by Leslie North
He blinked, dragging his gaze over to her. “Yeah, why?”
“You just screamed ‘fuck.’”
That was news to him. “I meant to say it in my head.”
She smirked. “Okay, pal. You need a break.”
“I’m fine.”
“What time were you up this morning?”
He couldn’t lie. “Four.”
Her eyes widened like that was the most ridiculous thing in the world. “That’s absurd. How do you even wake up that early?”
“It just happens sometimes—”
“Okay, listen. I have an idea. Just give me a minute.” She disappeared into the bedroom for a moment, and when she returned, she had her phone in her hand. “I was thinking about this yesterday but really, I think the time is now.”
“What?”
“I can’t tell you. It’s a surprise. I just need you to agree to go on a little adventure with me.”
He heaved a sigh, turning his gaze back to his laptop. His eyes immediately began burning—like his body was saying enough already.
“Yeah, sure. But just until the early afternoon. I have a conference call I can’t miss.”
“Fine. I promise, we’ll be back by then.”
Daniel shut his laptop, not failing to see the satisfied smile that stretched across her face. She disappeared into the bedroom, picking out clothes from her suitcase. Daniel opted for a quick rinse-off in the shower to maybe wake himself up more. When he came out in just a towel, he couldn’t help but notice her stiffen.
Maybe she was still thinking about last night as much as he was.
He wasn’t sure if it was the sleep deprivation or the residual sexual repression, but mischief streaked through him, fast and lurid. Once he was in front of his walk-in closet, he let his towel crumple around his feet.
His skin prickled like she was watching, but he wouldn’t turn around to prove himself right or wrong. He just wanted to cast the first stone. To see if he could get the water choppy again—maybe even riled up enough to lead to something wild.
Daniel pulled on a pair of briefs, followed by jeans and a casual black tee. He didn’t often get to dress down. When he came out of the closet, Jackie’s gaze was stuck on him.
“Wow. It’s weird to see you dressed for the day without a tie on.”
“Should I go back to business attire?”
“No, no.” She waved her hands in front of her, eyes glued to his jeans. “This is fine.”
He smirked, feeling the same about her little mauve romper. Except it was more than fine.
“You ready to go?” she asked. “Remember, you can’t take your laptop. You’ll be back by early afternoon.”
“Got it, Jackie. Should I call a driver?”
“Yes, please.” She sent him a sweet smile as they began a slow walk out of the room and down the hall. Blake came out of his room then, his eyebrows lifting.
“Wow. Hey, you two. Where you heading?”
“Just talking Daniel on a little date,” Jackie said.
“Why the ‘wow’?” Daniel asked.
“Because you don’t look like you’re headed to a boardroom for once,” Blake said, clapping him on the arm. “Congrats, Jackie, you’re the only one who’s been able to get him out of work mode.”
The little grin on her face dissolved some of his annoyance. “We’ll meet up with you all at dinner.”
“Gotcha. Have fun, you two.” Blake waggled his eyebrows before he left in the opposite direction. By the time they made it to the front of the villa, the hired car was just rounding the corner.
“How many drivers do you have?” Jackie asked, scrunching her brow as a different car pulled up to take them.
“It’s a local service,” Daniel explained. “They’re on call for us during the wedding week, twenty-four-seven.”
“Wow. So you’re part of the league of personal drivers,” Jackie cracked as they both got into the back seat of the cushy sedan. When the driver asked where they were heading, Jackie leaned forward over the console to talk in a very hushed voice, showing him something on her phone. As amusing as it was, it offered him an exceptional view of her ass that he enjoyed while he could. He was a breath away from squeezing another handful of her perfect ass when she sank back into her seat.
“Okay. Secret mission is underway.”
Their drive through Napa Valley was full of gorgeous sights, which Jackie announced nearly every time she saw something beautiful. Vineyards, of course, but also unique clusters of trees, as well as sprawling patches of flowers. Just being around her helped him relax.
