Page 25 of Forever my Love

Shortly before lunch, Hailey headed into town for work. Less than an hour later, he showed up at Baked with his laptop and sat in a back booth to work.

“You don’t have to watch over me this much,” Hailey said, refilling his tea.

He chuckled. “I like working here.”

She frowned at his computer screen, then shrugged as she was called to fill someone else’s cup.

An hour later, Harper, Nick, and Sean, Nick’s father, strolled into Baked. He nodded to the group and went back to replying to a few emails.

He was so lost in his work that he didn’t see when the group left. He kept an eye on Hailey until shortly before the dinner rush. Then he headed home to let Ali out and play with the dog in the backyard.

He’d given Hailey a key to the house and, just when he was ready to head inside, she drove up and parked her truck next to his.

When Ali rushed over to greet her, she spotted him sitting on the deck by the firepit.

“How was work?” he asked when she sat next to him.

“Great, as always.” She beamed at him. “It’s sort of nice coming home to a dog,” she said as Ali jumped up next to her and snuggled into her lap. “I thought Harper was crazy when she brought Lucy home.” She glanced down at the dog, who was already snoring on her leg. “I guess in the short time since we got her, I’ve gotten spoiled.”

He smiled. “Growing up, we always had dogs. When I moved in here, it’s felt like one of the things missing to make this a real home.”

She frowned down at the dog now. “We never really had a real home.” She glanced up at him. “Until we moved to Pride, I didn’t even know it was possible.” She glanced out over the small town as the sun continued to sink over the Pacific ocean. “I won’t let him take that away from us.” She suddenly jerked her head towards him. “How about you give me another lesson in self-defense? I feel like kicking some butt, even if it’s yours.”

He laughed and stood up. “Bring it.”

She stood up, dislodging the sleeping dog, and headed inside the house.

“We can use the gym downstairs,” he suggested as they made their way inside. After Ali followed them into the house, he shut and locked the sliding door.

“I’ll go upstairs and change.” She hung her bag on a hook in the mud room.

“I’ll meet you downstairs in the gym.” He gave Ali a scoop of dog food before heading upstairs himself to change into his gym clothes.

When he stepped into the gym, Hailey was there, wearing a pair of those sexy tight yoga pants she always wore when they worked together. Today’s color was a soft blue that matched her eyes almost perfectly.

While they were in the gym, he tried very hard to keep things professional. After all, it was his job to make sure she could protect herself or at least escape any situation.

However, whenever her body rubbed up against his, it reacted. Everything about him reacted when he was near her.

Almost an hour later, when they were both sweaty and breathing hard, he grew tired of trying to contain his desire for her.

“Enough.” He walked over to the mini-fridge and pulled out two bottles of water. After handing her one, he turned away and drank half of his water before taking a deep breath to clear his mind.

“How am I doing?” she asked after taking a sip.

“Good,” he said, avoiding her gaze. He felt frustrated that he couldn’t get his mind and body back under control.

“You can tell me the truth,” she said, touching his arm.

He almost jerked away from her light touch. He didn’t know what would happen if he really lost control around her. Whatever the possibilities, he knew he’d just end up scaring her.

“Maybe I can have Amber come over and spar with you to prove that you’re almost as good as she is,” he suggested as he walked over and punched the weighted bag once in frustration.

“If I’m doing so well, why are you mad at me?” Hailey asked.

He jerked his gaze towards her.

Seeing the worried look in her eyes, every ounce of frustration and desire fled his body.