Page 45 of Wild Dreams

"You like me in your space?" I asked her, my voice gruff.

Her gaze met mine. "Is it bad if I say yes?"

I set the plate on the counter, hooking an arm around her shoulders. "Always say how you feel. I want to hear it."

Her palm touched my chest when she looked up at me. "That's nice to hear."

In her house, we could be ourselves. But we'd need to pretend we weren't anything more than friends in front of my family. I didn't want to think about that just yet.

"You ready to get going?" I let go of her, and put my plate in the dishwasher.

Marigold nodded, and we headed outside to my truck. I wondered if anyone would notice I'd parked at her house all night. I hadn't thought about that.

Marigold was quiet as we drove the short distance to the vet's office. I should have asked how she was doing after last night. But there was hardly time for that.

We parked in the mostly empty lot, then knocked on the door. The office was only open for clients whose dogs were sick and kept overnight.

A tech unlocked the door and let us in. "You're here for Oakley?"

"That's right. I called this morning," Marigold said as we followed the girl to the back where the kennels were.

"Oakley was our only patient last night. He did great. We didn't see any signs of toxicity." She opened his kennel, and Oakley burst out, skidding to a stop at our feet where his butt continued to wiggle with excitement.

Marigold scooped him up and held him close to her chest. He licked her face, and she smiled.

"You already filled out the paperwork and paid for the visit, so you're free to go."

"Thank you," Marigold murmured as I guided her to the front door and into the cool air. I got them settled into the cab of the truck. The streets were quiet this morning since it was a holiday.

Usually, I'd be checking in at work before I took a few hours off with my family. I'd never spent time with a woman on a holiday before. But it was nice to wake up with Marigold and help her with Oakley. It felt like something a couple would do,and although I'd avoided it my entire life, I was enjoying my time with her.

At home, Marigold let him roam the yard under her watchful eye.

"He's going to be okay."

"I know. I think it will just take me a while to relax about it."

"You had a scare."

When she brought him inside, she poured coffee for us.

"I'm sure you have some work you'd like to get done."

"Right. The play." It was like she'd forgotten about it.

I didn't want to come between her and her responsibilities. "I'll pick you up at one."

"That sounds great." She walked me to the door, and I crouched down to say goodbye to Oakley.

"You behave."

He wiggled and licked my hand. I don't think he had any idea how much he scared both of us yesterday. When I straightened, I smiled down at Marigold. "Get a lot of writing done, and I'll see you soon."

I kissed her softly on the lips, then forced myself to walk out. I should be able to leave without any issues. I shouldn't need to stay all day or even all weekend. It was just a hookup. Except that term didn't seem to fit.

This morning, I felt like a different person, but I refused to think about what it meant. Today was for family. As much as I was looking forward to having Marigold at my parents' house, we couldn't touch each other or let on that anything had changed in our relationship.

Instead, we'd have to watch Eli and Scarlett's love fest and pretend that we were merely acquaintances.

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