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“Blake?”
“Back here.”
She followed the sound of his voice to his bedroom without hesitation.
The two of them had quickly passed through the levels of association. Their initial interactions, after she’d put the kibosh on his flirting, had been that of just neighbors, but they evolved to friends swiftly, and best friends even faster, something that still amazed her to this day, as Erika had never found it particularly easy to make friends. She was too much of a bookworm, the type of person who spent a lot of time inside her own head. While she’d had people in her life she’d referred to as friends, when compared to Blake, she realized she’d be better off referring to them as acquaintances.
None of those other relationships came close to what she shared with him.
Erika hadn’t lived here more than five months before she and Blake had swapped apartment keys. Somewhere along the line, their refrigerators had become shared property, he’d helped her paint her living room, and she’d basically redecorated his entire apartment, proclaiming he was a professional athlete, not a damn frat boy, and that he needed to live like the former.
The only line they’d never crossed was from friends to lovers. Blake was determined to hold on to his bachelor status, and while she wasn’t actively dating at the moment, she knew she wouldn’t be happy in a casual relationship. When it came to romance, she considered herself an all-in girl.
She’d mentioned her recent loneliness to Blake, but it was the one area where he couldn’t understand or relate. Erika had brushed it off as a temporary funk. But the truth was, the feeling had been there for months…and it was growing.
Not the type to let things fester, she’d finally decided it was time to take action. So last week, just after admitting her loneliness to Blake, she did the one thing she’d always sworn she wouldn’t do—she’d researched the best apps for those who weren’t just looking for a hookup and uploaded profiles to eHarmony and Zoosk.
With any luck, she’d meet someone interested in a serious relationship and—please God—marriage and kids down the line. She was nearing the end of her last year of residency, so she was finally in a place where she felt like she had time to commit to dating.
Blake was pulling a T-shirt on as she entered, and while she shouldn’t ogle her best friend, that was easier said than done. The man had a serious six-pack, the kind of rock-hard abs most guys would kill for but very few possessed.
His teammates had all remarked at one time or another about her and Blake’s relationship, suspicious that it was more than they were letting on. For some reason, it was difficult for them to believe that a man and a woman as close as the two of them could be just friends.
Blake gestured toward the bed, where he’d placed the puppy. “She’s all yours.”
Erika stepped around the bed, fully intending to pick the dog up…but she couldn’t do it. The poor little thing was snoring softly, obviously warm and comfortable after God only knew how long in that cold, wet box.
Rather than grab her, Erika sat down on the bed, reaching out to stroke the tiny dog’s head.
Blake claimed the other side, resting his large hand on the puppy’s body. “She’s so small.”
“And so adorable,” Erika added. “I can’t stop looking at her.”
It was getting late, but despite working a long shift, she couldn’t make herself leave the dog. And there was something about Blake’s demeanor that said he didn’t want to give her up either.
“You’re going to hog her for the night, aren’t you?” she murmured.
Blake gave her a grin, raising one eyebrow, that screamed “What do you think?”
She sighed, then shifted until she was lying down on the edge of the bed. “I’ll just stay a little longer.”
Blake chuckled, the sound calling her out on her lie, then followed suit, lying down as well, the two of them flanking the dog, facing each other.
“So what happens after the vet?” Blake asked, his eyes locked on the sleeping dog.
“I…” Erika knew what she should say. She should say she’d drop her off at a shelter…but even as she thought it, she knew there was no way in hell she would do that. The puppy had just been imprisoned in a box. How on earth could she do something that would put her back in a cage? “I don’t know. I guess we could hang signs in the building. See if anyone would be interested in adopting her.” Erika hated that idea as much as the shelter one.
“Yeah.” Blake sounded just as unenthusiastic.
They kept petting the little dog, who opened her eyes briefly, giving them a giant, endearing yawn.
“Go back to sleep, Corky,” Blake whispered.
Oh shit.
He’d given the puppy her dog name.
Just like that, Blake had sealed her fate…and the dog’s.
