Page 78 of Bad Boys Don’t Date Clumsy Girls

I want to squeal with delight. This is only our first date and already Dylan is talking about our future. I might swoon onto the cement patio. I imagine the scene. Me crumpling into a heap and twenty-some dogs fighting over who gets to lick my face. I giggle at the thought. “I’d love that, Dylan.”

“Now for your surprise,” Mandy says to Dylan. My heart hammers wildly as we follow her back into the barn toward a door that exits out the other side of it. “My partner has a ton of experience as a dog handler. Chloe called her and asked if she would be willing to work with a dog that showed potential, but just wasn’t getting the right attention at the shelter.”

“Our Chloe?” Dylan asks.

When I nod, I see Dylan do a double-take. His gaze scans me and my excitement makes him arch a curious eyebrow.

“We’ve made a separate enclosure for the dog. I think you’ll understand why soon.” Mandy opens the door, and we follow her through.

“Popeye?” Dylan breathes.

The dog bounces to his feet and trots over to Dylan, wagging his tail. He rubs his huge body against Dylan’s legs, forcing him to step backward as he laughs with surprise.

Mandy’s mouth hangs open. “Wow, he really does act differently with you. That’s amazing.”

“What is he doing here?” Dylan drops to one knee in front of the dog and scratches the beast’s large jowls.

“Because you got him to show potential, Chloe asked if my partner could take him in as a special case.” Mandy smiles and shakes her head. “This is the first time I believe we might be able to adopt this dog out one day.”

I bite my lip at the pure joy on Dylan’s face.

“Did you know about this, Ava?” Dylan looks up at me and Popeye takes advantage of his distraction by licking his cheek. “Ew. You brute.”

“It was my idea, actually. Popeye has come such a long way since you started working with him. He deserves another chance.”

Dylan continues to scratch the dog. “That’s great news. Isn’t it, boy? The best news.”

Popeye drops onto his side and bares his belly for a scratch. All three of us stare down at him in shock until Dylan finally reaches down and obliges.

Mandy snaps a picture with her phone. “Tildy will never believe this. I’m so happy you stopped by though, Dylan. This behavior really is encouraging.” She leaves us to play with Popeye. I tell her we’ll feed the dogs before we leave, and I think I’ve made her day.

“Thank you so much. I’m working on taxes, and I think my head is going to explode. Not having to interrupt my flow to feed these guys will help tremendously. Nice to meet you, Dylan. Come back anytime.”

“Thanks. I’m sure I’ll see you again. Especially while this brute is here.”

I look from Popeye to the enclosure we came from that contains the twenty-six senior dogs. There is a lot of barking and some wresting, all within view of Popeye’s enclosure, but he doesn’t seem bothered by it.

Dylan surprises me by straightening to his full height and putting his arms around me. My body flushes with pleasure at our nearness. The huge grin on his face makes my heart expand.

“Ava Landry, this is the best date I’ve ever been on.” He scans the yard. “I never would have known about this place. But even if I had, I never would have thought to bring someone here on a date. You’re amazing.”

“Isn’t this the only date you’ve ever been on? Are you starting to believe the rumors about yourself?” I feel his chuckle inside me. Then I dip my head, suddenly shy. “You really like it here? I just thought, since the shelter seems to make you happy, you might enjoy it here too.”

“I love it here, and I’m so glad we came. Thank you.”

“There’s nothing to thank me for, Dylan. You drove.”

He leans his forehead against mine, and I’ve never felt more special in my life. “Ava. I’m thanking you for not being afraid to bring me here. For seeing past the bad boy image to the real me. When we walked onto this patio, it felt like you knew me better than anyone ever has before.” And then he whispers, “Except maybe my mom.”

Popeye gooses me with his nose, making me leap forward and crush my entire body into Dylan. His arms tighten to keep me there, and suddenly his gaze is intent on my laughing mouth.

My smile falls away as I get lost in his eyes. The expression in them is alluring in its complexity. They bounce between meeting my eyes and examining my lips.

“Ava Landry?” His voice is gravelly and makes something stir in my stomach. “Can I kiss you?”

There’s no way I can speak, so I nod. Probably too enthusiastically. As he lowers his lips to mine, I worry I won’t know what to do or that my breath smells, or that I will somehow do something clumsy and ruin it. But as soon as his soft, warm lips touch mine, my thoughts flee.

At first, I just enjoy his lips moving on mine, but then my body seems to wake up and decide to get involved. I snake my arms up and wind them around his neck, pressing our bodies closer together. My lips move with his, and the kiss deepens until I feel it down to my toes. His hands feel so big splayed across my back. I feel protected and safe in his embrace. His tongue runs across my lips, and I gasp.

He pulls back and looks at me. “Are you okay?”

My eyes feel wide with wonder. “I’ve never been better.”

“Good.”

For the first time, his smirk doesn’t stoke my anger. It does the exact opposite. I crush my lips to his and bury my fingers in his hair.

When the kiss finally cools and we pull apart, we find Popeye sitting at our feet, smiling up at us.

Dylan’s look promises we’ll get back to kissing soon, and I flush with pleasure as I scoop up a ball to play fetch with our audience.

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