Pawfectly In Love

by Stephanie Rowe

  Paige tugged his wet shirt out of his shorts, exposing his muscular chest. She showered it with kisses, eliciting a soft groan from him.

  "You're killing me, Paige." He caught her under the chin and forced her to look at him. "I meant what I said at your house. I can't give you anything, other than this."

  She touched his cheek, then kissed him. He believed he was incapable of more, but she knew differently now. He would discover that for himself, soon enough.

  Luke returned Paige's kiss, believing that she had accepted his words this time…which made him feel like shit, instead of good. He didn't want her to give up on him. He wanted her to fight for him, to grab hold of that thread she'd unraveled and help him find it. Unable to listen to logic, which told him he was getting involved too deeply, his body and soul responded to Paige's touch.

  His hands found the clasp of her bra, deftly unhooking it. Together, they tugged her shirt over her head, and he slid the straps of her bra over her arms. It was white lace, just as sexy as the black lace underwear she'd been wearing that night in the bathroom.

  Paige felt herself sink into the cushions as Luke's hands and lips roamed her body. Her skin was tingling, and her heart was racing. She was vaguely aware when he unbuttoned her shorts, her body jerking involuntarily when his fingers slid between her legs.

  She heard herself mumble his name, but it sounded so far away. The feel of his hot skin against hers, the way her body wanted to sing with each touch of his lips and hands. She needed more.

  Fumbling for his shorts, she was startled to realize that they were gone. Her fingers grasped hot flesh instead, eliciting a gasp from both of them.

  "Not yet, sweetheart. I can't handle that." Luke moved her hand, concentrating instead on bringing her to a peak that matched his.

  Within moments, she was writhing under him, her mind blurred of everything but her need for the man she loved. "Luke..."

  Understanding what she wanted, he moved over her, trying to start slowly, but passion tore at his self-control. Paige shared his sense of urgency, wrapping her legs around him to draw him in. The pounding of the rain on the roof was like a drumroll, rising to a crescendo in tune with the rhythm of their bodies. Then the thunder cracked, Paige felt like her insides exploded, and Luke shouted her name.

  Chapter 20

  It was sunset by the time they began thinking about going home. Luke had kept her nice and warm for hours, definitely the most enjoyable afternoon she'd ever spent in the hut. Neither of them had talked about what would happen next, just enjoying the exploration of each other's bodies.

  Paige snuggled against Luke, listening to the wind roar through the trees. She never wanted to move again.

  "Paige?"

  "Mmm."

  "We didn't use any protection."

  Paige chuckled and nestled her face against his chest. He still smelled like the woods. "It's a little late to be having this conversation, isn't it?"

  Luke caught her chin in his hand and forced her to look at him. "I'm serious, Paige."

  She grinned and kissed him. "That was pretty irresponsible of us, wasn't it?"

  "I don't have time for kids."

  "I want to have kids."

  He sat up quickly, nearly sending her tumbling to the floor. "Not with me, you don't. I can't be a good father."

  She propped herself up on her elbow, watching him fumble for his clothes. He was awfully cute when he was flustered. "You didn't think you had time to be a dog owner, but you do. Once you realized you loved Muffin, you made time. It's the same thing with kids."

  His shorts on, but unfastened, Luke grabbed her by the shoulders. "Paige! We're talking about kids, not a dog." He let go of her to pace the small shack, running his hands through his hair in agitation. "I wasn't even thinking, just swept away by you. I've never done that before. Never. I swear. I'm not irresponsible."

  "It's okay."

  "No, it's not." He sat next to her on the cot and grabbed her hand. "If you're pregnant, we're getting married."

  Her mouth dropped open. "Married?" She couldn't believe he'd actually said that. In today's society, people didn't have to get married just because there was a baby…and yet, that was the first solution that had popped into his mind. She smiled. He loved her.

  "Of course. It's the right thing. When will you know?"

  Paige pulled her shorts on, still grinning. "Well, that's just the most romantic proposal I've ever heard. Will you catch me while I swoon?"

  He clenched his fingers in his hair. "This isn't funny, Paige."

