Summer’s brow crinkles with concern. “You okay? You look a bit pale.”
“Yeah, yeah. It’s nothing.” Only that I’m nuts about you, can’t bear the thought of saying goodbye, and my heart might actually fall out of my body if I don’t get to see you again. “Stressing about the meeting later, I guess.”
She strokes my arm. “Well, let’s get you there then. But I can’t stay for the party because I can’t leave her.” She points at Elsa.
“That’swhy you won’t come?” A flutter of hope ripples my belly. “The only reason?”
She steps closer and nods.
All my muscles relax and my lungs release a giant heaving breath. I hadn’t realized how tense every part of me was till right now. Jesus, the only reason she hesitated was she didn’t want to leave the dog.
“If you mean it, if you really mean it, I would like to take a tiny step with you.” She smiles. “But Elsa couldn’t go without the bathroom until I got back late tonight. Or without her dinner.”
She rubs her toe into the doormat. “But even if we both want to, we know it’s not the best idea anyway.”
She’s right.
Of course she’s right. I live on the opposite coast and have no time for a relationship. She lives here and doesn’t want one. On paper, you couldn’t evaluate it as anything other than a truly terrible idea.
But our connection overwhelms the theory. The glow that radiates from her can’t be categorized on a spreadsheet.And the desire to trace my tongue over every inch of her smooth, delicious, soft skin would be off any chart.
“Maybe not.” I shrug. “But it might be fun. And it’s only one evening.”
“Only one evening?” She laces her fingers with mine and her mouth turns up at one corner. “Think I might have heard that before.”
I cup her beautiful face with my other hand and stroke my thumb across her cheek. Her skin is still cold from being outside. “Yup. And it was your idea the first time. Now it’s my turn.”
Elsa pushes her nose between us.
I ruffle her head. “Oh, hell. Bring her.”
“Seriously?”
I rest my forehead against Summer’s. “Yeah, my aunt and uncle love animals.”
She closes her eyes as a wide smile spreads across her face. I drop my mouth to meet those happy lips, the berry flavor of her lip balm mingling with her own sweetness.
“Okay,” she whispers. “Let’s try one tiny step into the bad idea.”
She rubs one of the dog’s ears. “Come on, Elsa. Road trip!”
The thrill and relief of knowing I get to spend the rest of the day with her warms me. I scoop my hands under her butt and lift her off the ground. “Good decision.”
She laughs. “Yeah, but it’s still a terrible idea in the long run.”
I kiss the end of her chilly nose. “Maybe. But I’ll take a good-for-now idea.”
As her feet hit the floor, she looks like she thought of something. “Oh, and I’ll have to grab a change of clothes to take. I can’t go to a party in this.”
She gestures from her head to her feet and screws up her face, which only makes it look even more adorable.
“Yeah, all you need to pack is the socks that won’t stay up and you’ll be good to go.”
She play punches me on the arm. “I can do way better than that.”
She wiggles her eyebrows suggestively and stretches on tiptoes to plant a deliciously light peck on my lips. If we didn’t have to hit the road, I’d help her out of what she’s wearing right now.
“I’ll go throw some things in a bag.” She skips off.
