It was only a few seconds later when Addie and her friends turned and headed toward the bleachers. Ronnie moved slightly, giving Kayla a little more room on the bench. Somehow, Ronnie sneaking kisses from her when Addie wasn’t paying attention made the excitement harder to handle.
“How was your trip?” he asked.
“You kiss me like that and then in the next breath ask about my trip?” She paused to collect herself. “Um, it was good,” she managed.
“The trip or my kiss?” he asked.
“Both. But honestly? The kiss was better than the trip.”
“Keep moving those sexy lips of yours, saying things like that, and we’ll end up under the bleachers before halftime.” He looked over at her to judge her reaction. If he kept talking and grinning like that she’d drag him under the bleachers….
In the first half of the game the football team got their butts handed to them, but the girls cheered correctly. Much like the previous week, they would look to Ronnie before starting a new cheer. Addie’s friend Kaitlyn would occasionally hold up one or two fingers and Ronnie would nod and smile at her. Whatever their coach was doing was working. It was hard to believe only a week had passed because the difference in the group was amazing.
When halftime hit, the girls headed out to the middle of the field along with the boys who had been hanging around them earlier. A song played and all the kids began doing dance moves and then broke out to run and do flips. They looked incredible, and the crowd expressed appreciation of the team’s efforts. The football game might be a lost cause, but the girls and boys on the field cheering were having fun and looked great doing it. At the end of the song, they did a small stunt that included Addie being tossed up in the air and caught by two of the boys while another boy stood behind her in case she fell.
“That was awesome! Their coach must have decided to actually coach them, huh?” she asked Ronnie.
He smiled and said, “Something like that.”
The second half of the game would have been positively torturous if not for the cheerleaders who kept the crowd rooting for the team up until the buzzer signaled the game was over. As the bleachers began to empty out, Kayla was surprised at how many parents and students said something to Ronnie or at least waved and smiled. Unlike her, Ronnie obviously made friends easily. After a while, he headed toward the sideline and was stopped by several students.
Addie and Kaitlyn ran over to where Kayla stood. “Can Addie spend the weekend with me? My parents will be home the whole time. We’re going to finalize all the stunts and dance moves for the competition,” Kaitlyn said.
“I know you’ve been gone all week. I miss you! But I will be home by noon on Sunday and we’ll spend the rest of the day together. Please, Mom?” Addie begged. “I got a good report card.”
Knowing the kind of trouble she’d been in at their ages, Kayla said, “Let me talk to your parents, Kaitlyn, so I can be sure they don’t mind two giggling girls for the entire weekend.”
When Kaitlyn called her mother over she approved of the girls’ plans. Addie hugged Kayla goodbye and the two girls followed Kaitlyn’s parents out of the gate leading to the parking lot. Looking around for Ronnie, Kayla noticed him talking to the group of boys who had done the dance and stunts with the girls during halftime. A few other boys walked over and shook Ronnie’s hand, joining the conversation, before they all finally took off and Ronnie turned and headed back to Kayla.
“Where’s Addie?” Ronnie asked as he approached.
“Spending the weekend with Kaitlyn,” Kayla replied.
“Want to meet the owner of Man Maid?” he asked. “I promised him I would stop off and see Sergeant Buck after the game and have a beer or two with him, but knowing you’re all alone tonight… I’d like to spend a little time with you, too. You might not have missed me but I missed you. Are you interested?”
“I don’t know. I’d hate to fall apart over Sergeant Buck in front of your friend. I’m humiliated enough that you were a witness to it,” she admitted.
“I expected better of you, Kayla. Discriminating against a veteran is just…shameful,” he said with one of his grins.
“Ronnie,” she admonished.
“What do I have to do to convince you to give Sergeant Buck a chance and to give me a couple hours of your free time tonight?”
“I’ve been terrified of dogs for…forever. To be honest, I’m even more afraid of Sergeant Buck than of a normal-sized dog. I’m just not sure there is anything you can do to change that,” she replied. “Believe me, I try to rationalize with myself. Not all dogs are mean and vicious. Not all dogs bite. But then I see one and the fear just comes right back.”