He was surprised when the driver pulled into a plaza; it felt like they’d only been in the car for a few minutes, but really it had been over a half hour.
“Okay. I think my secret is revealing itself already,” Jackie said with a laugh. She led him by the hand down a neatly paved stone pathway to a huge building in the middle of the plaza. Part of the building was flanked by patio chairs and little round tables, where people drank coffee in the cool morning air.
On the front of building, in bold black letters, read: PUPPY CAFÉ.
“What is this?” Daniel asked.
“Oh, so you haven’t heard of these before? Excellent. Come on, you’ll see.” She tugged him faster behind her, and when they broke into the cool air of the building, everything became clear.
On one side of the building, there was a traditional coffee shop, with baked goods and curling lines and plenty of patrons seated at tables in business meetings or with friends.
On the other side of the building was a free-for-all puppy play area. Tiny, fluffy fur balls bounced back and forth across padded floors, while all sorts of people—young kids, students, even elderly grandmothers—were in various stages of puppy playtime: kneeling down, petting the pups, or rolling around with the little roughhousers.
“It’s a café where you can come and play with puppies!” Jackie explained excitedly as she led him to the puppy side. “After we talked last night, I searched and realized how close by this place was! I knew we had to come.”
Daniel stood staring at the puppies, digesting the excited yips, before he looked down at Jackie’s excited face. Warmth filled him from head to toe, and he wasn’t sure what gutted him more: the prospect of playing with puppies for the next hour or two, or the fact that Jackie had cared enough about him to want him to experience this.
“So?” Jackie prompted. “What side should we start on?”
“Obviously the puppies,” Daniel said.
And this time he was the one to grab her hand and lead the way.
Jackie would never get tired of watching this. Daniel, on his hands and knees, shoving his face into the furry face of one particular rough-and-tumble chocolate lab puppy. The little critter had even sunk his teeth into Daniel’s forearm on one occasion, and Daniel had cooed like it was the sweetest thing on earth.
Daniel was so smitten with the puppy playland that he hadn’t even noticed when Jackie had gone to the coffee side for a quick caffeine break. His coffee still sat untouched on a tall table along the wall from over a half hour ago.
“Come here,” Daniel said, waving her over. “Look. He already knows his name. Scoooooter.”
Jackie smiled as she got down on her knees beside Daniel. “Scooter? Do you know that’s your name?”
The puppy yipped enthusiastically, looking between both of them.
“See? He knows. He’s Scooter.”
“We should take him back with us,” Jackie said, nudging him. It would be her dream, as long as they could share the responsibilities of raising the sweet thing. Which, of course, would never happen. Apparently, the only place she could ever own a dog would be in her dreams.
“Oh, my God. I would adopt Scooter on the spot if I didn’t have to leave for the next two weeks after this wedding.”
His words were a cold splash of water, but she tried not to let them affect her. Luckily, Scooter turned his attention to her and started snuf
fling the side of her arms and legs. She giggled, falling backward as Scooter climbed into her lap, showering her with puppy kisses.
“He loves you,” Daniel said.
“I think he loves you more.”
Scooter climbed higher, which forced Jackie onto her back. She giggled as Scooter walked over her chest, licking her face nonstop.
“I don’t think I can move until Scooter decides it’s time,” she said.
Daniel rested his head on his palm as he stretched out on the floor beside her. “That’s okay. He’s calling the shots now.”
The two of them laughed as Scooter nuzzled into her neck and then began tugging at the strap of her romper. Jackie shouted out, reaching for the strap—which was only a simple knot at her collar bone—just as Daniel tried to redirect Scooter to something else.
“He’s trying to take my clothes off,” Jackie said between laughs.
“Don’t be bad, Scooter! You’re a puppy.” Daniel lifted Scooter off, setting him onto the ground. “Let men take off her clothes, not dogs.”
