Page 94 of Sit, Stay, Love
The tiny white dog stood in the middle of the rug, eyeballing Ethan.
‘She hates me,’ Ethan said miserably from his spot on the floor in front of her.
‘She doesn’t hate you,’ Sera said. ‘Keep still and reach out with your palm flat and open.’
‘What if she doesn’t trust men?’
‘She’s fine with Toby.’
He glanced up, rolling his eyes. ‘Of course she is. Who doesn’t love Saint Toby?’
‘Ethan.’ She sighed deeply, lowered herself to the floor and gently peeled open his fist. ‘You’ll be fine.’
Francine the Maltese watched him warily.
‘Check out how she’s looking at me. She’s definitely going to bite.’
‘She won’t. You spooked her last time. You’re a very large human, and she’s a very small dog whose world has been turned upside down.’
‘I just wanted to pat her,’ he said. ‘Like a normal person.’
Sera’s heart broke from the pain in his voice. ‘I know.’ She gently ran her hand up and down his back, her fingers fluttering along his spine, over the muscles of his shoulder blades, down the side of his waist, stopping above the band of his shorts, then starting all over again. ‘Just breathe. Relax and let her come to you.’
‘Mmm. You touching me like that is not exactly relaxing.’
‘Sorry.’ She dropped her hand.
‘I didn’t mean stop.’
‘You’re supposed to be concentrating on the dog.’
His gaze flicked to her, eyes sparkling. ‘I’d prefer to concentrate on you.’
She pressed her lips together, repositioned her hand on his back and softly stroked him through his t-shirt.
‘That feels good,’ he whispered. ‘Having you beside me feels so good.’
He leaned towards her, tentative and unsure, then his mouth was on hers, hot and hungry.
Every thought of Francine and training blurred in Sera’s mind as Ethan’s mouth worked its magic. And itwasmagic. Ethan’s kisses were magical. Unicorn kisses filled with mythic powers that made her forget her name and made her toes wiggle and curl in her sneakers.
She tingled as his tongue met hers. This was what she had decided she wanted, and when she made a decision, she committed to it one thousand per cent.
Ethan broke the kiss, a contrite expression clouding his pretty blue eyes. ‘I know I shouldn’t have done that, after the other night and everything. But god, Sera, I just wanted to kiss you so bad. I want to kiss you all the time.’
Her hand was still on his back, her palm now somehow pushed up inside his t-shirt and resting on his bare skin. Then she noticed his empty, outstretched hand. ‘Ethan. Francine took the treat.’
His eyes went wide, his hand still frozen in front of him.
She began to laugh. ‘See? If you don’t think about it, you’re fine.’
‘So, basically, you just need to distract me with kisses every time I’m around a dog?’ He gave her a wicked look. ‘I like this new training method.’
Chapter Seventeen
Every night since she’d had a confirmed date for the fundraiser, Sera had woken up in a cold sweat. What if it was a disaster? What if no one came? Or what if they came, but no one donated and they had this big party for nothing? Every doomsday scenario had run through her mind, every self-doubt amplified. From all the dogs escaping, to the sheep butting someone to the ground, to her finally understanding what a disastrous idea Rose’s actually was.
When Lena called to check on some details, she patiently, if a little brusquely, reassured Sera that there were already enough RSVPs to make the night a success.
