Page 44 of Love Out Loud

Chapter Seventeen

Fiona wasn’t exactly sure what reaction she’d expected from Jake, but she loved the one she got.

“Thank you,” he said. “I never thought being told I was fired would make me happy.”

Looking around, her old discomfort reared its ugly head. They were on the street, for goodness’ sake. Albeit, they were sort of concealed in the little alcove outside the door to Animal Attraction, but they were in public. A little bit of queasiness churned in her stomach.

Jake must have sensed her unease, because he switched Otto’s leash to his right hand and took her free one. “Let’s go someplace else.”

Her hand felt so small in his. And his was warm, just like his body had been against hers. She glanced across to Otto trotting along next to Jake. It looked so natural to see him walking a dog. It felt right, just like everything about this man did, including his kisses.

As they neared the apartment lobby, her heart began to race. She’d fired him. There was no obstacle to them being together now.Reallytogether.

Her heartbeat was so fast now, it felt more like a flutter. Should she ask him to her place? Would he ask her to his? Would she go if he did?

Hell yes, she would.

There was something about this guy. Something beyond supercharged kisses. No way would she pass this moment up. She glanced down at her shirt and grinned.

Meow or never.

…

First things first, Jake reminded himself. Number one priority was to lose the dogs. They were okay, but he could anticipate them being a full-blown cockblock if things got going, which he hoped they did.

She’d fired him. He didn’t even try to hold back his grin. He wondered if he’d ever stop being surprised by her. He hoped not.

She was staring up at him, he realized. Waiting for him to do or say something.

He cleared his throat. “My apartment is not very dog-friendly.” A total lie. He had no idea what constituted dog-friendly; he just didn’t want them up there doing dog things. Sitting on his furniture, or worse, getting up on his bed.

“Well, um…” She looked down at the two wagging, panting dogs. “You want to come up to my place?”

Thank God. “Yes. Absolutely.”

With a curt nod, she headed up the stairs to the second floor. The dogs sniffed the bottom of every door along the hallway without breaking stride, probably able to tell what had been for dinner and who was home. Again, he was surprised by how interesting they were and lamented he’d never gotten to have a pet growing up. Maybe it would have helped with his fear. Fiona stopped at the last door on the right, which meant she had a corner apartment and extra windows.

He’d half expected her place to smell of dog, but there was only a slight smell of something fruity like her shampoo or a room freshener, maybe. The space was tidy and well-decorated with comfortable-looking furniture and a large bookshelf lining the interior wall, stuffed full of books of all sizes. At the far end, the kitchen had been opened up to the living area, unlike his, which was closed off completely. Her place was nice. Really nice.

She unsnapped the dogs’ leashes, and they casually strolled to the kitchen. She followed. “You want something to drink? Wine, water, soda?”

The dogs noisily slurped water from a bowl in the corner.

“I’m good. Thanks.”

Again, he found himself surprised. Maybe he’d assumed she’d live in a tiny, closed-in space like a little old lady or something because of her shyness. This was a beautiful place. It suited, he decided. Like her, it was understated and well-thought-out.

The dogs trotted out, and she followed. They ambled into the bathroom and sat on a thick rug in front of an oversize bathtub. Clearly it had been added, because when Jake bought his apartment, it was in original condition, and his tub was barely bigger than a bucket.

“Not tonight,” she said.

“Do you bathe them every night?” Dogs were a mystery.

She laughed. “Oh, no. Not only would that be a pain, it’s bad for their skin to give them daily baths. They keep me company when I take a bath.” She shifted awkwardly. “Daily baths are not bad formyskin.”

Jake eyed the deep tub and imagined her reclining in it, naked. Then, he imagined himself in there with her, equally naked. Time for a topic change. “You have a two bedroom,” he observed.

“Yes, I used to have a roommate. Caitlin. She left me to go marry the man of her dreams and live happily ever after.” She rolled her eyes.

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