Jackie’s laughter petered out as his words hit her. Scooter contented himself with sniffing along the length of her legs, and she watched Daniel watching them for a moment. Wondering if he meant that was something that he might want to do. For real.
“Hopefully not just any man,” she teased.
Daniel’s blue gaze raked over her, his heartbreaker smile lingering on his lips. He reached over suddenly and plucked something from her cleavage, then tossed aside a tuft of dog hair.
“You were saving that for later, weren’t you?”
She snickered. Her skin burned from where his fingertips had grazed her. God, if only this man wanted to take off her clothes. She still wondered if last night’s touches had been the act she’d demanded, or something more. The practical side of her was afraid to hope.
Scooter bounded over then, knocking Jackie to the floor as he licked her face endlessly. Daniel eventually scooped up the little guy and cuddled him.
“Jackie, let’s take him back to the villa with us. I’ll deal with Grayson. You can handle Mila. We can make him the ring bearer.”
Jackie shook with laughter as she watched Daniel rock Scooter back and forth in his arms. This tall, broad, business tycoon was a secret softie when it came to dogs, and it was impossible not to melt all around him as he showed his true colors.
They hung out with Scooter a little more before reluctantly prying themselves away once it was time to leave. Jackie offered to get Daniel another coffee—since his first one was ice cold and untouched—before they left.
In lieu of a response, Daniel wrapped his arms around her, pulling her into a bear hug. Her cheek smashed against the hard plane of his chest and all she could do was clutch onto his sturdy frame.
“Thanks, Jackie,” he murmured into the top of her head. “You’re really the best, you know that? Nobody’s ever done something like that for me.”
His words warmed her, all the way down to her deepest, most vulnerable parts—the parts she fought to keep secure and isolated. “Aw, come on. Really?”
“Really.” He placed a quick kiss on the top of her head and loosened his grip. But he didn’t push her away. So she stayed in his arms. Gazing up at him, taking him in while she had the chance.
“So on a scale of one to relaxed, where do you fall?” she asked, pinching his side. It was an intimate act she usually reserved for best friends or boyfriends, but with Daniel, the tiny gestures just tumbled out of her.
“Level 40 relaxed.”
“Oooh. That’s not even on the charts. We broke the scale. I consider that a success.”
“Blazing success,” Daniel confirmed as they started a slow walk to the coffee shop, his arm still slung over her shoulders. “Five-star review.”
Jackie fought to bite back her grin. There was something deeply satisfying about reaching Daniel’s soft spot. It just made her want to continue showing this man the ways in which he could relax and enjoy life. “For the puppy café?”
“No. For you.” Daniel’s eyes crinkled at the edges as he smiled down at her. And as she got lost in the deep blue waters of his gaze, she could hear the distant echo of her logical mind telling her look away, cool down, he’s not for you.
But it was harder and harder to hear it over the heavy thrum of her heart.
7
Once dinner rolled around that evening, Daniel was humming to himself as he headed to the resort restaurant. After blocking off the afternoon to work, the official plan was to meet his friends and Jackie for an amazing dinner—which he hoped to enjoy this time—and continue the wedding revelry.
But his unofficial plan was slightly more complex. Because it involved figuring out how to get Jackie’s legs back around his waist.
The visit to the puppy café had worked wonders. Thanks to that pit stop, he felt like he’d gotten a full night’s sleep. She’d managed to dissolve the wrought-iron tension snaking through him, something that even therapists and golf outings and too much alcohol hadn’t been able to achieve.
Jackie was magic. And he couldn’t wait to see her again.
When he strolled into the moodily lit restaurant, he could already see the spread of tables for the wedding party. And without even trying, his gaze landed on Jackie.
Her punky, dark short hair. The huge, unique gemstones dangling from her lobes. The tattoo snaking down her left bicep, which he now could verify was part wolf, part condor. The shiny black sleeveless dress she wore, which didn’t give a hint of cleavage but clung to her body in just the right ways to make him desperate for more.
