He shrugged a single shoulder. “No dangly bits, so that’s my guess.”
Mac laughed, reaching over to settle a hand on the dog’s back. “Aw, she’s shivering. Poor thing must be freezing. Or scared.”
“Or both,” he said, standing to his full height, the dog clutched to his chest.
Forget talking with him or making out with him—watching Hudson care for and cuddle this tiny dog was going to be her undoing.
“We’re not gonna leave her out here, are we?” Mac asked, not bothering to hide the worry in her voice. Her love for dogs had started back when Will had worked at the animal shelter in high school. Daddy had never allowed them to get a dog, so Mac had loved on each one of the pets in the shelter as much as possible. It sort of stuck, and everyone in town knew to call her if they needed a dog sitter.
He raised an eyebrow as he tucked the dog into his sweatshirt, zipping it until just her head poked out. “You just called me Captain America, and you think I’d leave this tiny thing out here with a cold front movin’ in?”
My God, how was she supposed to just continue a conversation with him as if he weren’t standing there looking like a romance novel hero, complete with a puppy nuzzled to his chest?
“You gonna rip apart a log for me later before we get the fire goin’?”
He glanced at her as they continued on their path, almost near the summit where they’d planned to camp. “That depends—on a scale of one to ten, how hot did you find that when he did it in the movie?”
“Seventeen,” Mac said without thinking.
Hudson tossed back his head and laughed, and she marveled at the sight. She’d worried being in the military would change him…harden him. And though she’d noticed subtle differences in him, especially when he was in a group, she was relieved that he was very much the same when it was the two of them.
“In that case, I’ll see what I can do. This winnin’ me any hot hero points?” he asked, gesturing to where he cradled the dog against his chest, his hand cupping her head to let her know he had her.
Who knew a tiny, scruffy dog would be her undoing?
“You have no idea.”
By the time they’d reached the summit where they’d decided to set up camp for the night, dusk had settled in, the chill in the air seeping through their layers and making them desperate to start a fire. Though Hudson had fully intended to set up the tent Kenna had brought for herself, they’d spent valuable daylight minutes chasing after their new canine companion when a squirrel had captured her attention and she’d taken off into the brush.
He’d managed to erect one of the tents while Kenna had gathered wood and made them a fire. And damn if watching her so calm and self-assured didn’t make him want to kiss the hell out of her. Made him want to do a whole lot more than just kiss her…
He strode over, perching beside her on the log she sat on, the dog sound asleep in her lap. The fire roared in front of them, warming them up after the temperature had dropped twenty degrees since sunset.
“Sorry we didn’t have time to get both tents set up. If it makes you more comfortable, I can sleep out here.”
She slid him a glance out of the corner of her eye. “Don’t be stupid.”
He huffed out a laugh, rubbing his hands together where the rested between his spread knees. “Not stupid. Just wanna make sure you’re okay with it.”
“Well, I mean…it’s not like you’re gonna steal my virtue.” She elbowed him in the ribs. “You nabbed that sucker a long time ago.”
“Actually, I think it was you who stole mine.”
Extending her legs, she pointed her toes toward the fire, no doubt trying to soak up the warmth. “Okay, buddy. Whatever you have to tell yourself.”
His smile widened, and he reached out to squeeze her knee. “There was an equal amount of virtue-stealing happenin’, I think. Although I’m pretty sure I got the better end of that bargain. Sorry ’bout that.”
She laughed under her breath and shrugged. “I think you’re in the clear since you’ve more than made up for it.”
They locked eyes, a dozen memories of their single weekend together before they’d gone their separate ways passing between them. That time with her had been pure bliss spent between her thighs, her moans a near-constant cadence in his ears. He’d still had the crescent-moon indents from her nails in his skin when she’d driven off. He’d gotten himself off to memories of that weekend more times than he could count.
Annnnd…great, now he was hard.
Kenna’s lips parted as she stared at him, her eyes dropping to his mouth. Her tongue flicking out over her bottom lip might as well have been a red flag, daring him to come closer. He couldn’t stop himself from reaching up to cup her face, his thumb tracing the line of her jaw. With the slightest pressure of his fingers against the back of her head, he tugged her toward him, needing to feel her mouth against his.
Just as their eyes fluttered closed, their lips a breath apart, the dog whimpered out a bark, her legs twitching and managing to kick them both. He and Kenna froze where they were, their eyes focused on the dog who settled down within moments, obviously deep in a dream, but the spell between them had been broken.
He rested his forehead against hers and breathed out a laugh. This damn dog had cockblocked him twice, but he couldn’t be mad at the tiny thing—she was too cute. And even with that cockblocker, he couldn’t remember the last time he’d felt this…settled. This content.
