Page 36 of Knight's Fall

He shrugged. “Mo was going a little stir crazy, and I took a shot that I would run into you. I thought we could talk while the dogs ran out some of their energy.”

“Oh.” She looked down at Bogie then back at him. “Bogie’s already played, and I really have to watch him when he’s off his leash. He has a habit of trying to run away from me. He thinks it’s a game.”

“Mo will keep him in check.” Wings took the leash from her hands and released the Corgi.

She watched in amazement as the two dogs, so different in size and temperament, bounded off to have fun. Each time Bogie ventured too far away, Mo would playfully push him back so they both remained in their humans’ line of sight.

“That’s amazing. Mo is the best dog.”

Wings smirked. “Don’t get any ideas. Isobel is not one you want to mess with if you try to steal her dog away. Even her boyfriend knows he comes second in Isobel’s heart next to Mo.”

Courtlyn smiled as she watched the two dogs frolic. “It’s so easy for us to become attached to pets like that. They’re loyal and loving. It never occurs to them to do anything to break our hearts. If I ever get a place of my own, I’m getting a pet. I haven’t decided what yet, but I’m definitely getting one.”

“Want to sit?” He pointed to the bench she just vacated, and she hesitated a moment before nodding.

The bench wasn’t long enough. For both of them to fit, her thigh had to brush against his. Her shoulder bumped his arm unless she held her body at an awkward angle. Being this close to him wreaked havoc on her. Her nerves sang within her body with an awareness that made her sensitive. She tuned out everything around her — the barking dogs, the chirping birds, the cars driving by — until all she knew was Wings.

He leaned forward, bracing his forearms against his thighs. His fingers threaded together, and she wondered how long he planned to sit there, waiting. She didn’t think she could take it much longer. She’d resigned herself to not having him in her life, and here he was, appearing larger than life, reminding her of how fast she fell for him.

“I’m sorry.”

She tensed, a pain stabbing her heart quick and intense. “I told you not—”

“I’m not sorry about the kiss, Courtlyn.”

Her name falling from his lips was the sweetest sound, and she closed her eyes to savor it for as long as the sound lingered in her ears.

“I’m sorry for letting you walk away. I didn’t want you to, but I did nothing to stop you. I’m sorry for not calling or stopping by to check on you after you left. I’m sorry for not asking if you even wanted the kiss or if you liked it. I hope you liked it, or I’m about to make a big fool of myself.”

“W-what do you mean?”

“I’ll explain. There is stuff you need to know. Probably more than I can get into here, and before I even start to explain, I want to know how you’re doing.”

She sighed, his concern melting the last of her resolve. “I’m fine.”

He twisted his head to pierce her with his intense gaze. “Are you?”

She opened her mouth to repeat herself, but she realized she couldn’t lie to him. “I don’t know. I’m confused. I’m—I don’t know.”

He nodded as if he understood her muddled thinking. “I’m sorry I confused you. If it’s any consolation, you twisted me up and confused the hell out of me too.”

If she wasn’t feeling so vulnerable, she would have giggled at how parallel their feelings were running. Instead, she looked away, deciding in that moment to lay it all on the table. She could get everything she wanted, or she could send him running. She decided she was better off knowing now instead of torturing herself until she found out later.

“I like you. I like hanging out with you, and I liked the kiss. A lot. But I don’t want to mess this up. Because I think I’d rather have you as a friend than not in my life at all.”

He exhaled loudly, and she resisted the urge to look at him. He still watched her, and she wanted to squirm under his scrutiny. She willed herself to remain still and waited for the response she knew would be coming. After all, he had to be relieved that she wasn’t pushing for more beyond that kiss.

“So how do we do that? Hang out and not mess this up. Because I’m not sure how to be with you and not touch you again. It’s taking all I have not to kiss you right now.”

This time her breath left her in awhoosh, and her heart picked up its pace until it thundered in her ears.

“God, I want that to, but this is not the time or the place.” Her eyes darted around her. The guy with his Goldendoodle left. A couple of teenagers played Frisbee with a lab while a woman sat on a bench several feet away from them, reading a book while her Yorkie lay on her feet, napping. Otherwise they were alone, but they were in a place too public to act on the spark sizzling between them.

“Name the time and place. I don’t care what it is as long as it’s close and very, very soon.”

“I have to take Bogie home first. I’m not sure I can think beyond that.”

He nodded. “I still have a lot I want to say to you, so it’s probably better if we don’t meet at one another’s house. Not yet. Let me take you to dinner. Some place quiet but not too private.”

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