The vet came out into the waiting room a few minutes later, studying a chart as he entered.
“How is she?” Christine leaned forward, clutching her hands tight in front of her.
“She’s showing signs of poisoning, although I can’t narrow down what could have caused it at this point. We’ve given her activated charcoal and IV fluids. You said on the phone she hadn’t gotten into anything hazardous?”
Christine shook her head. “Unless it was something at the dog park that I didn’t see. I’ve heard stories of dogs getting sick there recently but I didn’t pay much attention.”
The vet frowned. “It’s possible, I suppose. Keep her on a leash for a while.”
“So she’ll be okay?”
The older man nodded. “We’d like to keep her here overnight. She should be ready to go home in the morning, assuming there are no complications.”
“Can I see her?” Christine asked, her voice shaky.
“She’s resting,” the doctor answered gently. “It might be better if you wait until the morning. It’s a good thing you got her here as quickly as you did.”
Gavin frowned as Christine nodded. He could tell she was fighting back another round of tears.
They left the office, Christine’s features a mask of pain. “I let this happen,” she whispered as she climbed into the Audi.
“It’s not your fault,” Gavin assured her, squeezing her hands. “If some idiot put poisoned food at the dog park, there’s nothing you could have done to prevent it.”
“I was visiting with people while she ran around with the other dogs. I wasn’t watching closely enough.”
Gavin pulled the seat belt across her and fastened it. She was in no shape to take care of anything at the moment. It was painful to see Christine, who was always so quietly competent and capable, at a loss in this way.
“She’s a dog at the park,” he said, brushing the hair out of her face. “The whole point is to run around with other animals. The vet said she’s going to be okay. It was smart that you brought her in for treatment right away.”
She gave a small nod and leaned back against the seat, closing her eyes.
He got into the car and started back toward her house. They didn’t speak during the short drive, but her breathing returned to normal and she seemed slightly calmer by the time he parked at the curb.
“Thank you,” she said quietly, unbuckling her seat belt then turning to face him. “I’m sorry about the date.” She shrugged. “Maybe we can take a rain check for later this week?”
“You aren’t getting rid of me that easily.” He turned off the SUV. “We can order pizza or whatever you want as takeout.”
By the time he came around the front of the Audi, Christine was on the sidewalk. “I’m not great company tonight.”
“Okay.”
She threw up her hands. “Seriously, Gavin. You were such a huge help, but I’ll be fine.”
“Seriously, Christine.” He reached out and brushed his thumb along the track of a tear that had dried on her cheek. “I wanted to hang out with you tonight. I still do. At least let me keep you company, since you’re having a rough time. We don’t even have to talk. Let’s just eat and watch a movie.”
“This isn’t the night you planned.”
“I planned to be with you,” he answered simply and saw her draw in a sharp breath. “Let me stay.”
She studied him for so long he felt himself wanting to fidget, but she finally nodded. “There’s a pizza place around the corner. I have a menu inside.”
“Pizza sounds great,” he said, and taking her hand, they walked toward her condo.
* * *
By the time Christine finished her third piece of pizza, she felt almost human again. Maybe she should be embarrassed about her attachment to Princess Diana, but the dog had been a faithful companion and friend for ten years. She’d been a source of unconditional love and had seen Christine through several lousy boyfriends and always made her feel better about the strained relationship she had with her family. Everyone loved Di, even her unemotional father.
“She’s going to be fine.” Gavin repeated his words from earlier, as if reading her mind. She still couldn’t believe how readily he’d pitched in to help with her dog and then comfort her. Sure, she could have managed, but it had been nice for once to feel like she wasn’t alone.
“I know,” she answered. “I just miss her. Other than when I’m away she’s always with me at night.” She thunked her palm against her forehead. “That sounds pathetically like my dog and I are codependent.”
He flashed a grin. “Dogs are great. My roommate in college had a husky, and I loved hanging on the couch with that furry beast.”
“You don’t have any pets?” she asked, taking a sip from her second beer of the night.
“Nah. I like animals but I travel a decent amount. It doesn’t seem fair.”
“You could get a goldfish.”
“I’ll keep that in mind,” he told her with a chuckle.
They cleaned up the dishes, empty beer bottles and the pizza box, and then moved to the sofa in her family room. “Are you sure you’re okay with a boring night of television?”
“Being with you isn’t boring,” Gavin answered and the sincerity in his tone made her heart skip a beat. He sat close to her on the couch, and it felt natural to cuddle into him as they watched an action flick playing on one of the cable channels.
“Can I ask you a question?” His voice was a soft rumble against the top of her head.
“Sure.”
“Why don’t you have a boyfriend?”
She tried to stay relaxed but felt her body stiffen. Lifting her head from where it had been resting on his shoulder, she scooted away. “I haven’t met the right guy,” she answered, hoping that would be enough.
“I remember saying the exact same thing to you,” he told her, raising a brow. “You didn’t let me get away with it.”
