I guess that settled my question of how my dog was going to take to him. Riley usually didn’t like men, so if he was going to have an issue, he probably wouldn’t have turned his back on him to walk away. I doubted our run had worn him out past the point of his caring who I had around me; he was just an amazing judge of character.
“Who took the photos?” I asked, casually looking around the space and trying to ignore the way my heart was still pounding like I hadn’t stopped running.
“I did actually, hiking is one of the few hobbies I enjoy when I’m not working,” I could feel him watching me as I walked around the office, admiring eachphoto.
“I’ve been there,” I said, pointing to the one with a sharp rock jutting out of the top of the mountain like a giant dragon's tooth.
“That’s one of my favorites, I love the climb at the end to get to the top of the tooth.”
“Mine too, I took Riley up there last spring, had to carry him up the rocks, but it was worth it.”
“Have you been here?” He pointed to a photo that showed a giant pool of water in the middle of the woods, crystal clear with varying shades of rocks sloping down to surround it.
“No, I haven’t been to that one, where’s it at?”
“Not far, maybe a two-hour drive. If the weather's nice I’ll take you.”
“It’s a date,” his presence loomed behind me. He was so powerful in the way he took up space that I didn’t need to turn around to know he was there. His fingers brushed up my arms. Despite the thick fabric between us, it still sent goosebumps along my skin. “I thought this was going to be a therapy session?” I muttered, feeling his body slowly press into my back as he stroked my arms again.
“You’re going to get a complete therapy session, along with proper aftercare that I haven’t been able to provide you with yet.” Heat developed between my legs at his rough voice in my ear, promising both sweet and dirty things with the suggestion. “I just thought you might enjoy a more private session upstairs.”
“I think I like the sound of that,” I whispered, turning to face him, letting my body linger in close proximity to his.
“Right this way then.” He took my hand, and I called Riley, getting him off the couch to go with us. As he led us up the dim stairway, I should have been more aware that I had just finished a run and I was probably still sweaty. I should have been more self-conscious about it, but Daxton had seen me at my absolute lowest, where I had to crawl from the bottom up. Being embarrassed around him was something I had to let go of.
At the top of the stairs was another locked door. I waited patiently behind him while he fished his keys out of his pocket. Riley waited patiently at my side, not a single care in the world, and completely at ease.
Daxton opened the door, and Riley burst through, not at all wanting to wait for either of us to follow him. The dog waltzed in there like he owned the place. Daxton stood to the side and waited for me to enter first, closing the door behind us and turning the lock.
The decor upstairs was very similar to his office downstairs. A lot of browns and greens, minimal clutter except for a wooden bookcase filled with what seemed to be psychology reference books. The ceiling consisted of exposed beams and vintage lights hanging down. Not very many photos hung on the brick walls, yet it was cozy for a bachelor's apartment. The living space was an open concept with the kitchen and a small dining area. Most of his appliances were black with dark cherry cabinets and a matching dining room table big enough for three people.
Riley circled back from his initial investigative lap around the apartment and nudged my hand to get my attention.
“What buddy?” I asked him as I gave him a good scratch behind his ears. His answering huff was enough as he went to yet another couch and made himself at home.
“I think he likes your place,” I said, following him over to the couch to take a seat.
“Good, I want you both to be comfortable here.” Daxton took a seat on a well-worn recliner across from his couch.
“You intend for us to visit often?” I questioned, crossing my legs underneath me and pinning him with a look. The look that dared him not to be honest with me.
“Raelynn, I wouldn’t let you out of my sight if you’d let me,” he said seriously, pinning me with a more intense look than I managed to give him. “I’m not even happy that since your ex is still missing that you’re not staying here with me.”
“I told you last night, Michelle and I are fine, we’re used to taking care of each other.” And I was stubborn, wanting to prove that I could do it on my own. I couldn’t let Craig run me out of my house. He’d already won once by keeping me in the hospital and nearly killing me—I wasn’t going to let him win again.
“I’m here for the long haul, no matter how long it takes for you to see it.” His words meant a lot to me, and I wanted to believe them. I wanted to believe that someone other than my sister could hold that place in my heart.
“I’ll consider taking you up on your offer, but it’s not just me I need to think about. Michelle is in this too; she’s been basically stalked by him if the pictures were any clue.”
“How did she like staying with her friend?”
“She likes having her own space, we both do. I’m sure she could if she needed to—both of us just want to get back to normal.”
“Normal is relative depending on your perspective.”
“As normal as we can be after everything that has happened.”
“What do you think would get you to a normal place in your mind?” He was easing back into complete therapist mode, though he still held a darkness in his eyes that I wanted to tease.
