Page 8 of Winning the Nightcap

“Um…” I can feel myself blushing. He waits, seemingly amused at how flustered I am. “Okay, well, I’m going to go with exhibitionists. Same siders in a booth? Undoubtedly, they’re into some serious PDA.”

“Interesting.” His attentive stare has me melting. My body is frozen in place and simultaneously burning from the inside out. The contrast is exhilarating, and I feel like every nerve ending is coming alive. “Aren’t you going to ask me? What’s my kink?”

I exhale in a nervous laugh. “I don’t even know your name. I don’t typically go around asking strangers how they spend their time in the bedroom.”

“I’m Aiden. And I’m thinking my newest kink is flirting with a certain gorgeous brunette with quick wit at this hotel bar.”

He’s into me, I’m going for it. What the hell. “I’m Bec, and I’m here until Sunday.”

“Well, that’s some good luck for me. I check out on Sunday too.”

Game on, Aiden.

Chapter Five

Aiden

“Hopper, sit. Down. Stay. Dammit, come on, man.” I sigh in defeat. Hop prances around my feet, ignoring every cue I try. He wags his tail, sniffing everything he can, pulling on his leash with excitement, which used to not be a big deal, but at eight months old, he is rapidly gaining weight and strength.

I’ve always loved dogs. A house has always felt more like home with a dog there too. Despite the lack of training, having Hopper has been a comfort in my quiet apartment since I moved.

But looking around this puppy training class, I realize how the last few months have really gotten away from me. I managed to scramble to find dog sitters while I wrapped up the season. But with Hop growing quickly and adapting to his inconsistent environment, any effort I made at training, even the most basic signals, completely fell apart.

I know it’s my fault for adopting a puppy right before my season started, and I need to give him the attention and consistency he needs. Now that the season is over, I can finally offer him that.

There are seven other puppies here with their families spaced throughout the room, and I’m wondering if Hop and I might be in thewrong class. The other dogs are calm and quiet while Hop is on his back making fake puppy snow angels on the tile flooring. The wiggles have taken over, and I know what comes next—tail-chasing zoomies.

A man around my age looks over at me with sympathy while his puppy sits calmly on the other side of his wife. This is the beginners’ class, right? I know we’re joining this class late, but could we really have missed that much in three weeks?

Then the guy does a double take, looking back in my direction. “Hey, you’re Aiden Price?” I nod. “Wow, glad to have you in Columbus. You guys really looked great at the end of the season, man.”

“Thanks,” I say with a nod. “Hoping we get in the playoffs and make a run next year.”

The Center for Faithful Companions was the highest-rated dog training facility in the city when I researched my options online. Countless inspiring trainee testimonies flooded their website. Enough to make me hopeful that maybe Hop and I aren’t a lost cause trying too little too late. The receptionist assured me we could catch up despite being unable to make it to the first few sessions. She even mentioned that our trainer is a favorite among their clients.

The room is large enough to fit eight large-breed puppies and their families. Some people are here with their dogs alone, like me, with a few couples thrown in, and one family including kids. I’m sitting in a folding chair in the corner with Hop, who is now trying to climb my leg into my lap, all fifty-plus pounds of him.

“Good morning,” I hear from the doorway to my right.

Holy shit, Bec?

She walks to the center of the square room, clipboard tucked to her side.

I haven’t seen her since our run-in at Dom’s house three weeks ago. It might have been one of the most awkward moments I’ve ever experienced walking in on her fighting for her life in what I can onlyassume is the worst blowout in diaper history. I barely got the chance to appreciate her perfect body. It’s been years since I’ve seen her, admittedly never that much of her. Her sun-kissed skin is glowing, and her toned legs carry her around the room in skintight leggings, showing off her thick thighs. Her ass looks incredible, just like I remember, and her simpleCenter for Faithful Companionsblack T-shirt hugs tight enough for me to see her full chest.

What am I doing?

Stopstaring.

She scans the room, speaking to the different groups getting ready for class. She’s obviously our trainer today, which answers the years-long question of what Bec does for a living.

“Welcome back, everyone, let’s start by running through last week’s lesson. I’ll make my rounds to each of you to see how everything is going before we jump into a few new skills.”

She scans her clipboard. “We also have a new pup joining us today, uh…Hopper?” She calls out, quickly looking around the room to finally spot my dog, and then locking eyes with me.

Ifhorrifyingly stunnedwas in the dictionary, I think I’d see a picture of Bec right now. I watch her jaw drop, the color drain from her face, quickly followed by an unmistakable blush rushing to her cheeks. She licks then bites her lower lip, seemingly frozen, standing in the middle of the room as the other trainees stand and space out to begin working through whatever skills they covered in the previous class.

I stand, deciding it’s better to push past the weirdness, and head to the center of the room with Hop chomping at my heels. “Uh, hey, Bec. So, about the last time I saw you, uh…shirtless, and I turned, and uh, I didn’t see anything, I swear…”

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