With deliberate slowness, she placed the glossy cherry between her lips, tugging it from the stem with a gentle pull. She chewed, then swallowed before slipping the slender stem into her mouth. He watched, transfixed, as her jaw worked delicately, her eyes never leaving his. After a moment, she pulled the stem out, revealing the stem perfectly tied into a neat knot.
“Son of a bitch,” he muttered.
Skylar laughed. “I did warn you.”
Rawley pulled her into his arms, the heat of her body enveloping him as he kissed her lips, tasting the lingering sweetness of cherry. He slowly lifted his mouth from hers, their lips clinging together like they couldn’t bear to part.
“Do you want to have breakfast or wait until we get back to my house?”
“I’m not really hungry. I could make you something though.” She traced the outline of his jaw with her fingertip.
“I’m fine. Let’s go then.” He glanced around the kitchen. “Come on guys,” he called, then chuckled when they ran into the room, nails clicking against the tile floor, and sat obediently at his feet, tails sweeping across the floor.
“They are so well behaved.” She knelt to scratch behind a velvety ear.
“Border collies are one of the smartest dogs there are with Australian shepherds right behind them.”
“Oh, I love Aussies. They are so pretty.”
“A friend of mine used to raise them, but he stopped doing it years ago.” He leaned against the counter; arms crossed over his chest.
“Why?”
“It can get expensive raising purebred dogs. You have to register the litter, get all the shots for them before selling. Gabe did it for years, pouring his heart into each litter, plus he sells horses for tie-down competitions.”
“Gabe?” Her head tilted in question.
“Gabe Stone.”
“I don’t know him.” She shook her head, causing her hair to catch the light.
“He’s a good man who loves his wife and family.”
“Maybe one day I’ll meet them.”
“Stick around and you’ll probably run into them eventually.”
“I’m not going anywhere.”
“I’m happy to hear that.”
They stared at each other, the air between them charged with unspoken possibilities, until Rawley looked down at his feet tosee Cosmo winding his way around his legs, fur brushing against denim in silent feline impatience.
“I feel like I’ve been ignoring him,” Skylar said.
“You can bring him to my house.”
“He would have to have a litter box. The one I have is self-cleaning.”
“Well, we’ll just have to get one for my place.” Rawley pulled her back into his arm. “I want this to keep going, so we need to get one. I’d love for you to stay with me on weekends.”
“I’d love that.”
“Tonight?”
“Yes.”
He gave her a quick kiss, then waited for her to gather her things, and they stepped onto the porch.
