They were going to Cherry’s house. They’d decided that quickly and in a very unsexy way.“My dog will eat Kleenex if I don’t come home tonight,”she’d said.
They hadn’t discussed what they would be doing at her house. That was clear.
Cherry had never slept with someone on the first date before... but thiswasn’ta first date. It wasn’t a date, and it wasn’t their first time meeting each other. She’d spent more time with Russ than with guys she’d actually dated herself. And she’d liked him more. Wanted him more desperately.
Maybe that should worry her... how desperately she wanted this.
But—weren’t yousupposedto want? Wasn’t desiregood? Was Cherrynot supposed to sleep with Russell Sutton because she wastooattracted to him? Was she only supposed to have men that shedidn’twant this bad? To keep herself in check?
(This line of thinking made it seem like Cherry hadn’t wanted the other men in her life. Which wasn’t true or fair. But she hadn’t wanted them likethis. Never like this.) (Except for Tom.)(Stop thinking about Tom.)
Russ beat Cherry to her own house. He was waiting on her porch.
She let him in without wasting time on talk or touching.
Stevie was waiting, too, just inside the door. (Stevie tried to bolt out the front door every time Cherry opened it. She loved running and being chased.)
“Holy shit!” Russ exclaimed.
Stevie was all over them—she was big enough to be all over both of them at once. Jumping and barking. (She also loved new people.)
“Sorry!” Cherry said. “Don’t worry, she’s sweet.”
“She’senormous.” Russ was backing away with his hands out. Stevie had jumped up onto his chest. She was tall enough to partner-dance with a grown man.
“Stevie, down!” Cherry ordered. “We don’t jump on people.”
“I think we do,” Russ said.
Cherry pushed the dog’s shoulders away from him and got between them. “Stevie! Calm!”
Stevie was jumping on Cherry now.
“No,” Cherry said in a stern voice.“Down.”
Stevie stayed up.
“House!” Cherry ordered, pointing. “Sorry,” she said again to Russ.
Stevie was cowed by the word “house.” Her tail dropped, and she dragged it toward her kennel.
“Goodnight,” Cherry said, giving the dog a bedtime treat and locking the wire door. She dropped a cover over the kennel so Stevie would know it was time to chill.
“Wow...” Russ said. “When you said you had a dog, I didn’t think it was Beethoven.”
Cherry laughed. “Sorry.”
He was looking down at himself, brushing off his shirt. “How did she drop her entire coat on me?”
“I know, it’s terrible. I never wanted a dog.”
He tilted his head up. “I’d hate to see what dog you’d get if youwantedone...”
She shook her head. “It was—” She shrugged. “My husband—” She shook her head again.
Russ’s smile softened. “Cherry.”
“Yeah?”
