Page 42 of In This Moment

Don’t you dare.

Yes.

No.

Too soon.

Soon would never be fast enough.

A whine split the air, unusual in the way it jarred the quiet intensity of the moment. They both paused the kiss.

Not her whine. Or his. Whose? They were alone.

Something cold and wet pressed against his jaw.

She severed contact with a deep-throated laugh. “Hi, Twain.” Turning her head, she grinned at the dog, who licked her face. Then, she did the unfathomable and removed her hands from Graham’s hair to…pet Twain instead. “Who’s a good boy? You are.”

“I’m a good boy, too,” Graham drolled.

“Are you feeling left out?” she cooed, as if the dog was the one needing consolation.

“Yes.” Graham nudged her cheek with his nose.

Throwing her head back, she laughed. Her hair cascaded across his hand, which he was unaware he’d placed against the curve of her spine.

As if they needed more cold water splashed, Twain then licked Graham’s face.

Chapter Eleven

“The whole town’s buzzin’ about you and Graham.” Scarlett waggled her brows.

Rebecca sighed and leaned against her car in the parking lot of the library where they were waiting on Forest for a meeting. Sun bathed the grounds while a humid breeze caressed her skin. Cardinals danced between the trees and brown thrashers chirped excited calls. The one thing she didn’t miss about Vallantine? The gossip.

She rolled her eyes. “I love how everyone has us married with point five kids, and we haven’t even been on a date yet.”

Scarlett laughed. “You had dinner together last week.”

“A working dinner.”

Dorothy held up her palm. “How do you have point five kids? That’s mathematically impossible.”

“That’s your take on the situation?” Scarlett set her hands on her hips.

“No, I’m just saying, as an accountant, I don’t get it.”

Rebecca glanced at the heavens. “I recant my comment. I don’t even want kids.”

Unless she was talking to present company, that was rarely something she admitted aloud. Most people would say things like, you’ll change your mind, or think to themselves, what’s wrong with her? Society often criticized women like her, as if they wouldn’t have complete life fulfillment without offspring. It made her so angry. But, in honesty, children just weren’t a part of her future plans or something she genuinely desired. She loved kids. She simply didn’t want any of her own.

Scarlett grinned. “But you want your boss.” When Rebecca didn’t reply, Scarlett pounced. “Come on. Give us the dirt. We’re your besties.”

Tough argument when she was right.

Fine. Rebecca crossed her arms. “Yes, I like him. Yes, I think he likes me, too. No, we’re not officially seeing each other. But he kissed me last night.” And, geez. Her girly parts were still excited.

Dorothy smiled.

Scarlett went for the jugular. “I knew it. I knew it. How was the kiss? I’ll bet it was hotter than a frog in a frying pan.”

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