He smiled, looking around the room, taking it all in once again.
“She said you can go on in,” Tara said, hanging up the phone.
“Thanks.”
He could feel her watching him as he walked away, but Stone didn’t look back. He would have to ask CJ how he knew Tara. She didn’t seem like his type. Tara was on the voluptuous side. Big boned, he believed, was how Chelsea had always described women of her stature. Whatever you wanted to call it, it wasn’t an issue for most men, Stone included, but CJ had always leaned toward the women with little meat on their bones. The kind who sucked back health shakes and picked through a salad when they weren’t spending time at the gym or climbing rocks or strolling through nature. Not that Tara wasn’t one of those women. Just because she was bigger didn’t mean she wasn’t in shape.
But her size wasn’t the only thing that differed from CJ’s usual type. Despite Tara’s initial shyness, she was far more outgoing than the women CJ had dated. Like she had nothing to hide. The few women his brother had introduced him to had been the exact opposite: quiet, shy, and, yes, rail-thin.
Thankfully, he wasn’t here to figure out whether or not CJ had expanded his tastes to include smiling redheads. He was here to see Stevie.
Taking a deep breath, Stone rapped his knuckles on her office door before opening it. The first thing he noticed was Stevie’s fingers flying over the keyboard, her full attention on her computer monitor. The second was the little fluffs of white on the carpet near the dog bed. Jäger’s head popped up, his little eyes wide with curiosity. There was a puff of white dangling from his mouth and he looked guilty, but not sure what to do about it now.
“You’ve got to at least hide the evidence, little guy,” he told the dog as he walked over.
Stevie stopped typing. “Oh, man. Jäger. Dude. Come on.” She huffed. “That’s the second toy he’s chewed up since yesterday mornin’.”
“He’s actin’ out,” Stone told her. “We’re gonna need to find him a job. Somethin’ he can focus on. That way, he’ll want to chill in his downtime.”
Stevie’s forehead creased. “Why does that sound like a good idea?”
“Because it’s a good idea,” he said with a laugh. “Dogs, especially his breed, need somethin’ to focus on. That’s why they’re often used as service animals. They’re smart. They enjoy havin’ tasks to complete.”
Her wide-eyed stare remained on him.
“That or he simply missed me, and he wants you to hang out with me more,” he said, glancing back at Jäger. “Right, buddy?” Stone rubbed his head. “At least that’s the story we should go with.”
Stevie brought over the small wastebasket so he could dump the toy’s innards in it.
“The question is, didyoumiss me?” he asked, peering up at her.
She was watching him as though she hadn’t seen him in a month rather than two days. Stevie pursed her lips and shook her head. “I didn’t really notice you weren’t there.”
He rubbed the puppy’s head before standing tall and turning toward her.
“Liar,” he whispered, tipping her chin up. He lingered there for a moment, ensuring she knew he was going to kiss her. When she didn’t pull back, he closed the distance and brushed his mouth over hers.
It took tremendous effort not to fall into the kiss and make up for lost time, but he managed.
“Well, I missed you.” He caressed her cheek with his thumb before dropping his hand. Touching her was far too much temptation for him.
“I might’ve missed you,” she said softly. “A little.”
Stone took a step back. “Is Nico around?”
Stevie walked back to her desk. “No. He went to talk to a client in south Austin. Won’t be back until lunchtime. Why? You miss him, too?”
“As a matter of fact, yes,” he admitted as he took a seat in one of her guest chairs.
Jäger joined him, planting his front paws on Stone’s knee. His little tail wagged as he watched him, hope glittering in his eyes.
Stone set the iPad on the other chair and picked up the dog.
“Seriously though,” he said, looking at Stevie. “I came here to talk to you.”
“About?”
“The future.”
