After he'd put in an order that would feed a small army, Hank excused himself to take a long-overdue shower. He'd just shut off the water when the doorbell rang, so Ali accepted the delivery and placed the bags on the counter. By the time she'd also washed up, Hank was back in the kitchen tugging apart one of the white paper containers.

"What in the world are you doing?" she asked, crossing her arms in disbelief.

Standing in just a towel around his waist and with water still dripping from his hair, he continued to unfold the box. "Making a plate."

She scoffed. "You know you have real plates."

"Why would I get those dirty when this is why the box is made like this? See?" He proudly gestured toward the heap of vegetable lo mein sitting on top of a flattened piece of heavy paper.

Heading to the cabinets, Ali looked for the dishes she'd seen earlier. "Because that's a total urban legend." Finding the right shelf, she took out two plates and handed one to him.

"I'm good." He declined the offer and dug into his noodles.

Ali shook her head. "You are such a guy," she observed, scooping a spoonful of rice out of a box onto her plate before adding a helping of Szechuan chicken.

Hank swallowed the bite and grinned. "After everything in there, you just realized that?" Not waiting for her answer, he offered her a set of fancy chopsticks like the ones he was using.

She held her cast up in response. "I'll stick with a fork, but thanks."

They ate in silence until Hank looked like he was going to fall asleep again right there on the stool. Ali urged him back to bed and offered to tidy up, expecting him to be out cold by the time she joined him. Instead, he was propped up on pillows watching a baseball game.

Climbing in beside him, she snuggled into the crook of his arm and laid her head on his shoulder. He kissed her forehead as she turned onto her side, placing one leg on top of his while draping her arm across his chest. Amid the monotone play-by-play from the announcers and the sound of Hank's breathing, Ali closed her eyes against the warm sunlight filtering through the blinds.

She woke to the feeling of drool at the corner of her mouth and the room enveloped in darkness. On the other side of the bed, Hank was still asleep so she carefully climbed out from under the covers to avoid disturbing him. Tiptoeing to the bathroom, she shut the door behind her before turning on the light.

A scary mess looked back at her from the large mirror. Her hair was a rat's nest and dark circles framed her eyes. Wrinkling her nose at the sight, Ali sighed. They had somehow slept through the entire afternoon. After splashing a little water on her face and running a brush through her matted locks, she returned to the bedroom with every intention of waking Hank and asking him to drive her back to the lodge.

"Hey there, beautiful." He yawned and pushed himself up on one arm, preempting her.

With his hair all tousled and cheeks covered in day-old stubble, he looked irresistible. Going back to the bed, Ali leaned in for a kiss, but Hank pulled her on top of him.

"I think I still owe you another round," he murmured.

A primal urge stirred within her, and she didn't need any more convincing. Digging her fingers into his hair, she wet her lips before brushing them against his. Kissing him already felt familiar, even though they'd only known each other for two weeks and had dated for less than one. But there was something special about Hank that she'd never encountered in anyone else. As his strong, warm hands gently swept across her skin—caressing her shoulder, moving down her arm, and finally slipping over her butt—Ali knew that it was much more than the physical pleasure he provided.

He was certainly clever and brave; his heroic rain-soaked rescue of her and later of the ill man at Garden of the Gods proved that. He was incredibly sexy and funny, too. And though his life appeared straightforward—and goodness knew she could benefit from someone who was firmly grounded—there was also an air of mystery that enveloped him.

Hank's tongue teased hers, making each kiss deeper and longer until Ali felt like she was going to explode from anticipation. Suspenseful was truly an apt description for their relationship so far—they were slowly exposing more and more of themselves to each other, inciting their mutual curiosity until . . . what? The final reveal at the conclusion of this proverbial honeymoon phase could either lead to her—so far—elusive happily-ever-after or end in a literal blowout of untold secrets and hurtful lies.

For some reason, Ali didn't feel it could ever be the latter with him.

She could be vulnerable around Hank; hell, he practically expected her to be. But somehow he also knew the right things to say or even not to say. It was like he understood what she was going through, like he personally knew what it felt like to have the rug pulled out from under your feet and not know if there was a bottomless abyss waiting below.

Dear god, she was falling for him.

The thought made Ali smile, which didn't escape Hank's attention.

"What is it?" he asked with a similar look of contentment on his face.

Still leaning over him, she pushed her hair out of her eyes. "Nothing. I'm just really happy to be here right now."

His grin widened. "I am, too." He reached behind her head and kissed her without reservation. No longer playful, yet thoroughly inviting, the move's meaning was unmistakable. He wanted her just as badly as she did him.

After hastily wriggling out of her underwear while he did the same, Ali reached for the pack of condoms that had made it onto Hank's nightstand and ripped one open. Getting an encouraging nod, she carefully slid it into place before climbing on top. Straddling Hank's hips, she placed her hands on his stomach and paused.

"I just realized something," she said as her mouth formed a huge grin.

Hank smiled back at her. "Oh yeah?"

"Uh-huh." She nodded as she leaned forward. "Maybe all this time, I was focusing on getting back in the wrong type of saddle." Lifting herself, Ali gingerly maneuvered forward and backward, until he was inside her.

Hank exhaled in pleasure. After clearing his throat, he could finally talk again. "So what you're saying is that maybe you just needed to forget the horse and ride a cowboy instead?"

Ali laughed and kissed him. "Now you're catching on."

Hank watched from below as Ali took control slowly moving her pelvis and working him until he gripped the sheet in joyous agony. When he couldn't bear it any longer, he sat up, flipped her onto her hands and knees, and took her from behind. She moaned in ecstasy, climaxing just moments before he was done.

"Are you sure you won't stay?" He brushed a hair away from her forehead after they'd caught their breath.

She turned and kissed his chest. "It's the middle of the night and you're not even working tomorrow morning. If I don't go now, who knows if I'll ever leave?" she asked.

After he begrudgingly relented, they got dressed and hopped into the truck. The short drive was uneventful until they reached the turnoff from the main road, where approaching, flashing red lights lit up the darkness. As an ambulance came into view, it turned on its sirens, but Hank had already stopped at the intersection.

"Is there anything else besides Pebble Creek down this road?" Ali wrung her hands, already afraid of the answer.

"No," Hank replied tersely, waiting for the emergency vehicle to pass before slamming on the accelerator and turning in the direction it came from, tires screeching.

He didn't let up until they entered the lodge's driveway, but the police car already parked there didn't ease either of their apprehensions.

"What the hell is going on?" he muttered, stopping the truck and jumping out.

Ali had no idea, but one thing was clear: their return to Pebble Creek together was no longer going to go unnoticed.