Taking her hand, Ronnie pulled her out to the parking lot and over to his truck. He backed her up against the driver’s door and cupped her face in his hands. Then he kissed her.
The kiss was intense. She felt like she was melting into the door of his truck as he rubbed his thumbs along her cheeks and moved his lips over hers. She slid her hands up his chest, but just before she could slide them around his neck to get even closer, he again grabbed her wrists to stop her. He flattened her hands against the truck door, released her mouth and kissed a trail of fire down her neck to her collarbone.
Nipping the sensitive area with his teeth, he whispered, “Good night then, Kayla.”
Pulling away, he grinned and then completely released her and stepped back. He was using his incredible seduction abilities to convince her to go with him. But Buck was huge! Could she spend any length of time around such a big dog without being completely uncomfortable the whole time? She stepped away from his truck as he walked around and opened the passenger door for her. He gave her a look, as if daring her to get in.
This was so not a good idea. But what the hell? She hadn’t done anything crazy or potentially dangerous in so long—she was due, right?
Putting her purse in ahead of her, she climbed up onto the bench seat and situated herself in the middle.
When he climbed up into the seat next to her, she said, “Do you think my car will be okay here for a couple of hours?”
“Yeah, I’ll make sure both you and your car get home safely. Call it curbside service by Ronnie.” He smiled.
“You are just not going to let that go, are you?” She laughed.
“No, at least not until after our full-service date tomorrow,” he said, leaning over and kissing her again. “You taste so good and your mouth is incredibly soft. I can’t seem to quit doing this.”
“Well, if we keep doing this we’re going to end up under the bleachers before we ever make it out of here.” She smiled against his mouth.
“I don’t think so.” He smiled back and kissed her one last time. “I should at least get dinner and a movie first…and that’s not until tomorrow, remember?”
“You should get dinner and a movie first?” she said in mock outrage.
“Don’t worry. I’ll work off every bit of it afterward. I promise, I’m worth it,” he said with a wink.
His grin wasn’t the only thing sinful about him. After starting the truck and putting it in drive, he put his arm along the back of the seat—and around her—while he drove with his other hand. She couldn’t help but smile at the picture they must have made. At the moment she didn’t care what anyone else thought. Her belly was alive with anticipation and excitement. She felt lighthearted and carefree for the first time in a long time. He was worth it—every bit of money she’d spent to hire him and then some.
Soon enough they pulled into the driveway of a small ranch-style home, and he got out, held the door open for her and led her by her hand up to the front door. A stocky man who appeared to be about the same age as Ronnie answered the door with Buck at his feet. The dog whined upon seeing her then sat down and turned his face from her, glancing at her from time to time out of the corner of his eye. The dog almost looked intimidated by her presence…if that was possible. She always thought German Shepherds were supposed to be smart
and protective dogs. This one seemed to be the one in need of protecting—from what, she wasn’t sure.
“On days when you don’t take him to school for the kids’ practice, this is what I’m stuck with,” the man said, pointing to Buck.
“Sergeant Hawkins, this is Kayla Clark,” Ronnie said in reply.
“Oh, I’m sorry,” the man replied, holding his hand out to Kayla. “Rusty. It’s just Rusty now, no Sergeant anymore.”
She shook the man’s hand and he led her into a small living room that opened to a dining room. The configuration made the house appear larger than it really was. Two other men sat on the couch having a beer. One of the men was even bigger than Ronnie, but appeared to be younger. The other man looked like a male model, complete with fashionable clothes and green eyes that carried secrets.
“The big dummy is Ian and the pretty boy is Seth,” Ronnie said by way of introductions. “Guys, this is Kayla Clark.”