“But you’re much kinder than me,” she said hopefully.
He laughed. “Try again. When was the last time you were in a serious relationship?”
“I dated a guy in Houston for about two years, but we broke up before I moved back to Austin.”
He whistled softly. “Two years is a long time.”
She shrugged.
“What went wrong?”
“Well...” She took a deep breath and thought about how to answer that question. “He wanted a schedule for...um...when we’d be together.”
“When you’d go out?”
“When we’d be together.” Color rushed to her cheeks. “In the biblical sense.”
Gavin’s eyes widened, and Christine wished for the ground to open up and swallow her whole. Why hadn’t she just stuck to a vague version of the truth? They’d grown apart or wanted different things in life.
“He was a math teacher at a local community college, so logic and order were important to him. He created algorithms for our relationship and part of that was a schedule for the optimal timing of...you know.”
“I know.” Gavin nodded then quickly shook his head. “But I’m having trouble believing you.”
“Maybe I shouldn’t have made such a big deal about it,” she said, echoing what her mother had said when Christine admitted to her the reason for the breakup. “I’m not exactly known to be adventurous. I’ve eaten the same type of cereal every day for breakfast for as long as I can remember. I’m not like you. My adventurous spirit is almost nonexistent. But that was too structured, even for me.”
“Who says you aren’t adventurous?” Gavin demanded softly.
She huffed out a harsh laugh. “No one needs to say it. Everyone knows it.”
“I don’t.”
“You will,” she countered. “You go heli-skiing and rock climbing and scuba diving.” She held up a han
d and ticked off their differences. “I’m scared of heights and speed and I can barely doggy paddle.”
“There are other adventures you could have.”
She wrapped her arms around her stomach and turned toward the television, hating the direction this conversation had taken. “At the end of the day, I’m a coward.”
“I don’t believe that.”
“You’re watching a boring movie with me and have dog fur stuck to your sweater.” She rolled her eyes. “What’s a typical date like for you in Denver?”
“Pretty similar,” he said, deadpan. “Although sometimes I go for a crazy cat lady.”
“I wish I knew how to let go and be wild.”
Gavin leaned closer. “Do you have any memory of planting a mega kiss on me in front of my sister Saturday night?”
“Yes,” she breathed.
He tipped up her chin and brushed his lips across hers. “That was not the work of a coward.”
“It was different. I got swept away in the moment...in you.”
“What’s stopping you from doing that again? Every day, even?”
“Fear,” she whispered, her eyes drifting closed.
She felt him smile against her mouth. “I love your honesty. There’s no pretense with you.”
“Too much talking,” she told him, and deepened the kiss.
He let her take control, driving the intensity and pace. She pressed closer, and he lifted her into his arms. She ended up straddling him on the couch, loving the feel of his warmth beneath her. This was why it was a bad idea to schedule intimacy. The spontaneity of her connection with Gavin was one of the things that made it so special.
Well, that and the fact that it was Gavin under her. His big hands moved up her hips then under the hem of her sweatshirt, and she moaned when he skimmed his fingers along her spine.
“Lift your arms,” he told her, and she automatically obeyed, too filled with need to bother being self-conscious. Her breasts were okay, she figured, and she’d at least had the forethought to wear a pretty bra tonight, preparing for all the possibilities before discovering Diana.
After tossing her shirt to the floor, he cupped her breasts in his hands then sighed with contentment. His thumbs grazed across her pebbled nipples, making heat pool low in her belly, but she wasn’t going to be the only one half-undressed.
She pulled away from him and started undoing the buttons of his tailored shirt. He sat back against the couch cushions, seeming content to wait for her to finish.
When she did, he leaned forward so she could push the fabric off his shoulders. He shrugged out of the shirt then yanked the T-shirt he wore underneath over his head.
Christine thought for a moment that she’d died and gone to heaven. His body was absolute perfection. His shoulders were broad and his chest a wall of hard muscle. A smattering of golden hair covered his chest, and she splayed her hands over his bare skin, gratified when she felt his heart leap under her palm, and he groaned low in his throat.
He didn’t try to hide that she affected him, even though she still had a hard time understanding why.
But now wasn’t the time for second-guessing, not with his touch driving her crazy with need. He leaned in and trailed kisses against the base of her throat, his hands snaking around her waist, pulling her up so that she was lifted to her knees. His hot mouth covered her breast and she moaned, threading her fingers through his hair as his tongue circled her nipple through the thin fabric of her bra.
It was too much and not enough at the same time. Christine wanted more, and as she had the other night, she forgot about being afraid or judged. All that filled her mind and heart was this man and how much he made her feel. How much she wanted to experience with him.
Then her phone rang, the sound like a bucket of icy water splashed over her head. She scrambled off his lap and reached for the device, which sat on the end table next to the sofa.
“Hello,” she answered and then cleared her throat.
The overnight vet tech was on the other end of the line. As Christine listened, tears pricked the backs of her eyes.
“That’s great news. Thanks for calling.”