  "When I get married, it'll be for love. Do you love me?"

  Luke stared at her, frozen in place as he reached for his shirt. "What?"

  "Mmm…that's too bad for you. I'm really quite loveable, and you're missing out by not letting yourself bask in my awesomeness." She sighed dramatically and picked up her bra. "Well, you can stop panicking, because I'm on the pill."

  He frowned. "What?"

  "The pill. Birth control. Surely, you've heard of it."

  Luke jumped up from the couch. "What? Why are you on the pill? It's that lumberjack, isn't it?" A string of oaths poured from his lips as he paced the cabin.

  She tried to keep the smile off her face. If he didn't love her beyond words, he wouldn't have thought to solve an accidental pregnancy by marriage, and he wouldn't be getting so worked up about a lumberjack that didn't even exist. She grinned. The man was blind not to see his own capacity to care, including his dog, the town, this life…and her. "Not that it is any of your business, seeing as how you've declared that I mean absolutely nothing to you..."

  Luke interrupted her. "It is my business who you sleep with. Tell me the truth."

  She grinned wider. "I get really bad cramps during my period. The pill makes them almost non-existent."

  He didn't move away from her. "Cramps?"

  "Cramps," she said firmly. "Ask any doctor. I'm not the only woman who takes the pill for cramps."

  "You're not sleeping with the lumberjack?" His voice was doubtful, but there was a glimmer of hope in his eyes.

  She rolled her eyes. "Seriously with that question, Luke? Do you really think I'd be sleeping with anyone? After all the time we've spent together, don't you know me better than that?"

  Luke studied her face, his face softening. "Just me?" he asked, his tone almost wondrous.

  Paige smiled and gently patted his cheeks. "Yes, you big oaf. Just you. If you ask me again, I'm going to start thinking that you think I'm a harlot or something."

  "No, no, no," he said quickly. "I don't think that at all." He managed a sheepish smile. "I just got jealous and it made me a little crazy for a sec." He lightly framed her face with his hands and kissed her. "I've never been jealous before," he admitted. "It caught me unprepared."

  She beamed at him. "You were jealous?"

  "No. Yes. Maybe a little."

  "Why would you be jealous?" she teased. "If I were in love with someone else, there'd be no chance that I'd try to tempt you into my New Hampshire life. Wouldn't that make your life less complicated? Wouldn't it be beautiful for you if my heart was somewhere else?"

  A muscle ticked in his cheek. "I don't want you to be in love with someone else."

  She pulled her shirt on, her heart pounding. "Then what do you want?"

  He opened his mouth, then shut it, running his hands through his hair. Finally, he shrugged. "I'm not sure I know anymore."

  The man was definitely making progress. She stood up and slipped her hands around his waist. "I don't hear any thunder anymore. Think we could make it back?"

  "Paige..." Luke stopped.

  "Don't overthink, Luke. Let's go back. You'll figure it out eventually."

  Luke cupped her upturned face between his hands and kissed her softly. "I didn't get a chance to tell you how wonderful it was to make love with you."

  She smiled. "It was, wasn't it?"

  "You're incredible, in every way." He accentuated his words with a deep kiss that ha
d her ready to go back to the cot for another tumble. "Think maybe I can sleep over tonight? I'm not quite ready for this day to end."

  She grinned. "I think that can be arranged. As long as you give me a piggyback to the boat. Not that I need it, but it's kinda fun."

  "Deal."

  Luke carried her to the cot, so she could climb onto his back. Paige wrapped her arms around his broad shoulders and rested her cheek against his back. What was she going to have to do to make Luke realize his capacity to love? To realize that being a workaholic wasn't making him happy? It had taken a nervous breakdown before she'd realized what that life was doing to her. There had to be a less painful way than that.

  Chapter 21

  The next morning, Paige was awakened by a cold nose in her face. "Go away."

  A soft whine accompanied another poke. Unwilling to open her eyes, Paige flapped her hand in the direction of the whine, her hand landing on a furry head. "Go lie down, Bandit."

