My feelings for Blaine were growing faster and heavier every time I saw him or even talked to him on the phone. The craziness of this relationship was a bit overwhelming, but in a good way. In a way that kept me up nights, wishing he was by my side. A way that made me want to make him smile, to please him, and to be tangled in his body whenever I had the chance. I loved the way his lips felt against mine and the way his hands knew just where to touch me. He read my body like a book, and that, in itself, was arousing. Just watching him run his eyes over my body every time I saw him set a fire between my legs and in my chest. His sweet caresses and his kind words, whispered gently in my ear, made my heart flutter.
I knew that I was falling for him hard.
Maybe that was exactly what I needed, a strong man with a kind heart to sweep me off my feet. The only thing that had me worried was the story that he’d told during dinner. He had been through something incredibly scary, and I didn’t blame him at all for not wanting to be around any dog. I knew that this was definitely going to cause an issue between us. I had never told him what kind of business I owned, and he had never asked. It hadn’t even been a thought in my mind until he told me the story about him as a child. Now, I was stuck in a position where I was holding a secret that may just break the bond that we had already built. I felt really uncomfortable with this secret, like I was lying to him in some way. Animals were my life, though, and I wasn’t sure how a relationship would work with someone who hated them.
I listened as he continued to clean up in the bathroom, my spirit lowering. Suddenly, I felt completely u
ncomfortable, and everything in me wanted to leave. I couldn’t just leave, though. Not to mention the fact that I was still pretty drunk and couldn’t drive a car. It didn’t make me care about him any less. It just made me uncomfortable that I felt like I was lying to him, and I was afraid that when I told him the truth, especially now, it was going to ruin everything. This situation had gone from perfect to really complicated, really fast. Damn it, I should have known nothing was meant to be this good for this long.
I looked up as he came out of the bathroom and smiled at me, leaning over and kissing me on the forehead. I turned over and sat up in the bed, leaning my back against the headboard. Now was not the time to tell him, especially since my brain was feeling really fuzzy from the wine and the sex. He walked around the bed, looking at me suspiciously before jumping in and scooting beside me.
“You okay?”
“Yeah,” I said, forcing a smile. “Just a bit drunk, that’s all.”
“I can get you some water if you want some,” he said, rubbing the top of my head.
“No, I’m okay,” I replied. “Can I ask you a question?”
“Sure,” he said happily.
“Have you ever dated a girl with a dog?”
“Oh, no,” he said, chuckling. “Why? Do you have a dog at your place?”
“At my place?” I shook my head. “No, I don’t have a dog at my place. I was just curious.”
In reality, I wasn’t lying. I didn’t have my own dog at my apartment. However, what I did have was a business centered around kenneling dogs, cats, and many other furry friends. I had a sanctuary where I went, and until I met him, they were my sounding board and the creatures that made me feel better anytime I was having a hard time.
“So, tomorrow’s Sunday,” he said. “You want to have a lazy Sunday?”
“Oh,” I said, feeling nervous. “I wish I could, but I have a whole lot of things I’ve been neglecting in my personal life. I think I’m going to take a ‘me’ day.”
“Does a ‘me’ day mean I can’t call?”
“No,” I said with a nervous laugh. “You can call.”
“Good,” he said, satisfied with my answer. “For now, how about we switch on the television and see what’s on?”
“Perfect,” I said, feeling a bit better that I could have some time to clear my head and think about this problem from a sober point of view.
For that moment though, I snuggled up to Blaine and rested my head on his shoulder as he stopped the television on Demolition Man and sat excitedly watching. He was everything I wanted in a partner, but the fact that he hated animals was a huge issue for me. At the same time, I could see how the fact that I loved animals, and they were my life, would be a seriously huge issue for him. If it was just the fact that I was fond of dogs, it wouldn’t be that big of a deal, but I owned a business where I made dogs, and other cuddly creatures, my life’s work. I didn’t want to tell him. I didn’t want to think it was possible that something like this could have such a massive impact on our relationship.
I took a deep breath and snuggled down in the bed, deciding to put it out of my mind for that night and enjoy lying next to him in bed. I knew that there was a chance that this would be the last time I got to do this, and I wanted to remember exactly how amazing it really was.
Chapter 17
Blaine
The sun was shining, it was an exceptionally gorgeous day outside, and I was shocked that I woke up without any hangover at all. For someone who helped down two bottles of wine and about half a case of beer, I assumed that I would feel like roadkill that morning. I walked around the house, whistling, and cleaning up from the night before. Reese was already gone, having left early that morning, and in a rather big hurry. She didn’t offer any explanation for the fact that she rushed out without even really saying goodbye, but I didn’t take it personally. I figured that she either had plans or it was something to do with her job.
I stopped what I was doing and looked up, trying to remember what she actually did for a living. I knew she told me that she owned her own business, something she had started right after high school with her best friend, but I didn’t think she actually ever told me what kind of business it was. Either way, no matter what business a person owned, there were always unexpected things that occurred that forced the owner to rush off to take care of them. I shrugged my shoulders and continued cleaning up.
It was going to be a long day if I didn’t keep myself busy, and since I rarely had time to really get in a good workout anymore, I figured that would be the first item of business on my agenda for the day. I loaded the dishwasher and threw on some tennis shoes, making my way to my home gym where I jumped on the treadmill and went to town, blasting the music through the house. Afterward, I headed over to the weight bench, realizing that I was going to need to start working out a little bit more. My arms were pretty weak these days. I had never been obsessed. I was never a gym rat, but I liked to stay in shape. It made my life easier.
After the gym, I jumped into the shower and washed away the remnants of the night before, and all the sweat from my workout. The smell of my body wash filled the bathroom, waking me up further and adding to my happy-go-lucky mood. When I was done, fully dressed, and feeling clean, I headed out to the kitchen to make a smoothie and oatmeal for breakfast. I sat at the breakfast bar in the kitchen and scrolled through my phone, looking at the different sensational headlines on the news. I closed out the news app and sent Reese a message, letting her know that I was thinking about her and seeing if she was having a good day.
I continued through the day, deciding to catch up on some sports for a bit and just relax. I knew I had a ton of stuff I could catch up on with work, but I wasn’t quite ready to get to that yet. Staring at the television for a few hours definitely chilled out my mind, and before I knew it, it was lunchtime. I flipped off the TV and stood up, stretching high into the air and looking out at the Philly skyline. Reese crossed my mind, and I dug into my pocket and pulled out my phone, realizing she never answered me back from earlier. I shrugged my shoulders and sent her another text before walking into my home office and sitting down behind the computer.