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“Oh.” She looked down. It seemed like she wanted to ask more, but there wasn’t much more to tell her. Mara was a sweet girl and did her job efficiently and quietly. Any indication that she’d experienced something in the past was just that—an indication. I’d heard her speak maybe three times in the year that she’d worked for us, but she was always ready with a smile.
Evelyn and I were so close together that I could take her hand, and I wanted to. But I wasn’t sure where she was at after last night. When she looked up she took a deep breath. “I’m thinking about talking to Dr. Rayne. I know you suggested it, and I... was rude. And I still don’t know if I’m ready. But I’m thinking about it.”
“That’s great,” I said, the pressure in my chest easing. “And you weren’t rude. I shouldn’t have pushed you to begin with.”
She sighed. “Sometimes I need pushing.”
We turned the last corner, and Evelyn stilled. “You have dogs?”
They were all behind a chain-link fence in the large area that we used to train and house them. But on seeing us, they were all barking up against the fence, excited for people. The dogs we trained were all personable—they had to be in order to be therapy dogs—and they loved visitors.
“We have dogs,” I said, approaching the gate. “Sit.”
The dogs all backed up and sat, allowing Evelyn and me to enter. As soon as the gate closed, they knew they were free, and Evelyn was swarmed. Not in a bad way. These dogs loved people, and for her they were all joy. A dozen wiggling balls of it.
Evelyn laughed, and I froze. Had I heard her laugh before? It was light and free. Beautiful. She sat down, still laughing, allowing the dogs to lick her face and climb into her lap. I think it was the happiest I’d ever seen her.
I burned the image into my brain. Head thrown back, sun shining on dark hair, face scrunched as dogs licked it, and laughing. Evelyn was so fucking beautiful.
She looked at me. “I’ve never owned a pet. Not since I was really little. I rode horses and stuff, but I always wanted a dog. Nathan didn’t like them, and the past few years...” She paused. “They wouldn’t have been fair to a dog.”
“You love animals.” It was a fact that would be apparent to anyone watching.
“I do.” She hesitated, then stepped away to fill the dogs’ bowls with food.
From across the space, I watched her play with them after they ate. They brought her a ball and fell over themselves to get it and bring it back to her. If I hadn’t already known, this would have confirmed that Evelyn was a good person. The animals were trained to be sensitive to people’s emotions and react accordingly. They all loved her.
Especially Aspen, an English setter that had been here a while. He wasn’t playing with the other dogs, instead sticking to Evelyn’s side, bumping her leg, and practically sitting on her feet.
A dog like Aspen would be perfect for someone like Evelyn. English setters were gentle, protective, and one of the ideal breeds for therapy. And given what was happening with Nathan, she might appreciate a little backup. I knew that I would feel better if she had one of our dogs watching her back.
I walked over to her, and she smiled at me. It was my goal to have her smiling like this every day. She deserved that. “What do you say you have one of these guys as a buddy for however long you’re here?” I avoided setting any kind of end date, because if I was honest with myself, I didn’t want her to leave.
“Wait, really?”
“Really.”
Tears filled her eyes and she covered her face with her hands. Then she laughed, looking down at Aspen. “I’m not sure this one would let me go anyway.”
“Aspen.”
She knelt down beside the dog. “Hi, Aspen.”
His tail wagged so fast it was nearly a blur, and he sat still while Evelyn hugged him. There wasn’t going to be any problem with them settling in together, that was for sure.
When Evelyn stood she looked at me. It was a different kind of look—shy and hopeful, paired with a blush. “Did you—” She looked away for a moment, and it seemed like embarrassment. “Do you still want to kiss me?”
Shock rooted me to the spot for a moment. Was I hallucinating words because I wanted to hear them so badly? No. She was looking at me expectantly, and I stared at her like an idiot. “Yes,” I said. “Hell, yes.”
The distance between us disappeared in three steps, and then her mouth was under mine. Fuck, she was so sweet, fit exactly against my body like she was meant to be there. I couldn’t ignore the deep sense of rightness when she was in my arms, those deep instincts that had roared to life when I’d first seen her settling and soothing.
Evelyn opened her mouth to me, and the kiss turned from restrained to fiery in an instant. I couldn’t stop the groan that came from me or the need to have her closer. I moved us, guiding her against the wall of the kennel so I could kiss her harder. Deeper. And she kissed me back.
That undid me. It was like she’d unlocked something by trusting me, and for the first time she touched me—really touched me. Her hands slid up the front of my shirt and her arms twined around my neck.
She was all delicate curves pressed between me and the wall. The only way we could be closer is if clothes came off, and I wanted that. If she ever trusted me enough for that—
I brought myself back to her lips. Her tongue was still shy, but daring enough to dance with mine. We were in the open. Anyone could walk to the kennel and see us, and I couldn’t bring myself to care. I could stay in this moment, kissing Evelyn, forever.