“Here’s our Delayed Daniel!” Grayson shouted, raising his wine glass.
“Not delayed today,” Daniel said. “Just perfectly on time.” As he slid into his seat, he pressed a kiss to Jackie’s cheek. She sent him a private smile, reaching out for his hand beneath the table.
“I’m glad you’re not late,” Jackie murmured, softly enough to seem intimate but loud enough for the others to here, “because I missed you.”
A chorus of ‘awww’s erupted from their table. Daniel couldn’t fight the grin as he found all eyes on them.
“What? Can’t a man enjoy his girlfriend’s sweet nothings without an audience?” he teased.
“You’re putting the honeymoon before the wedding,” Blake cracked.
“We put a few things before the wedding too,” Grayson said, which made Mila burst out into laughter.
Daniel grinned as he watched his best friend and his fiancée. They shared a warm look, and then a passionate kiss. He never knew what to expect for himself or his friends…but now that Grayson was at Mila’s side, about to become a father, he realized it made sense. A little too much sense.
And part of him wondered if he would have the same things to look forward to. Maybe not the baby-first approach, but warmth. The steadiness. The we’re in this together companionship that Grayson and Mila exuded.
Jackie squeezed his hand, looking up at him like she was trying to read his mind. As he got lost in her green gaze, he realized that Jackie was exactly the sort of person he could really see himself with. He believed they could create something amazing together.
Hell, he hadn’t even considered it a possibility until she forced him out of work mode and to stop and smell the puppies.
With Jackie, he knew almost immediately that she was different from the rest. But more than that, they had almost immediately formed a familiarity, an innate intimacy that was hard to overlook. He’d felt it from the beginning at his penthouse, before any of this cropped up.
“You look like you’re somewhere else,” Jackie whispered. Ever the attentive sidekick.
He grinned, rubbing his hand over the small of her back. “I’m right here.”
“What were you thinking about?”
“Nothing important.” Even though it felt like some of the most important stuff of his life. Because it had to do with the rest of his life. What his future might look like now th
at he was considering letting in…someone. Letting ‘something more’ flourish.
“You’re not a very good liar,” she whispered, squeezing his knee.
A laugh burst out of him. “You’re too good at noticing things.”
“Promise me you’ll tell me later?”
He nodded, and without thinking, without even deciding, he leaned down and brushed his lips against hers. Her eyes fluttered shut, and when they broke apart, she looked more than pleased.
“It’s hard to resist you, even when you potentially ruin my lipstick.”
He laughed. “You’re safe. For now. Though I can’t promise I won’t ruin it later.”
Something flashed in her eyes, causing his words to ring in his ears. Were they acting? Was she? He certainly wasn’t. And every inch of him was dying to resume the ‘practice’ they’d started last night.
The server came then and took their dinner orders. Lighthearted conversation flowed, alongside wine and bread baskets. Jackie was such a natural with his friends. By day two, she already seemed as if she’d known these people forever. She was a social butterfly, easily getting others to open up and share—but he’d noticed she played her own cards very close to the chest. It just made him more curious to know everything about her.
Once dinner was wrapped up and dessert orders were placed, Jackie looked over at him, bright-eyed and happy.
“I’m gonna head to the bathroom. Then do you want to take a walk with me?”
“I’d love to.” He’d never meant the words more. A simple evening of bathing in Jackie’s presence seemed like the perfect nightcap to this day.
“Okay. Find me in that hall over there in a little bit and we can begin our nighttime tour.” She giggled before slipping away, and he watched her cute little ass as she headed for the bathrooms down a different hallway.
“I have to say, buddy,” Grayson began, addressing Daniel, “it looks like I might be losing this bet.”
“I told you,” Daniel said, lacing his fingers together over his full belly. “You shouldn’t have wagered so much.”
Grayson smirked. “What can I say? If I lose, I’ll do so gladly. She makes you happy. I can tell.”