She disconnected the call and turned to Gavin. “Di just ate a bit of food and went out to do her business. She seems much better.”
“She’s definitely on the road to recovery.”
“It sounds like it.”
“I never doubted.”
She nodded, then reached for her sweatshirt, suddenly self-conscious of sitting there in her bra.
“I should probably let you get some sleep tonight,” Gavin told her, grabbing his T-shirt from the floor and shrugging into it.
Christine wanted to whimper in protest, both at him covering that amazing body and the thought of him leaving.
Of course, he was right. As much as she wanted to throw caution to the wind and rip all his clothes off, that would be the worst idea ever. The best worst idea ever.
“Thank you for tonight,” she told him, standing and crossing her arms over her chest. “For dinner and your help and staying and...” Oh, Lord, she was babbling. She couldn’t actually thank him for kissing her, could she?
“You aren’t boring,” he said as he buttoned his collared shirt. “Or a coward.”
“Okay,” she agreed, not wanting to talk about this. Hating that she’d admitted her fears to him. She had to remember to hold a piece of herself back; a lot of pieces, if she was smart. Because if she let Gavin all the way in, it would kill her when their time together ended.
“I had a great time being spontaneous with you,” he said, his full lips curving at the corners.
That made her laugh. “Me, too.”
“Will you text me tomorrow when you pick up Princess Di? I’d like to know how she’s doing.”
“I will,” she said, and the fact that he cared about her sweet dog made her heart melt even more.
He took a step toward her, bent his head and kissed her. It felt like a promise of more, and Christine wanted all of it.
“Good night,” he whispered. “Sweet dreams.”
“Ya think?” she murmured without thinking, then blushed again as Gavin chuckled.
She locked the front door behind him, then straightened the condo and got ready for bed, missing Diana but comforted knowing the dog would be home tomorrow.
The happy glow Gavin had given her also gave a huge amount of comfort. And not just the crazy-good make-out session, although that had been...well...crazy-good. But his steady presence had made such a difference. Christine was used to doing things for herself. Even with past boyfriends, she’d remained steadfastly independent.
Her competence was her one inherent gift; at least that was how it felt growing up. She’d taken care of her family because that was the one way she knew to show love that they wouldn’t refuse. It was unfamiliar to rely on someone else, and she would never have expected Gavin to be so easy to lean on for support. It made her goal of keeping her heart out of their arrangement even trickier.
But tonight she focused on how happy he made her. Wasn’t she due for a little happiness?
Chapter Eight
By Friday Gavin’s mood was as dark as the clouds that billowed across the sky above Austin, a harbinger of an impending thunderstorm. As much as he appreciated the predominantly sunny days in Colorado, sometimes he missed a good soaking rainfall.
Although not when the skies opened up as he parked two blocks from the restaurant where he was meeting Schuyler and Everett for lunch.
He dashed from his car toward the diner situated across from the Austin Commons complex, trying to stay under the awnings of the buildings he passed. Still, he was more than a little wet when he burst through the door. Schuyler waved to him from a table near the front, and both she and Everett grinned as he slipped into his seat.
�
�Where’s your umbrella?” Schulyer asked, making a show of dabbing her napkin on the lapel of his suit coat.
“I don’t own one,” he admitted, making a mental note to find a store that sold umbrellas after lunch today.
“You’ve lived in Denver too long,” Everett told him.
Gavin rolled his eyes. “I have an ice scraper.”
His brother chuckled. “Not going to do you much good around here.”
“I’ll dry off eventually.” Now that he was seated, he glanced around the diner’s homey interior, appreciating the retro vibe of the decor. “What made you choose this place for lunch?”
“Best pie in town,” Schuyler told him.
Everett nodded. “Lila wants me to bring her home a piece of lemon meringue. And cherry. And pecan.”
“Wow.” Schuyler glanced up from her menu. “I don’t remember Lila having such a huge appetite.”
“She’s...uh...” Everett threw a look to Gavin then drew in a deep breath. “I’ll share them with her.”
“You could probably eat a whole pie on your own,” Schuyler answered absently.
As he had at Maddie’s wedding, Gavin wondered again if Lila and Everett might be expecting. But if his brother wanted to keep the news private for a while longer, he’d respect that.
“How’s Christine?” Schuyler asked after the waitress had taken their orders.
“Fine.” The truth was he hadn’t spoken to Christine since he’d left her house earlier in the week. She’d texted him an update and photos of Princess Di, who seemed to be recovering nicely. While the dog was undeniably cute, Gavin had hoped for a little more. It was strange to find himself in this role reversal. Normally with women, he was the one trying to take things slow.
He’d learned early on in his dating life that if he didn’t stay cognizant of managing expectations, he’d end up hurting women he cared about. So he’d established guidelines for himself around dating—how many times a week he could see a woman, the amount of phone calls or texts. Maybe it was cold, but he liked to think it had prevented heartache for his girlfriends and guilt for him.
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