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Her dark hair falls over her bare shoulder, the blue ends lay in the dip between her shoulder and clavicle. Her tattoo peeks between the loose curls that fall on either side of her arm. There’s more to it than what I first saw.
I take a long drink in order to resist the urge to brush her hair back so I can see all of her tattoo. The hot chocolate burns all the way down.
“How could you hate Rosie?” I reach over and pat the dog’s head. My hand brushes Evie’s, and my whole body burns inside and out.
“She barks a lot. Like, nonstop when you’re not home.” She takes a tiny sip of cocoa, then rubs her lips together. “It’s good. Hot, but good.”
“Thanks.” My eyes don’t move from the spot her mug touched. “Nonstop? Really?”
“Really. Makes it kind of hard to work from home.” She cups one hand around her mug. The other stays on Rosie. “Maybe she’ll shut up now that she knows me.”
I take another drink, searching for something to say. Anything. Because I don’t want to leave, but I can’t stay if we get awkwardly silent again. “How come you don’t like dogs?”
She looks up like she’s never considered the question, or the answer, before. “That’s a hard question to answer without saying more than I want to.”
“I don’t mean to pry.” Somehow, I feel less naked knowing she’s got something to hide.
Rosie lifts her head and stands. Evie nudges her to the floor. “I’ve had a few dogs pee on me.”
I cringe. “A few?”
Evie nods. “Dachshunds. Everyone I’ve ever met.”
I laugh. “That’s because they’re the worst. Never trust a wiener dog.”
“Noted.” Evie smiles, but then it slowly fades. “I think the real reason I don’t like them is because my dad took the dog, but not me when he left.”
She sucks in her cheek, chews on it, then glances at me. I nod. I know what it is to be left.
“My ex left me and the dog. I don’t know if that’s better. Maybe. I guess we had each other.” I make kissing noises and Rosie jumps off Evie’s lap and comes to me to have her ears scratched.
“Being left sucks all the way around.” Evie lets her hand fall across the table, palm open, inviting me in.
I don’t hesitate, but I don’t rush. Slowly, I slide my hand under hers. It fits perfectly in my palm. I press my thumb on the pad at the bottom of her middle finger, then run it all the way down her palm to her wrist crease. She lets out a slow breath. I circle my thumb over hers, back to her palm and down the creases there. Her eyes close. Her chest rises. We breathe together. A warm current like I’ve never felt before flows between us.
So, I’m more than a little surprised when Evie cuts off our connection. She pulls her hand from mine and drops it in her lap, running both hands down her legs. Like she wants to wipe away my touch.
“It’s getting late. I’ve got an early morning. You should go.”
Her words come out hurried and breathless. They push me and Rosie out the door long before either of us is ready to leave.
Chapter 21
Evie
I shut the door behind Adam and Rosie, let out a long breath, and slide to the floor.
Note to self: do NOT invite Adam inside when he is shirtless. And definitely do NOT let him cook for you in said state.
Because that did not go well. At least not the part where I wasn’t going to let myself be attracted to Adam anymore. Everything else went fine. Great even. I like a dog now, so miraculously great is probably the most apt description for what just happened.
But I can’t let it happen again.
Rosie barks downstairs, pointing out how unrealistic that plan is.
Because let’s be real. I didn’t make it ten minutes after swearing not to act on my attraction to Adam. I couldn’t keep my eyes off him. I barely kept my hands off him. They’re still itchy with wanting to trace my fingers along every distinct line of his chest. I’ll need a lot more than my so-called willpower to keep my hands to myself. It’s going to take superhuman strength. And the only superhuman strength I have is positivity. Which is just another word for avoidance.
So, avoidance it is. I have to stay as far away from Adam as possible. Because the truth is, it’s not just his very defined arms and shoulders or his chiseled abs that I’m attracted to. Or his eyes and the way they remind me of the clear blue Kansas sky on a summer day. Or even the soft angles of his cheekbones and jaw.
