"I could have spotted you if you got dizzy."
"I don't get dizzy."
"You're arguing just for the sake of arguing."
"And you're being an ass."
He leaned in until they were nose-to-nose. "You scared the crap out of me, okay? I saw you kick off that roof, thought about your head injury, and I just…"
Tipping his head to the sun, he offered an unrestrained view of the muscles working along his jaw. Her anger deflated. Exhaustion rippled over her in a surprising wave. She was too tired to fight anymore. Too tired of the fight altogether.
She wanted to touch him, but she didn't always want what was best for her, so she kept her hands twisted in front of her. "That's kind of sweet."
"I'm not sweet." A half smile negated his grumble.
"Okay."
"At least try to sound convincing."
"Sure, hotshot." She nudged his foot with hers. "You're not just an ass. You're a bad-ass."
"Damn straight." He gave her a brusque nod, looked down at his shoes, then up at the sky again. His chest rose and fell with a shirt-stretching sigh. "Just take it easy on my heart, okay?"
Shock rooted her feet to the desert sand. "What?"
Tanner lowered his gaze to lock with hers. "Try not to make it stop again with another stunt before I can get you to an E.R."
"Oh, yeah, right. I'll try to restrain myself from arm wrestling any coyotes on the way back to base."
"My heart would appreciate that."
Eyes drawn to his, held by his, she wished that house could be another ten miles away so this once-in-a-lifetime Christmas didn't have to end yet. Tanner's simple naming ceremony had been the perfect gift, offering something she'd never expected to find. His choice of names indicated he understood and accepted her in a way her family and Andrew never had. "I guess we should head out."
She didn't move. Neither did he.
"I'm going to miss your mouth, O'Connell."
"Miss me?" She blinked to clear her thoughts. Warmth spread a scary excitement within her at the compliment. "When?"
Tanner winced. "Never mind. I didn't mean to say that yet. We can discuss it later once we've had a big lunch and a shower."
"No. How about tell me now." She crossed her arms and planted her feet. "When are you going to miss me?"
His shoulders lowered with a resigned exhale. "When you stay in Charleston after Cutter's wedding."
"And why would I stay in South Carolina?"
"Because of your head."
"My head's going to be just fine. You're not going to get rid of my mouth that easily, Bennett."
Wait. Back up. She did not need to lead this conversation into discussions about their mouths. Her lips tingled with memories of kissing him, long, deep' hard, not nearly long enough. "I'm afraid you're stuck with me, partner. I'm not checking out because of some silly bump on the head."
"How about because of all these accidents that don't make sense? Missing evidence, now a double dose of flat tires. It's time for you to pack it in and take care of that concussion before something worse happens."
"This is one of your jokes, right?"
Only the wind answered as Tanner stood his ground, stone silent—a stubborn, immovable rock.