something’s potentially going on between Jason and me? A little jealousy doesn’t hurt. Besides, I don’t need to tell him Jason already has a girlfriend and they’re madly in love. He’s a quiet guy who doesn’t talk much about his private life at work, but when he heard me talking about needing to go to Sacramento for job interviews and not having a ride, he offered. And I accepted.

Colin also doesn’t need to know that Jason’s girlfriend, Kim, would have accompanied us.

“Was he mad you turned him down at the last minute?”

I finally dare to look at him. He’s staring straight ahead, which is a good thing considering he’s driving. His jaw is clenched, and his hands grip the steering wheel so tight his knuckles are white.

Oh yes, he’s definitely jealous. I can’t freaking believe it.

“He was cool. He offered to take me out of the kindness of his heart, not because he already had plans to go to Sacramento or anything. I offered to pay for his gas and the trip would’ve eaten up his entire day off. I’m sure he’s glad I cancelled.” That way he could spend the day with his girlfriend doing whatever the heck they wanted, instead of being my personal chauffer.

“I doubt that,” he mutters, shaking his head. “He probably wanted to get in your pants.”

Such a jerk thing to say—and completely unwarranted. I sorta love it, though. His jealousy is another glimpse of emotion from Colin. “Nope.” When he looks at me once more I offer him a bright smile. “He has a girlfriend.”

“Big deal.”

“Not everyone’s a player.” Like you, I want to say, but I hold my tongue. “He told me he’d bring Kim along. We’ve been upfront with each other since he offered to drive me. We’re just friends,” I stress. Why I need to explain anything to him I have no idea. It’s not like he’s my keeper. He sure acts like it, though. “You’re the only one who’s being so shady.”

“How the hell am I being shady?” He turns into the crowded parking lot of a popular chain restaurant.

Let me count the ways. “I tell you I’m leaving and you flip out. Try to convince me to stay. We argue. We don’t really speak to each other for a couple of days, which is something we never do. Now you’re all agreeable and wanting to help me, no questions asked. Acting jealous when I mention another guy’s name.” I cross my arms in front of my chest, slumping in my seat as he pulls the car into a slot and cuts the engine. “To me, that’s all shady behavior.”

He turns to look at me, leaning forward so he’s dangerously, deliciously close. I can smell him, feel his body heat radiate toward me, and I’m tempted to burrow in like an idiot. “First of all, I know Jason has a girlfriend. So when you mention he’s the one who was going to bring you here, I’m suspicious. I can’t help it. He’s a good guy, but hey, even good guys have bad intentions.”

“Not everyone is a jerk.” I raise my brow.

“Are you saying I’m a jerk?”

His earlier jovial, nothing-bad-has-ever-happened-between-us mood set me on edge. I’m the one who should be suspicious here, not him. And he’s too damn close. I have to spend the rest of the day with him, driving around in his car. Looking at him. Smelling him. God. “You don’t have the best reputation when it comes to women,” I say primly.