Page 21 of Dangerous Devotion

“Is he missing work?”

“’Course he is. He says he’s not. I don’t know, Jack.” She shakes her head, her forehead pressed to my chest.

“Let’s get going. We’ve got a reservation,” I say. “I think it’ll cheer you up.”

“No offense, but I don’t think there’s anything that could cheer me up tonight.”

“Remember when you showed me all those TikToks you saved? The goat ones?”

“Yeah, why?”

“You’re going to goat yoga.”

“What? No way. That’s always during the day and it’s a waste of money just for an experience—”

“Are you trying to talk me out of it? The woman who teaches it has four pygmy goats waiting for you in her studio. In pajamas.”

“In pajamas?” she squeals. She practically jumps back from me, hands over her mouth, eyes sparkling. “I’m going to explode. That sounds like the cutest thing ever. I shouldn’t, not with all my dad’s debts and this new problem and the hours I need to work.”

“If you get to be happy for an hour will that ruin everything?”

“I can’t believe you did this. It’s so thoughtful and sweet. Do it with me!”

“Anytime, anyplace. Except not in front of the goats. That makes it weird.”

“I mean yoga. You’ll love it,” she giggles.

“There are some things I won’t do even for you.”

An hour and a half later I’m equal parts turned on and confused because I spent all that time watching Serena stretch and twist her supple body into a series of poses that made me horny as hell, but there were also tiny goats frolicking. She paused all the time to exclaim over them and scratch them between their ears.

There I was, watching her do downward dog the curve of her ass pushed toward me. I was with dying to put my mouth on her the whole time. Instead, I took pictures of her with small goats. When she was done and thanked the instructor, I took Serena out to the car.

“Tell the truth, is that not the most fun you’ve ever had?” she beams at me.

“No. But I’m glad you liked it. It’s about the weirdest thing I’ve ever seen.”

“Then thank you for suffering through it for me. I had a great time.”

“I’m glad.”

“Where should we eat?”

“I thought you might have worked up an appetite,” I say.

“I really want one of those turkey sandwiches we got at the bodega. Do you care if we go get one?”

“Goat exercise and a grocery store sandwich. I’ve never met anyone like you, Serena Mayfield,” I say with a grin.

She wants to eat on the same bench where we went before. We share a glass bottle of orange soda. She talks about which goat was which and what their names were. I watch her, listen to her, and I feel smitten. Like I’m completely gone for this woman. That makes her more dangerous than any foe I’ve ever faced.

“When you make your fortune as a nurse, are you going to buy a bunch of goats?”

“Probably not. Nurses don’t work regular hours most of the time, and the goats would need outdoor space and a lot of attention.”

“The fact that you’ve given this a lot of thought concerns me.”.

“I think I’d be so relieved to finish my LPN, maybe even get my RN, that I don’t even let myself imagine a whole life with pets and friends and… a lover,” she says it shyly, looks away from me. I gather her hands in mine.

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