I couldn’t help it, I lost it. I had to bend over, such was the force of my laughter. We were both covered in mud, wet from the rain, and jammed into my tiny bathroom with a dog who wanted to be anywhere but near a bath.
“She thinks this is funny,” Travis muttered to Able, setting him back into the bath.
“No, I think it’s hilarious,” I corrected him. “And hey, you volunteered to stay.”
“I did, didn’t I?” he replied, his face splitting into a grin. “Guess I’m a glutton for punishment.” He turned to Able, who was shaking like a leaf as I soaped him up. “Bud, you’re a big dog. You’re acting like a Chihuahua. And trust me, my sister has one, I know this for a fact.”
I tried to hide my grin at his earnest lecture to my dog.
“He has baggage,” I defended. “We all do.”
“True,” Travis muttered as I shut the water off and toweled Able off.
“Now you won’t judge when you notice I don’t bathe my dog a lot,” I added dryly.
“Also true.” He chuckled. “Do you want to grab something to eat?”
I stood up, done drying Able. “You mean you don’t want to run screaming?”
He bit his lower lip and slowly shook his head, eyeing me with what looked a hell of a lot like lust.
And with that, my entire body liquefied. “Um, okay, sure. I just need to shower.” I looked down at his muddy clothes. “And so do you.”
“I have a change of clothes in the Jeep, if you don’t mind my using your shower,” he added.
A naked Travis in my bathroom? I might not be able to concentrate, but I certainly didn’t mind.
“That’s fine,” I managed to squeak out just as he opened the door, letting a very relieved Able out of the bathroom.
“What sounds good?” he asked thirty minutes later as we walked back out to his truck, both freshly showered.
I shrugged. “I could go for anything, but a burger sounds pretty good.”
He grinned. “I know just the spot.”
We ended up at a divey-looking burger joint on Melrose. “I promise, this is the best burger in LA,” he told me as we pulled up the curb.
“I’ll take your word for it.” I laughed, eyeing the dilapidated building skeptically as I slid out of his Jeep.
He came around to my side, and I was something beyond thrilled when he took my hand, leading us inside.
“McAllister! To what do I owe the honor!” a sarcastic voice boomed from the kitchen the moment we walked inside.
“Oh you know, I like to grace you with my presence occasionally.” Travis grinned. “How you doing, Curtis?”
An older man’s face with the biggest smile I’d ever seen appeared through a pocket window. “Ooo-wee, and you brought a sweet little honey with you. Who’s the lucky lady?”
“This is Emerly, and watch it,” Travis tacked on sternly, though there was no malice in his expression.
“Hi.” I offered a wave as Travis led us to a table.
“Your usual?” Curtis hollered.
Travis lifted his brows toward me. “You okay if I order for you?”
I nodded. What the hell?
“Make it two,” he called back.
