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“That could be arranged,” I promise. “But first, I have a date idea. Caveat—I’ll need to take some pictures of Raffy for social media too, but I think it’ll be fun.”
I know where I want to go. I’ve been waiting to take Raffy to the Inu Onsen Dog Water Park for weeks, but it’s been too cool. Today, though? The weather is perfect.
If Noah will agree to go with me and Raffy. I don’t imagine it’s his usual type of place to go for fun, but I’m hoping he’s willing to be adventurous today too.
“Is this why you told me to bring a swimsuit and flip flops?” Noah looks me up and down approvingly, and I smooth my sundress. It’s covering my own swimsuit. “It’s nice out, but I looked up the quickest way to get to the beach, and it’s at least four hours away.”
“You looked up routes to the beach?” I ask, hiding my smile behind my hand. Noah nods slowly, having no idea how adorable that is. All I said was ‘swimsuit’, and he’s already planning out routes, bathroom stops, and looking at Yelp reviews for dinner options. I love that he cares and shows it by planning and researching so we can have a good time.
“We’re not going to the beach, are we?”
I smile brightly and shake my head. “Nope, we’re going to a dog park. A water doggy park, to be precise. I know you like precision. And I already know where it is, how to get there, where to park, and all the attractions because I looked it all up.”
Noah bites his lip, being silly. “Oh, damn, Sunshine . . . speak ‘control freak’ to me. I love it. What else did you plan?”
I laugh at his antics. He is so funny when he wants to be. “I know what time sunset is so we can get golden hour pics, so let’s go. And also, I thought you liked to be the control freak?” I let my voice go sultry, implying so much more than the light words.
“Fuck yeah, I do. Let me change and we can go.”
And I swear to the sun itself, as Noah goes down the hall to change out of his work clothes and into his trunks and T-shirt, he is whistling.
Noah Daniels. Whistling.
My heart squeezes in my chest, hugging itself with happiness.
“Ready?” Noah asks a few moments later.
I’ve got Raffy’s stuff all packed in my bag, plus sunscreen and dinner for Noah and me. “Oh, let me get Raffy’s hat and life vest.”
“His what?” Noah asks in surprise as he starts laughing. “Hat? Life vest?”
“Yes,” I tell him with a glare. “Don’t make fun. They’re cute and keep him safe.”
“Raffy, do you want a hat?”
“Rowf!”
“Guess that settles it,” Noah says with a disbelieving shake of his head. I have to laugh as I grab the last two items. Tossing them in my backpack, I slip the straps over my shoulders only to find Noah rubbing Raffy’s belly, being nice to my fur baby. He won’t admit it, of course, but Raffy’s already got him wrapped around a little paw.
And the view today is . . . fantastic. While yes, I prefer Noah looking powerful and sexy in one of his tailored suits, he looks just as good today in board shorts and a tank top, his muscles not hinted at but on clear display for me.
His arms are lean, his muscles outlined under his skin, not bodybuilder veiny but clear and defined. I hope he enjoys what I’ve got on underneath my sundress as much as I’m enjoying looking at him.
“All ready!” I chirp, getting Noah’s attention. I slip my sandals on, and we go down to my VW Bug, since Raffy travels a lot better in there than any other vehicle. Noah holds Raffy in his lap while I drive, still scratching the spoiled puppy’s head.
“Tell me about this place? A dog water park?”
“Yup,” I confirm with a grin. “Doggys need slides too!”
“I have to see this,” Noah says, and a half hour later, the look in his eyes tells me that no matter how well I explained it, he wasn’t expecting what he’s seeing now.
“See? It was an old kiddie park that wasn’t getting used, and the owner let his own dog run around when no one was here. Then an idea was born. He turned it into a specialty park for dogs and their owners. Three pools, a waterfall, slides for both humans and dogs . . . Inu Onsen’s got something for everyone. Spread out over a few acres, it’s a little smaller than most human-only parks, but for this, it’s perfect.”
“It’s genius from a business perspective,” Noah says approvingly. I bet he’s already done a rough headcount and multiplied by the admission rate we paid for Raffy. Owners are free, but they charge the canine guests.
