Mission accomplished.
“I need to get home to my dog.” Kendall rose to her feet.
“I’ll walk you out,” Julian said. He led her to the door, his big hand on the small of her back.
Whenever he touched her that way, he never failed to make her feel delicate and important.
He stepped into the hall and shut the door behind them, pulling her into his arms and sealing his lips over hers. He kissed her, his tongue sliding inside. She moaned, threading her fingers into his hair and holding him tight, fully aware of every glide of his mouth over hers and the meeting of their tongues.
He pressed her against the wall, his body aligning with hers, his erection grinding against her stomach.
The sound of a door slamming penetrated her consciousness.
“Take it inside,” a male voice said, sounding annoyed.
Kendall’s cheeks heated as the neighbor walked by.
“Sorry,” Julian muttered, one arm braced over her shoulder, against the wall behind her.
“Are you?” she asked, her body still buzzing from that heated, sensual kiss.
“No.” He grinned and brushed his lips over hers once more.
She laughed.
“I’ll walk you down to get a taxi,” he said, grabbing her ass for a quick squeeze.
She blushed and shot him a faux dirty look. And wondered when the last time was that she’d been this happy. The answer came to her immediately.
Never.
* * *
For someone who spent life spiraling between highs and lows, regular old everyday happiness was a scary thing to face. Kendall woke up in the mornings excited for the day but not soaring and in search of another, bigger high. In the normal scheme of things, she was working, planning for the future, and learning she could live a fulfilling life. Julian had added a dimension she hadn’t considered, and she definitely spent a good amount of her therapy time discussing his return.
Her doctor, true to form, didn’t offer an opinion one way or another, but asked probing questions that led her to look at all sides of her own behavior and choices, that she thought about as she spent the morning at work cleaning up the cages.
And there was a lot to clean. It seemed if one dog got sick, another did, too, even if the illnesses were unrelated. The local vet who volunteered came by and checked everyone out, administering medication and fluids where needed.
She hadn’t planned on a boyfriend. A man who was willing to integrate his life with hers, to accept her, flaws and all… just as she was accepting him. But for every minute of happiness, she had a few moments of can this be real? She realized that he’d contributed to that fear and the fact that she now trusted him scared her.
She washed her hands well with a lavender-scented antibacterial wash and returned to the front room to find Lauren Cantone talking to Josie.
“Lauren!” Kendall walked over, and Lauren gave her a hug.
“I told you I’d be by.”
Kendall smiled. “I’m so glad you’re here.”
“Don’t tell Brian. If he knew I didn’t bring him along with me, he’d be so upset. But if I brought him, he’d fall in love, and be begging me to bring a dog home tonight.”
“I totally understand.”
“You aren’t looking for a dog?” Josie asked from her seat at her desk.
“We were waiting until we sold our apartment, and this past weekend we got an offer and accepted! We also found a house we love. It’s all moving so fast, but we’ve been ready for a long time.” Excitement shone in her brown eyes. “I thought I’d come say hi to you and look at the dogs.”
“My favorite thing.” And at least it was all clean inside, Kendall thought wryly.