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No way was she getting past without him seeing her now.
He shoved his hands in his front pockets, took a cautious step into the street, and then another step toward her. She had no choice but to pull to the curb and park. She rolled down the window when he approached.
“Were you not going to stop?” His tone lacked its usual playfulness. He gripped Boss’s collar, as Boss strained toward her car.
“I found one of Boss’s toys. I—didn’t want to interrupt and make things awkward with your guest, so . . .”
“You wouldn’t be interrupting. Cecilia just brought dinner and Nate and I were taking—”
“That was Cecilia?” Thank you, Lord.
“You saw her?” John’s eyes narrowed. He broke into that irresistible grin. “Were you jealous, or did you think I slipped back to my old ways of rushing into things?”
“Both,” she admitted.
His smile grew bigger as Boss pulled harder against his grip, his front paws lifting off the pavement. “Naw. I want to get to know a woman before starting anything romantic. Why don’t you get out of that car before Boss here hurts both of you jumping through the window onto your lap.” He opened the driver’s side door.
She turned off the engine and handed John the bag of toys and treats before dropping to a knee. Boss nuzzled her so hard that she fell back against the car, laughing and hugging him.
“I’ve missed you too, boy. Okay, okay.” She pushed Boss’s face away. John tugged him back. She wiped the wet spot on her cheek while John stared down at her with a smile that made her heart race again. This time, in a good way.
He offered her a hand, and she took it. After helping her up, he rubbed his thumb over her knuckles. It sent electricity coursing up her arm and through her, igniting the kind of internal fire she’d feared she would never experience again. She stared into his eyes as the heat built.
“Do you need help getting Boss or . . .” Seeing them, Cecilia stopped short and broke into a big smile. “Hi.”
“I’ve got him. He must have dashed out because he heard Elizabeth’s car or caught her scent. I’m glad he did,” John added softly. “Come on in.” He released her hand to lightly touch her back and steer her toward the house.
“John didn’t mention you were coming by. I just picked up dinner. I’m sure there’s enough for you too.” Cecilia kept smiling in an I’ve-got-a-secret kind of way.
“I just came to drop off some toys for Boss.”
“She’s staying. I’ll share.”
He didn’t give her a choice, but this time she was okay with him not taking no for an answer. Though this wasn’t going how she planned when she wanted desperately to talk to him, it wasn’t all bad. Not with the way he was smiling and touching her. His touches felt damn good. With Nate and Cecilia here, it’d be less pressure, and she could ease into things.
“Did you get Boss?” Nate drew out the S’s and broke into a smile similar to his wife’s when he caught sight of John and Elizabeth walking into the kitchen-turned-construction zone. “Good to see you again, Elizabeth.” He wiped both hands on his dusty jeans, then turned dirty palms up. “Sorry. It’s kind of a mess in here.”
“It looks entirely different already.” All the cabinets and dated vinyl flooring had been torn out and over half of the new upper cabinets were hung.
“Taking the cabinets to the ceiling was a good call on Rachel’s part. Provides more storage and makes the ceiling appear higher, which works for me.” John didn’t take his eyes off her as he talked about the renovations.
“Why don’t you guys wash up, and I’ll set dinner out,” Cecilia said.
“I’m afraid it’s standing room only at Chez Bryson at the moment.” John indicated the square card table resting atop the tall boxes of kitchen cabinets where Cecilia started unloading the food. “Will you feed Boss for me?”
John flashed a signal to Cecilia.
“Sure.”
“Come here. I’ll show you the master bath.” He crooked a finger and jerked his head for Elizabeth to follow him. Nate went in the opposite direction.
John closed the door after ushering her into the bedroom. His camouflage ballcap sat on the dresser and a book was laying on the nightstand. The walls were bare. Though the king-sized bed was neatly made, an image of him there, his bare shoulder and arm exposed, flashed through her mind.
She admired the glass walk-in shower with bench seat while he washed his hands. “Wow. I’m envious. This looks great.”
“And it’s big enough I can wash Boss in there.”
It was definitely big enough for two, though now, she pictured him in the spacious shower. Naked. She liked the way her body heated and tingled at that image. “Did you do the tile yourself?”