Seth jumped up and offered her his seat then headed into the kitchen with Buck in tow and came back carrying two beers. Seth handed one of the beers to Ronnie and then made a show of unscrewing the cap of the second bottle in the crease of his arm, smiling at her the whole time. Afterward he handed her the opened beer. Pretty boy was apparently a flirt, as well…. Geesh.
“Aw, Pole, that’s so nice. For that you can sit on my lap instead of on the floor with Buck where dogs belong,” Ian said.
“No, thanks. Buck smells better than you, bro,” Seth replied.
Buck edged his way a little closer to where Ronnie sat next to her on the couch, nudging his head under Ronnie’s hand to receive the reassuring attention he was after. Buck continued to look at her out of the corner of his eye, much as she did him. Perhaps she had scared Buck with her fainting spell as badly as he had scared her. Could dogs be afraid?
The guys were watching a show, intermittently talking among themselves. The longer she sat there attempting not to worry about a dog that was easily the size of Addie, the more she relaxed. As she loosened up, the dog also seemed to relax.
“How about a game of euchre, boys?” Rusty asked.
“Kayla’s a little nervous around Buck,” Ronnie explained.
“Buck, down,” Rusty said.
Buck slowly moved over to a large pillow and lay down on it, releasing a big sigh.
“There, problem solved,” Rusty said.
“Go ahead, I’m okay as long as he stays over there,” she said in response to the questioning look Ronnie gave her.
The guys moved to the table behind the couch, and she watched television and listened to them talk and joke with each other. She had been chilled from the cool fall evening at the game, and she finally began to warm up a little bit. She snuggled into the fluffy couch. Warmth invaded, she relaxed and dozed off.
* * *
Ronnie glanced over at the couch and could no longer see Kayla’s head. Looking over to Buck’s pillow, he saw it was empty. A small shiver of fear raced through him. What if Buck had gone over to Kayla and she’d fainted again and he’d been too distracted to notice? The game had only taken a half hour, if that. Getting up from his chair, he walked over to the couch and nearly had a heart attack.
Buck lay curled up in the seat that Ronnie had vacated and Kayla lay on top of the dog, snuggled up like he was a favorite blanket. Both were sleeping. Turning to the guys, he held his finger up to his mouth and they quieted down.
How would he wake Kayla without her freaking out when she noticed she was sleeping on top of the thing she feared most? Thankfully, her soft breathing gave away the fact that she slept rather than having fainted.
As he walked around to the front of the couch, Buck lifted his head. “Buck, stay,” Ronnie said quietly.
Buck lay his head back down and Ronnie knelt beside the two as he heard Ian snap a picture with his cell phone. Ronnie brushed Kayla’s hair back from her face. She looked absolutely angelic when she was sleeping. He gently rubbed the backs of his fingers down the one cheek that was not snuggled up to Buck.
When she finally opened her eyes he said, “You need to let Buck up so he can go outside. Besides, we should get going. You are more tired than I thought.”
She sat up and looked at Buck, who refused to meet her eyes. It almost seemed like he felt guilty for allowing her to snuggle up to him.
“I’m so sorry. How rude of me. I hope I didn’t hurt your dog,” she said, glancing at Buck.
“He loved every minute of it, believe me,” Ronnie said.
“Pet him, though, if you really feel the need to apologize for drooling on him,” Ian said.
Ronnie was surprised when she slowly touched the side of the dog and gave him a gentle pat. The dog lay there, allowing it. “Sorry about that, Buck,” she said quietly.
The dog sighed heavily, as though he was used to that kind of mistreatment, and Kayla actually giggled. Looking back at Ronnie crouched in front of her, ready to play interference between her and Buck if necessary, she said, “He’s so…warm. I was cold after the game, and the next thing I know I must have just fallen asleep. I’m sorry.”
“Not your fault. I should have let you go on home and get some rest,” he said. “Come on, let’s go.”
She let him pull her off the couch by her hand. As they headed toward the door, he noticed Buck following right beside Kayla. Either she hadn’t noticed the dog or she was beginning to realize that Buck wouldn’t hurt her. Buck followed them outside, but rather than going around to the side yard to do his business, he followed Ronnie and Kayla right to the truck and whined.
