Free Changing Lanes (The Lone Stars Book 3) by Katie Graykowski Page A

working on some complex physics problem.” Devon leaned down and kissed her lightly on the nose. “You look pretty when you’re deep in thought, but you kind of look like you’re head’s going to explode... you know, in a good way.”
    “Is there a good way for my head to explode?” The mental image was more than disturbing.
    “Now, I can see that was a poor choice of words.” He nodded. “Sometimes when I try to be witty it turns around and bites me in the butt.” He grinned. “So what were you trying to puzzle out just now?”
    “It’s just that.” She blew out a slow breath. “My zipper broke and so I was trying to figure out how to get to the kitchen to put these in water without flashing you.”
    “Earlier you did express a desire to moon someone. As a friend, I’m here for you. I’m willing to take one for the team.” He put his hand over his heart. “That’s just how I roll.”
    “Wow, Mother Teresa has some serious competition for Saintliest person. You’re just one step below Jesus when it comes to helping humanity.” Her mood was lifting. He had a way of breaking through her insecurities and making her laugh. She’d laughed more with him than she had in a long time. In fact, he always made her feel like she could be herself around him…insecurities, awkwardness, strange sense of humor, and all.
    Better to get it over now. She turned around.
    She hoped his quick intake of air was a good thing. “Can you help me out?”
    After a minute or so, she glanced over her left shoulder. “Is the zipper completely broken? Can you zip it up?”
    “Zipper?” Devon’s breathing was rapid and shallow. “What zipper?”
    His eyes were on her backside.
    “The zipper that starts five inches below my bottom.” If her hands weren’t full of flowers, she’d reach around and show him.
    “Sorry, my eyeballs won’t move any lower than your underwear.” His eyebrows bounce up and down. “That is the tiniest black lace thong I have ever seen.”
    “Come on. You’re a professional football player. You have a PhD in tiny lace underwear.”
    “Yeah, but you weren’t wearing it.” He muttered under his breath.
    “Can you hurry? I’m getting cold.” Air–conditioned air swirled down from the AC vent above her. Always the practical one. Just once couldn’t she prance around in nothing but her underwear and the air conditioner be damned. That was recklessness, at least in some small measure.
    He ran a finger down her back, grabbed the zipper tab, and yanked. It made it midway up her back.
    “Crap.” From behind her, Devon yanked hard enough for her to stumble backwards. “My cuff is stuck in the zipper.”
    Hysterical laughter bubbled up and she bit her bottom lip trying to keep it from blasting out. Her shoulders shook. This was ridiculous and so not typical of her life that it was funny as hell. She would have doubled over, but she was hauling around a huge football player.
    He yanked some more and … nothing. “I can’t get it out.”
    She couldn’t contain it anymore. Laughter erupted out of her in a very unladylike snort. She’d never been a snort laugher before.
    “Do I get to know what’s so funny?” He didn’t sound angry, just curious.
    “It’s us. Whenever I’m around you, my life is so much more fun—sure it’s hell on my wardrobe, but I haven’t laughed his much in years.” Not since DJ. He’d always been able to make her laugh and they’d always gotten into the weirdest trouble. Like the night of the scavenger hunt. Neither one of them had any interest in scavenging for anything so they’d blown it off to go have some alone time by the lake. They’d taken the green paddleboat. Unfortunately it happened to have the final clue to the scavenger hunt written on the side, so when they’d paddled back to shore two hours later, there were lots of angry campers waiting for them.
    “I am so sorry about last night’s dress and this one too.” There was way too much