Page 36 of Booked on a Feeling

“Thanks?” Right. The room mom. So sexy. “We should head back if we’re going to get breakfast.”

“Let’s hike a bit longer,” she said to his surprise. “We can grab some muffins or something for breakfast.”

“I’m impressed. Exercise grows on you, doesn’t it?” If Lizzy could come to appreciate exercise, then anything seemed possible. Even Option Two.

“I need to burn off some excess energy,” she mumbled, glancing away.

“What was that?” He must’ve misheard her, but his imagination still wanted to run wild with what she could’ve meant.

“Never mind. Let’s keep going.” She marched ahead and immediately stumbled.

“Whoa. Are you okay?” He caught her around the waist before she toppled sideways.

“Yeah—” She stopped short and blinked.

Their faces—and their lips—were mere inches from each other’s, and their bodies were pressed together in what could only be called an intimate embrace. He felt the puffs of her quick breaths tickling his chin and the rise and fall of her breasts against his chest. She felt so fucking good in his arms. His fingers dug into her waist. The soft give of her skin nearly undid him. He should let go and step back. But he couldn’t.

Any second now, she was going to bring up her hands and push him away. Then they would laugh it off.

Any second now.

The seconds ticked by, and she didn’t push him away. And he didn’t let her go. They just stood… pressed tightly against each other. She stared into his eyes, and he stared into hers. He watched in fascination as her eyelashes fluttered every few seconds. As long as his gaze didn’t stray from her eyes, he would be fine. Maybe they could stay like this forever—blood boiling, nerves tingling.

His gaze dipped to her mouth.

Fuck.

He needed to taste her. She licked her lips as though the same hunger gripped her. He might have whimpered. Now staying still was torture. What harm could one small kiss do?Oh, I don’t know. Ruin twenty years of friendship, maybe?But he loved her. He needed her. Was he trying to convince himself to kiss her or let her go? He could lose his best friend. Or he could gain someone who meant infinitely more.What about Option Two?Fuck Option Two.

His breaths came in short huffs. He was panting… reallyloudly. Why was he doing that? Lizzy’s eyebrows drew together over the bridge of her nose. Then he heard a softrufffollowed by more panting. Okay. He might be panting—hewasstruggling to catch his breath—but he definitely did not bark.

Slowly, they turned their heads and looked down. A jolly golden retriever sat at their feet—panting with its big pink tongue drooping.

“Hello, sweetheart.” Jack reached down and scratched behind the dog’s ear. “Where did you come from?”

“It… no…” Lizzy tilted her head and inspected the golden retriever before she continued. “Shelooks thirsty.”

He knelt in front of the dog and poured some water into his palm, cupping it the best he could. She lapped it up happily, tickling his hand. He laughed when she moved on to lick his face.

“What a good dog,” Lizzy cooed, rubbing her back. Then she checked the tag on her collar. “Where’s your owner, Zoe?”

“Is there a phone number on there?” He reached for his phone.

“I can hardly make it out.” She scrunched her lips to the side, squinting at the tag.

“Zoe!” a voice called out from the distance.

The dog barked once and bounded off toward the sound. Jack and Lizzy ran after her. They found her with an elderly gentleman, who was securing a leash around her neck.

“We’ve talked about this, Zoe,” he was saying. “You need to reach deep down for your self-control.”

“Oh, good. You must be her owner,” Lizzy said as they walked up to them. “We thought she was lost.”

“Not lost. Just sidetracked.” Zoe’s owner smiled ruefully. “She spotted a squirrel before I leashed her, and she got away from me. But she knows this trail well and never wanders far.”

“Well, I’m glad you found each other.” Jack reached down to pat the sweet dog’s head. “Have a nice hike.”

“Thank you. Come on, girl.” The old man led the dog down the path. “Remember. You control you. Not the squirrels.”

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