I take her hand, and we go.
* * *
I don’t pull up to my house right away. I flick on the blinker and turn onto her block. Chloe jerks her gaze to me.
“Wait. I thought…” Then she waves a hand. “Never mind. It’s fine.”
I’m quiet till I pull into her driveway, smothering a smile. I know what she’s thinking—that I don’t want her at my place for some reason. When I cut the engine, I nod toward the windshield and her home beyond.
“Get your dog and whatever you both need for the morning. In case you need to be fucked like the dirty woman you are all night long.”
“Oh,” she says, her lips parting in a circle of surprise. “You’re getting the blow job of a lifetime tonight.”
A groan works its way up my throat, but I waste no time. I get out of the car, stride around to her side, and swing open the door. “You’ve got one minute. I’d suggest you make the most of it.”
“Yes, sir.” She rushes up the steps and punches numbers into the lock.
“And leave the dress on, Chloe. The shoes too.”
She wiggles her butt, tossing me a sexy glance over her shoulder. “You have a thing for me in this dress.”
I nod toward the door, firm and clear. “Go. I’m not a patient man tonight.”
Exactly sixty seconds later—and I do count them on my watch—she’s racing out with the dog on a leash, a small blue duffel bag on one shoulder, and a bigger canvas bag on the other, full of (presumably) dog toys, judging by the squeaky alligator peeking out of the top.
She flies down the steps and slides back into the front seat as I invite Captain to the back. He barks out a hello.
“Hey, handsome,” I say to the friendly boy.
Then I get back behind the wheel, and I drive. A few minutes later, we pull up to my place, and for a second—maybe more—a warning sign flashes in my head.
Be careful. Don’t go there. Romance only leads to heartbreak.
But this isn’t romance. This is just…a night together.
At least, that’s what I tell myself. I’m not sure I believe it, though, as I bring her to the door and let her inside.
It’s the first time a woman’s been in my house since Katya and I split up. The first time I’ve brought a woman to this new home of mine where I’m building this new life. And my chest tightens with worry and hope as I flick on the light.
I hope she’ll like it.
I worry she’ll hurt me.
Captain bounds in first, sniffing the floor, the couch, the coffee table. With bright eyes and a curious smile, Chloe sets down her duffel bag and Captain’s bag too, then spins around, seeming to take it all in until her gaze lands on one of the plants. “You have a peacock plant,” she says, her voice filled with more wonder than I’d expect.
“I do. My sister got it for me,” I say, then gesture to the other plants Rachel picked out—perched on the coffee table. “That’s a Chinese money plant. And a lipstick plant. She calls them Dick, Bill, and Pucker Up.”
Chloe snort-laughs. “Let me guess. You call them Plant.”
“All three of them,” I say.
“But how do they know who you’re talking to?”
“It’s a mystery,” I say.
“They look well-tended.” She taps her temple. “I’m filing this away in the Sawyer file—you have a green thumb.”
“Does this surprise you?”