  Then she got another poke from a different direction. Two dogs?

  She opened her eyes to discover Bandit and Muffin staring at her hopefully. Then realized that a warm, naked body was wrapped around her. Luke.

  She smiled, and nestled back against him, resting her cheek on his shoulder. They'd been up most of the night with some amazing naked time, and she was pretty sure it had been the best night of her life. He hadn't told her he loved her, but she knew he did. It was in the way he looked at her, the tenderness of his touch, the sweetness of his kisses. She smiled and closed her eyes—

  Bandit woofed, and she sat up. "Shh! Don't wake him up." She realized it was long past breakfast time for the pooches. "Okay, let's go eat." Trying not to wake Luke, so she could have a few moments to process their night together, she slid out of the bed, landing softly on the floor. She managed to get dressed without waking Luke, even when she tripped over Muffin and crashed into the dresser.

  "Hope you like Bandit's food," she said to Muffin, scooping up a sizeable portion of kibble for the Shepherd.

  While the two dogs were munching and she was waiting for her coffee to percolate, Paige walked to the sliding door and looked out at the lake. The sun was high in the sky, and all evidence of the storm was gone. Except that her canoe was in the water, instead of the garage, and her kayak was no longer on the dock. She'd have to take the canoe out later and try to find it.

  Her stomach rumbled, and she glanced at the clock. It was almost ten already. It was amazing that the dogs had let them sleep that late. She walked back to the freezer and pulled frozen cinnamon rolls out. She was just setting them in the oven when her phone rang.

  She vaulted over to it to answer it before it woke Luke. She needed time to think before he woke up.

  "Hello?" She walked out onto the deck to talk in private.

  "It's Mom. Calling to see if you want to do dinner tonight. Walter called. His son is in town and they want to take us out. Are you free?"

  Walt Jr. She'd forgotten about him. Paige lowered her voice. "Actually, I've got a guest."

  "The Muffin Man? What time will you be done training? I can schedule dinner whenever."

  "No, Mom. We're not training the dog."

  For a moment there was silence, then Louise let out a war whoop. "You finally jumped in the ol' ring with him, huh?"

  "Mom!" Paige felt her cheeks turn red, and she turned toward the lake away from the house.

  "So? What next?"

  "I don't know."

  "What you do mean, you don't know? I assume you've decided he isn't like your father."

  "Yeah." Paige lowered her voice. "Actually, it's really bad."

  "Bad, how?"

  "I think I'm in love with him." Paige paused, then said, "Actually, I know I'm in love with him."

  "Honey, how is that bad? The man's a good catch, he has a great dog, and he understands the neuroses of lawyers. You picked a good one to fall in love with. What's wrong with that?"

  Paige sighed. "Because he doesn't think he loves me."

  There was silence for a moment, then Louise said, "Did he tell you that?"

  "Pretty much."

  "What did he say when you told him you loved him?"

  Paige snorted. "Please, I didn't tell him. I wasn't about to tell him that I loved him, just to get it thrown back in my face. He also said he doesn't have time to be a good husband or father. So, you see? I didn't pick the right one." Last night, when she'd been so intimate with him, it had seemed like the right choice to trust him, to believe in him, but in the bright light of the aftermath, suddenly she felt like she'd been overly optimistic to put so much faith in a man who claimed so fiercely not to want more with her. "I've fallen too hard for him, Mom, and he's not willing to meet me halfway."

  At Paige's words, Luke stepped off the deck and back into the kitchen, reeling from what he'd just heard Paige say. He still held the mug of coffee he'd been bringing out to Paige. She loved him. She'd whispered it to her mother, huddling over the phone in case he was awake. Which he most certainly was.

  "Holy shit." He set the coffee on the table and leaned on it, his head hanging down in stunned disbelief.

  Paige appeared in the kitchen suddenly, the phone dangling from her hand. "You're up."

  Luke forced a neutral expression on his face. "Yep. I poured the coffee."

  She eyed him suspiciously. "How long have you been up?"

  "Not long." He picked up the mug and handed it to her. She loved him. "I've got to go to Boston today, for a week."