“You can’t go, Buck. No dogs in the apartment, you know that,” Ronnie said.
The dog looked longingly at Kayla and then lumbered over into the side yard. Ronnie held the door while Kayla got in and then he slid in beside her.
He couldn’t help his smile. Kayla had felt comfortable enough with his friends and his favorite dog to fall asleep. He really should have just let her go home after the game, but after a week without her, he wasn’t ready to say goodbye again so soon.
But now it was time to take her home.
Chapter Seven
She couldn’t remember ever being comfortable enough around a dog to fall asleep, much less snuggle up to the animal. Now she felt guilty that she might have been the one inflicting harm on the poor dog by sleeping on him. Perhaps Sergeant Buck had arthritis and she’d made it worse.
Her thoughts turned to Ronnie, though, when she felt his fingers sifting through her hair to rest on the back of her neck.
“Are you going to be okay to drive home?” he asked, rubbing his fingers along the side and back of her neck.
“Yeah, I’ll be fine. I really am sorry for falling asleep like that. Some date I am, huh?” She laughed lightly.
“I don’t know…yet,” he said with a wink. “You work so hard I thought you might like to get away from your desk even for just an hour to hang out with four guys and a mangy dog.”
“That is sweet. If it hadn’t been such a long week I might have been a little more social,” she replied. After a pause she laughed. “That was probably one of the better power naps I’ve had. Make sure you thank Sergeant Buck for me when you see him next.”
“You’re not going home to work now, are you?” Ronnie asked in all seriousness. “If you say yes, I’m going to kidnap you so you can’t.”
Between the sound of his voice and the incredible feel of his fingers on her neck, the shiver she felt made her hair stand on end. “No,” she said, trying to ignore her body’s response. “Addie said something about a movie later, but since she’s not home, I might just take a long bath and go to bed.”
“That was an image I didn’t need before you send me on my way,” he said, pulling into the parking lot near the football field and parking next to her car.
Turning to her, his face grew serious. “It’s none of my business, but can I ask what happened to Addie’s dad?”
She took a breath. It had been a while since she’d
shared this story with anyone. “We were young, seniors in high school. I thought I was in love and he thought he’d finally lose his virginity. I still managed to graduate and go to college, with a lot of help from my parents, especially my mom. He visited Addie a couple of times when she was born and then moved out of state and purposely lost contact with me. I wasn’t going to force him to be a part of her life, but Addie knows about him and knows his name if she decides to go looking for her roots one day.”
“There hasn’t been anyone else?” Ronnie asked.
“There was a guy during my last year of college…. I thought there was something between us until I told him about Addie,” she replied. “Since then I have been keeping my nose to the grindstone. I don’t need a man to help me give Addie the life she deserves, I can do it myself. I’ve not done too badly, until my mom got sick, but I am sorry I have to work so much, especially at the age she is now. She’s only two years younger than I was when—”
“What about the life you deserve?” he asked.
“Well, I’m working on that. I have an interview next week with a different firm. Same pay but hopefully less hours in the office. I’d like to be there with Addie a little more, you know?” Kayla replied, looking down at her hands.
“Does that mean I should start looking for someone else to service?” he asked with a smile that seemed more forced than his normal mischievous one.
“Your help was supposed to be a temporary thing. The idea was that once the house was back under control I could pick up and take it from there, especially if I get this other position,” she said, meeting his amazing blue gaze. “I kind of like you being around, though. You’re great with Addie, and honestly it’s kind of nice to be spoiled with dinner and a clean house every night. I find I like being pampered.”
“You’ve been gone all week. I’m willing to make up for the pampering you missed while you were away.” He leaned forward and captured her lips. His mouth was firm and made every nerve in her body come awake. “Let me bathe you and put you to bed tonight, Kayla.” He took her mouth again, a little more aggressively this time.
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