But he’d stopped right before his fingertips grazed the silk of my thong and I wanted to scream from frustration. Because deep down, as much as I’d lied to myself about how much I despised everything about Andrew Gibson, I knew I’dalwayswanted this moment.
I remember looking down at him, because Andrew was on his knees in front of me in that cramped closet with his hands pressed against my thighs. Then he’d said it.
“Can I touch you?”
I couldn’t respond, partly because I was afraid to break the spell but mainly because I knew I’d sound desperate if I opened my mouth. I nodded, then let my head fall back as Andrew finally put me out of my misery and reached my heat. Then it was a tangle of fingertips, mouth, tongue, and me doing everything in my power to keep from screaming out. It didn’t end there. The snapshot images of me on my knees in front of him, makinghimbeg, made me feel like I’d won the bet in more ways than one.
I was back in that small room for the millionth time, reliving every detail of the way we’d made each other feel. Even now, my breathing was shallow and I could feel a familiar heat coursing through my body.
I got up off the couch slowly to keep from waking the dogs, then headed down the short hallway to my bedroom.
It was time to giveLe Rusha test drive.
chapter fifteen
Damn, you look hot! Killer smoky eye.” Little Red Riding Hood Carly gave me an appreciative whistle as she looked me up and down. “I have to admit that the costume is a little creepy, though.”
Carly, her husband, Joe, and Geneva had shown up thirty minutes early to see if I needed any last-minute help setting up for my Howl-o-Ween party, but I’d been ready for hours.
“No, it’sfunny. Ironic,” I insisted, smoothing down the front of my black dress. “Right?”
“I mean, yeah, if you think making puppies into a coat is funny, then sure.”
I’d planned to wear my usual dog warden costume to the party, which consisted of khaki shorts and a matching shirt, a name badge, and a net, but something made me switch to Cruella de Vil. Maybe I wanted to channel her bitchy energy when I had to deal with the muscleheads about to gather next door.
Or maybe I just wanted to look sexy for a change.
“Is the wig too much?” I tugged at the bangs. The black andwhite wig was necessary to complete the look but was scratchy as hell.
Carly shook her head and picked up Geneva, who was dressed as the cutest Big Bad Wolf ever. “Absolutely not. You look amazing. We should go out after the party is over.”
“Where are we going after?” Joe asked as he strolled up to us, completing the family costume theme dressed as granny with a beard. “And can I come?”
“I’m not going anywhere—this party wipes me out,” I said, adjusting my white faux fur coat, which I’d painted with black dots to resemble dalmatian spots. “Rain check.”
“Okay, but I’m holding you to that.” Carly wagged a finger at me. “We’re going to go bob for bones and wait for more people to show up.”
I looked around the room for the millionth time to make sure everything was ready. Realistic spiderwebs and black crepe paper hung out of reach of curious mouths? Check. Piles of tennis balls that looked like jack-o’-lanterns? Check. Hay bales and pumpkins for photo ops? Check. Candy for the humans and treats for the pups? Check. There were a bunch of activities for both ends of the leash, and of course I’d set up a makeshift stage for the costume contest. My clients took that part seriously, which meant that judging was impossible. How could I choose between a hot dog dachshund and her person dressed as a bottle of ketchup competing with a crusty old white dog dressed as a sparkly Cinderella with her person in a Prince Charming costume? I couldn’t, which was why I had a winner for every conceivable category and tons of prizes.
My phone pinged with a text message and I felt a tremor roll through me when I saw that it was from Andrew. There was nomessage history between us since I’d swapped phones a few times over the years, but I knew that the last message I’d sent him was the one he’d ignored.
About to do ribbon cutting. Going to be loud. Come over if you want.
I sighed. Ofcourseit was going to be loud. I wouldn’t expect anything less. But it was nice of him to give me a heads-up about it. And I did sort of want to watch the spectacle unfold, from a safe distance away.
“You guys want to walk next door and see the ribbon cutting at that new gym?” I shouted to Carly and Joe, who were across the room wrist-deep in water trying to help Geneva grab a dog biscuit. I now sort of wished I’d given Carly more backstory about my history with Andrew because I was dreading her inevitable matchmaking attempts.
“Oh yeah,” Joe called back. “I’ve seen that guy all over social media. I think I want to start working out there.”
I sighed. No one was immune to Andrew, even a guy who’d once said that golf required too much exertion.
I could hear the buzz of people before we were even out the door. My side of the parking lot was still mercifully empty thanks to the traffic cones, but every inch of his side was packed with cars and trucks. The group of people gathered outside his door were decked out in costumes and I strained to find Andrew among them. I spotted a bunch of people I knew from town, including the sole intrepid reporter from theWismer Registerand Mayor Wilson, who’d dressed up for the occasion in a red clown nose and top hat.
I pulled my fur coat tighter across my chest. Second summer was long gone, replaced by the biting cold of fall, so I hoped he’d be quick. I stood on my tiptoes looking for Andrew, trying to imagine which superhero he’d picked for his costume.
“Let’s get a little closer, I can’t see anything,” Carly said, grabbing my arm and dragging me toward the front of the crowd. As much as I wanted to stick to the shadows I was curious about how Andrew was going to handle his grand opening. Why did he make a point to say that it was going to be noisy? I glanced at Geneva nestled in Carly’s arms and felt an anticipatory frown spread across my face. Better not be fireworks.
Carly bulldozed her way to the front and came to a stop right by the building, a few feet away from where a black ribbon had been strung across the door.
