“Is she wanting to do this too?” he asked.
“Yes. Of course, I don’t know if she’s talked to Rawlins about it or not.”
“He didn’t bring it up when we talked,” Rafferty said. “But maybe he didn’t think it was important to mention.”
He leaned forward, propping his elbows on his knees and stared into the flames of the firepit. “If you want my two cents, I’d wait until next semester and take an extra class each semester to make up for missing this semester until I caught up. Things are so uncertain right now with whoever is out there trying to get at you and Chaney to prevent you from testifying at the trial. We don’t know what might happen next.”
“You really think that is what I should do?” she asked.
He glanced back over his shoulder at her and nodded. “It is. You’ve been through so much, Justus. You are just getting back on your feet. The bloom is returning to your cheeks. Of course, I don’t know what you looked like for sure, only what I have seen in the photo that was in your file from before your abduction.”
He sat back up and turned to face her, For All jumping up on his leg from where he lay between them on the cushion. “If you wait until next semester to take classes and there is a chance that once the trial ends and everything finishes early and you stillwant to take a class in the second session, I’ll be right there with you.”
She smiled and nodded. “Okay. I’ll wait.”
He brushed a stray lock of hair away from her cheek, back behind her ear. “You really are a pretty girl, Justus,” he said, letting his hand linger there.
“Do you think so?” she asked.
“I wouldn’t say it if I didn’t mean it.” He leaned in and brushed a kiss on her cheek. When she didn’t flinch, he took it as a good sign and he moved closer to her lips. But before he could kiss her, For All jumped between them and licked him on the chin.
She laughed and he pulled away, rubbing the back of his neck.
“If I didn’t like your dog I’d be annoyed.”
“I like my dog and I am annoyed,” she said, moving him to the other side of her and scooting closer him. “Do you want to try that again?”
He took a breath, cupped her cup chin between his hands and brushed his lips against hers, but found that wasn’t enough. He needed more. She returned his kiss in kind and when he parted her lips with his tongue, she opened wider, eager to accept him.
For All jumped at her back, barking for being left out of whatever they were doing, but it didn’t stop them.
Rafferty pulled her to him, wrapping his arms around her, and moved For All away as they continued to kiss while the dog barked his annoyance.
When they finally broke apart, Justus hid her face against Rafferty’s shoulder for a moment before she looked up at him. Even in the moonlight he could tell her face was flushed pink. She reached for For All and held him close to her chest and the dog licked at her chin, claiming her for his.
“Should we go back inside?” Rafferty asked.
She nodded.
He went to the firepit and extinguished the flame before offering her his hand. She took it and carried For All in her other arm.
As soon as they got back to the condo, she turned to Rafferty, “I better turn in. Thank you for the talk.”
“I’m glad you were able to come to a decision on what to do,” he said. “See you in the morning.”
She hurried down the hall to her room and shut the door behind her, leaning against it for a few moments allowing her heart to stop racing. She’d kissed him. She’d never thought they would actually do that, not after the way she had treated him when he first started protecting her. How had it even happened tonight? One minute they were talking about her taking college classes again and the next he was telling her she was pretty. He’d brushed his lips against her cheek and then he tried to kiss her. But For All had botched that.
She knew her dog didn’t know what he was doing, but maybe he did. He knew she was his and even though he liked Rafferty, maybe he saw him as competition for Justus’ attention. He definitely didn’t like it that they had been kissing. He’d barked the whole time.
She giggled remembering that as she removed his leash from his collar. “Silly, Baby,” she said. “Rafferty isn’t a threat and you know it.”
Going over to For All’s bed, she put the dog in it. “Go to sleep.”
He didn’t listen. He jumped out and followed her into her bathroom. She put him on the vanity, turned on the faucet to see if he needed a drink. He leaned in and lapped at the stream. When he finished she turned the water off and put him on the floor and he trotted back to her room.
She sighed. Turning on the shower to let the water warm up before she got in. She sent a quick text to Chaney.Rafferty kissed me tonight. I’m in heaven.
What??? How? Tell me more.Chaney wrote back.
