“It’s never done anything to me.” A smile dangles on those lips like a pair of strappy heels. And why it makes my heart skip, I will never know.
Pointing to a stuffed Winnie the Pooh, I give him my most serious expression. “He’d better not get torn apart by your beast, capiche?”
“Is it weird?” he asks, grinning. “Are you a little freaked out that someone who isn’t you is in your space?”
“My old space,” I say, correcting him. “So essentially, you’re dealing with my leftovers. And it’s only going to be weird if you happen to know where my high school yearbook is.”
He shakes his head. “Can’t help you there.”
Glancing at him, I see a small bead of water begin a journey down the side of his face, to his neck where it jumps ship andheads down the dips and curves of his muscular frame to parts unknown. Shaking my head, I give myself an internal slap across the face.
“So, you’re in Sweetkiss Creek,” I managed, pushing ahead and trying not to look at his absolutely amazing, hunky, bulky man chest and the accompanying muscle parts. “Is it a break for you or punishment?”
“I can let you know after my stay, but your parents have been really good to me so far.” He nods to his dog. “Posh, too.”
I steal a glance at Posh who sits, eyes are locked on her man. She’s looking quite adorable when she suddenly rolls over onto her side and closes her eyes. She sticks her feet out straight as a board and appears to stop breathing.
Leaping forward, I hit the bed to pick her up. I love animals, and even if this one hasn’t decided if she likes me or not yet, I can’t stand by while she has a seizure or a heart attack.
“Is she okay?” I ask, scooping her into my arms and turning around to face Jake, who is unfazed by the whole thing.
“She’s dramatic.” He rolls his eyes. “She does that when she wants attention. She likes playing dead.”
I look down at the cunning creature in my arms who is, most certainly, still breathing, and I swear I think is laughing at me. I can feel her little body loosen up as she relaxes into my arms. Her eyes open and she begins to slowly lick the back of my hand, her eyes moving between us two humans in the room with her.
“Wow, that’s Academy Award stuff right there.” Bending over, I put her back on the bed where she takes up her throne of judgment once more.
“She’s a bit much, but I wouldn’t trade her for another dog. Ever.”
“How are you sure she feels the same way?”
“Because she tells me.”
“Funny.”
“No, she does.” Clutching his towel securely around his waist, Jake walks over and stands in front of Posh, bending over to kiss her head. Which makes something inside of me shift, a movement I can only compare to something like a tectonic plate lining itself up before a big earthquake.
A man. In a towel. Kissing his small dog. I think my ovaries just shuddered. Best part is, he’s not done.
Jake stands up tall and looks down at Posh, cocking his head to one side. “I love you, baby girl.”
In an act of full-on, all-out ridiculous cuteness, Posh jumps to her feet. She mimics his head, cocking hers to one side while a high-pitched sound comes out of her body. It’s not a bark or a growl, more like a baby trying to say the words. I think it’s what dolphins sound like when they are doing their thing, it’s that out of my realm and so foreign, yet it’s also so amazing.
When she’s done, Jake turns around to face me, a smirk on his face. He gives a little nod and does a quick bow at the waist. “And that is how you get your dog to talk to you.”
“Okay, well, that is exceptional.” There’s a weird flutter inside me as I hold up the yearbook and wave it in the air. “My mission is accomplished. I’m wanted on the deck.”
Jake looks down at the towel, and of course, my eyes go with his. No, no, no.
“I should get changed,” he says, inclining his head toward the room behind me. “And look, I’m sorry about the other day. I should have said something, but…”
“It’s fine.” I wave it off like I’m chill right now. So chill. And not freaking out inside that this man is actually extremely cool and seems to have a wicked sense of humor. And he has abs I swear I could bounce a quarter off. My eyes keep trying to look their way, but I’m fighting a good fight here and working really hard so they won’t go off on their own and do what they want. Stupid eyes.
Yet, those big brown eyes of his pull me in, like a fish that’s been hooked on a line. He runs his fingers through his hair. “Maybe I’ll see you again?”
The actual thought of seeing him again sends a wild thrill through my semi-irritated system. I really have no reason to be irritated at this point, in fact, I feel like asking why he got into such a huge fight with my ex.
Look, I’m not a girl that is gonna condone fighting, but even I know that in hockey sometimes it’s necessary. And also in affairs of the heart, so the fact that he is the man who fought someone who was so horrible to me makes Jake more intriguing. Do I want to do a deep dive of my own and go home and let my fingers do the Googling? You bet.
