Fort sighed heavily and plopped onto the ground as if he were the one who’d been sitting in traffic all evening and was exhausted from the ordeal.
“And clearly, the extra time at doggy daycare was torture,” Nora added in an amused tone.
Fort rolled onto his back with a noncommittal, “Uff.”
Quinn bent to give his belly a quick scratch. “Aww, poor guy.” She smiled at the way Fort’s tongue fell out of his mouth as he gave her a big grin, and she patted his ribs as she stood. “Anyway…” She turned her attention back to Nora. “I’m glad you were able to make it out. I have a surprise for you.”
Nora’s eyes sparkled. “Here?” she chuckled. “Quinn, I don’t know what kind of girl you think I am, but—”
“I think you’re pretty perfect,” Quinn interrupted. Her heart skipped a beat at the way Nora’s entire expression softened, and she took a deep breath in an attempt to settle it before she shared, “I called a guy I know who lives down here this afternoon, and he said we could ride on his boat tonight. Their spot is toward the end of the parade, but we’ll still have to hurry if we’re going to make it in time.”
Nora’s brow furrowed. “A boat?”
“A boat,” Quinn confirmed.
“But…” Nora looked down at Fort, who’d rolled onto his side and was rubbing his face on the grass. “What about Fort?”
“He can come too.” Quinn shrugged. “I mean, it’s just a boat. Em and Mari take Sasha out all the time.”
“You’re sure?”
“Absolutely,” Quinn said as she transferred a few more ornaments to their bin. When Nora still didn’t seem convinced, she added, “I had a feeling you’d bring Fort tonight because you’d been gone all day, so I specifically asked Paul and Luis if they’d be okay with him coming along too.”
“They’re the ones who own the boat?” Nora clarified.
“No, they’re the guys who work the hot chocolate stand down the way.” Quinn laughed at the unimpressed glare Nora gave her and jabbed her lightly with her elbow as she picked up a display stand still draped in ornaments. “Yes, it’s their boat,” she assured Nora as she laid the entire thing on top of the ornaments already nestled inside the bin. She carefully set the lid in place and, when she was assured that it wouldn’t press upon the bin’s contents, flipped the little clamps on the sides up to secure it and picked the container up. “So… What do you say?”
“Sure.” Nora nodded. “Sounds like fun.”
“Even though you’re not a fan of the whole festivities thing?” Quinn teased as she started toward her truck that was still parked behind the booth.
“Would you rather I say that there’s no way I’m wasting my time riding around on a boat just to look at lights and that maybe I’ll see you tomorrow?” Nora sassed as she picked up the other bin and followed after her.
Even though she knew Nora was joking, Quinn’s stomach dropped at the idea of not being able to spend the evening with her. The time they had together was already too brief, and the last thing she wanted was to squander even a minute of it. She shook her head as she set her bin onto the open tailgate of her truck and shoved it into the bed. “I definitely don’t want that.”
Nora levered her bin onto the tailgate and brushed her hands off on the seat of her jeans as she turned to Fort, who had followed them. “Me neither,” she admitted as she took his leash from his mouth.
“Good.” Quinn shoved Nora’s bin toward the back of the bed and slammed the tailgate shut. She reached for Nora’s hips to pull her close, and her heart squeezed as she dipped her head to meet the lips that were already lifted and waiting for hers. She smiled as Nora’s free hand cradled her cheek as a nimble tongue danced along the seam of her lips, begging for more, and pressed Nora against the truck as she opened her mouth to her. A low moan bubbled in her throat at the feeling of Nora’s legs sliding around her thigh as they traded slow, thorough, positively decadent kisses that left her breathless and aching for more.
God, I could do this forever.
“WOOF!”
“Fort,” Nora groaned.
While annoyed at the interruption, it was impossible to stay that way for long when Fort popped up onto his back legs to join in their embrace, and Quinn laughed as she pressed a chaste promise of a kiss to Nora’s cheek. “We should probably get going anyway if we’re going to make it in time.”
“Woof!”
Nora pouted. “But I wasn’t done kissing you.”
Quinn smiled. “Believe me, sweetheart, I feel the same way,” she murmured. Her smile widened as Fort jabbered and wiggled against their sides as if to say,What about me?!,and she reached down to scratch his head as she pressed her lips to the corner of Nora’s mouth. “On the bright side, though, just think of how tired Fort will be from the excitement of the parade. He should pass out as soon as we get home.” She nuzzled her cheek. “And then we can go to bed, too.”
Nora whimpered and turned her head to steal a proper kiss. “Good point.”
Fort barked happily in agreement.
“Glad we’re all on the same page,” Quinn chuckled. “Oh.” She pecked Nora’s lips one last time before forcing herself to pull away. “After Paul and Luis said we could ride with them, I ran to the store and got us all a little something for the parade.”