  Paige's shoulders relaxed, apparently having concluded that he hadn't heard her talking to her mom. She sat down into one of the chairs and sipped the coffee. "Why do you have to go to Boston?"

  "I have some work there that I've got to take care of. Plus, I need to give a report on how things are going up here." He truly did have to go to Boston, but he was also grateful for a break from Paige. He needed time to think, away from her influence. His mind was totally scrambled after the last eighteen hours. "Can you watch Muffin for the week?"

  Her face didn't hide her disappointment. "You won't take him with you?"

  "It's just for a week. It'll be easier if I don't have to worry about him. I don't want to leave him home all day. I can't bring him to work."

  "Yeah, I guess you can't." She didn't look like she believed his excuse. "When are you leaving?"

  "As soon as I get my stuff packed. I have a meeting this afternoon."

  "Why didn't you tell me you were going? Am I supposed to take it as a coincidence that you have to take off right after we—"

  "Hey. Stop that." He leaned across the table and kissed her. "Before last night, there wasn't a reason that I would've told you I had to leave for a week, was there?"

  She pursed her lips. "No, not really."

  "I'll be back. And then we'll talk. Okay?"

  She managed a smile that didn't reach her eyes. "Fine."

  His heart ached. "Paige. Stop being like this."

  She folded her arms across her chest. "Sorry. I'm human. It feels wrong that you're taking off today."

  Luke saw the pain in her face, and he felt desperate. "Want to come with me?"

  "What?"

  He grabbed her hand. "Come with me. It's just a week. Bring Bandit. You and the dogs can hang out while I'm at work, and we can see the city at night."

  "To Boston?"

  "Yeah. Will you come?" Suddenly, he didn't want a break from her. He wanted to take her back with him, to assimilate her into his world. Why hadn't he thought of that before? He could have everything, his work and her. "Just for the week. You might like it. You might want to go back again. I have a dinner tomorrow night with some partners from my firm. You could come with me..."

  "No, thanks." She pulled her hand out of his and stood up, nearly knocking over the chair in her haste. "I have a bunch of stuff going on this week, so it really wouldn't work. But you told me that you aren't trying to avoid me, so that's good." She grabbed a potholder. "Want a cinnamon roll?"

&
nbsp; Luke walked over and put his hands around her waist, forcing her to face him. "What's going on with you, Paige? Why are you afraid of going with me?"

  She wouldn't look at him. "I'm not afraid of going with you."

  "Then what? Are you scared of Boston? It's a nice city, not so big."

  She pushed away and went over to the oven. "Please. I'm not scared of Boston." She pulled the rolls from the oven and set them on the stove, her hand shaking so badly she almost dropped the pan. "You should go, Luke."

  He studied her, trying to figure out what was making her so skittish. "You think you won't fit in with the lawyers at my firm?"

  She made an awkward sound, like a choking duck and shot a startled look at him.

  Luke knew he'd hit the truth, or at least near it. "Oh, come on. You're every bit as smart as any of them, and you're much more interesting. They'll love you."

  Paige whirled around to face him, her skin ashen. "You have no idea about me, so leave me alone. I'm not going to Boston with you, and I'm certainly not going to dinner with your colleagues. Just leave it at that."

  He watched her fumble with the rolls, nearly burning her hand on them as she threw them onto a plate. "Paige?"

  "I'll keep your dog for the week, Luke. I'm happy to take Muffin. It sounds great to me."

  "Thanks," he said cautiously. "Can I stay for breakfast?"

  "No." She grabbed a paper towel and set a roll in it. "You can have takeout this morning."

  "I'd rather eat here."

  "You can't."

  "Why?"

  She leaned against the counter and folded her arms over her chest. "I have a question for you, Luke."

  "Yeah?"

  "Would you ever move here?"

  "To New Hampshire?" He could tell from the look on her face that she was serious. Too serious.

  "Uh huh."

  He paused for a long moment before answering. He wanted to find a way to make it work, to somehow have everything he'd found in the last few months, but he couldn't see an out. "I can't leave my job."