Once the puppy was set free again, Cuddles immediately scampered onto his chest and started licking first him, then Heather, long enough that the puppy got them both laughing as they tried to roll out of the way. And when Heather’s fingers accidentally slid against his, it was the most natural thing in the world to fit his against hers so that he could lift her hand to his lips and press a kiss to her palm.
His phone rang at the same moment hers did and he felt her fingers stiffen in his. And even though it turned out that lying there, fully clothed beside each other, was better than any time he’d ever spent naked with another woman, he made himself let go of her hand as she moved to get back on her feet.
Neither of them said a word as they checked their messages and then walked back to his house, and as she and Atlas got in her car and drove away, Cuddles whined in his arms as if her heart had just been split in two.
Chapter Eight
Heather didn’t believe in backing down from a challenge. It was how she’d been able to build Top Dog from a one-on-one training business into a full-service training center and doggy day care. She wasn’t afraid of standing up for herself or facing down difficult situations.
But she hadn’t gotten to where she was by being stupid, either.
And that was what spending any more time with Zach Sullivan would be. Stupid. To the nth degree.
It wasn’t even the two almost-kisses that worried her. Kissing, even sex, was something she knew how to compartmentalize. Just because she wasn’t looking for a happily-ever-after didn’t mean she was a nun.
But that moment when she and Zach been laughing together and his hand had found hers...she scrunched her eyes shut to try to shake away those feelings of warmth. Of contentment.
Of sweet connection.
Only, no matter how hard she’d tried since that morning to block Zach out—to pretend he hadn’t made her feel something deep and true, to try to ignore how he lit up every time about his family, and that he’d take a bullet for them—every time she thought about him she’d ended up right back in the same spot. Not just stuck in desire, but longing for something she’d didn’t even think she knew how to believe in.
The clock was ticking closer to 5 p.m. and Zach would be appearing with Cuddles any minute now. But she’d be busy meeting with her advisory board members to discuss the pros and cons of a possible expansion into wholesale dog treats. Luckily, everyone had been available when she’d called them a few hours earlier.
Heather was leading the last of her board members to the conference room when she felt the air in the building shift. She didn’t need to turn around to know that Zach was there. And not just because she could have sensed his presence in the middle of a hurricane. Not even because Atlas was vibrating with the need to greet his tiny little friend.
But because the combination of the beautiful man and Cuddles always elicited an overwhelming chorus of cooing and giggling.
She tried to get the conference room door closed, but before she could, Jerry Caldwell, a leading organic dog food manufacturer, spotted Zach and called out his name.The man she was working so hard to avoid pinned her with an intense look that had her breath coming too fast before he walked over to shake Jerry’s hand.
“I’ve got an Austin Healey coming in with your name on it, Jerry.” Zach’s gaze shifted to Heather as he added, “She’s a real beauty, with gorgeous lines and curves. You won’t have a chance of resisting her.”
She felt herself flush and knew the only chance she had of covering her reaction to him was to focus on the puppy in his arms, instead. Atlas and the puppy were already sniffing and licking each other with pure happiness. Clearly, she wasn’t the only one who’d been waiting for 5 p.m. to roll around.
Only one of them had been dreading it, though.
But, oh, what a liar she was. Because the truth was that she had been anticipating seeing Zach again even more than Atlas had dreamed of seeing the puppy.
“How did Cuddles do today at your garage?” she asked Zach.
Jerry laughed out loud at the name. “You’ve got a puppy?” He shook his head. “And you named her Cuddles? I’ve got to admit, Sullivan, I didn’t see this coming. Not in a million years.”
She waited for Zach to make an excuse about his niece and how it wasn’t his dog or his name, but instead his gaze shifted to her for a split second before he replied, “I didn’t see it coming, either.”
Fortunately, Jerry didn’t seem to hear any strange undertones in the conversation as he said, “Dogs will do that to you. But it’s worth it. Best friend you’ll ever have.” He shook Zach’s hand again. “I’ll drop by the shop early next week to check out the Austin Healey.”
After Jerry had walked over to the coffee dispenser, she informed Zach, “David is going to be working with you and Cuddles tonight out back.” She knew she didn’t have to make excuses to him since he already knew she’d planned to pass him off to another trainer, but still she said, “I’ve got a meeting with my advisory board tonight.”
“Sounds important.”
“It is.” The heat of his body drew her toward him and she forced herself to take a step back. “Have a good training session.”
Atlas’s ears were down as he followed her inside the conference room and watched the puppy he adored head into the back with Zach.
God help her...she felt the same way.
* * *
An hour later, Heather sat at her computer to type up her notes. But for the first time in a very long time, she couldn’t concentrate on the work she needed to get done. Atlas pawed the door and she walked outside with him to let him take care of business. He sniffed every inch of the lawn and she knew he was searching for a sign that Cuddles was still there. But both the puppy and his owner had left.