Dom clears his throat, and the sound makes me jump. “You wanna take a break?” he asks, already flopping down on the sand and patting the spot next to him.
I sit, knees up, picking at the frayed hem of my jeans. For a while, we just stare at the ocean. Well, Dom does. I admire his profile, the way the light catches the edge of his jaw, the hint of stubble he didn’t bother to shave.
He glances over, giving me this little nervous smile. I seerightthrough it.
“Okay, what is it?” I say, poking his leg with my toe. “Tell me what’s up.”
He laughs, then shakes his head, which is his thing tonight, apparently. “I’m being weird, aren’t I?”
“I mean… I don’t want to be rude, but, yeah.” I grin at him. “A little.”
He runs a hand through his hair. “Sorry. It’s just… I don’t know. I had a plan for this conversation, and now my brain’s gone all scrambled.”
“Just say it,” I urge him. “I promise I won’t judge. If you don’t want to live across the hall from me anymore, then just say it.” I give him a playful grin, but he doesn’t respond. Instead, his eyes shift to the ocean.
“Do you ever think about the future?”
I blink. “Like, in a general sense?”
“I mean about us.” He meets my gaze this time. “Me and you.”
My heart does a weird leap. “I do. But I don’t want to scare you off. You might run for the hills.”
Dom shakes his head. “Nothing could scare me off, Nic.”
My chest is tight, but not in a bad way.
“I want to see where this goes,” he continues. “I know you have your life and your business and your dog, but—”
“Mydog?” I interrupt, genuinely amused.
He grins. “Ourdog, sorry. I’m just saying, I like this. I likeus. No, Iloveus.”
I can’t help it. I lean over and kiss him, a quick, soft peck. “I love us, too.”
He wraps an arm around my shoulders, warm and heavy and protective. “Good,” he says. “Then I’m not crazy.”
“Not for that, at least,” I tease, and he squeezes my arm.
Dom scratches behind Cocoa’s ears and then, out of nowhere, stands up, leaving me sitting. “Let’s walk a little further,” he says, tugging me to my feet.
I brush off the sand, and as I do, I realize that Dom’snotholding Cocoa’s leash. “Oh no,” I mutter under my breath, leaning over to grab it before…
Too late.
Cocoa bolts, a brown blur hurtling into the gloom.
“Ugh!” I throw my hands into the air. “Cocoa!” I call after him.
But Dom just shrugs. “He can’t have gone far.”
“Are you serious?” I start running after Cocoa and Dom lopes beside me, not even out of breath. “Dom, this isn’t funny! What if he eats something dead? What if a coyote—”
“He’s fine,” he says, and I can tell he’s holding back a laugh.
We chase Cocoa down the beach for a solid minute before we catch up. He’s stopped at some sort of pile ofsomething,and I take advantage of the moment, dropping to my knees and grabbing the leash.
My heart is pounding, but as soon as I make contact, Cocoa slathers my face in kisses. I’m annoyed and relieved all at once.
