Maybe I’d go to the Lookout tonight. There was always someone looking to start shit with me there. Sure, I’d be coming in hot, looking for trouble, but I just needed to feel my knuckles crunch against something solid. Maybe take a good hit across the chin. Taste a little blood. A little bar brawl among friends was a great way to blow off some steam.
Callie’s lavender scent reached my nose a heartbeat before she joined me at the table. God, that girl. She was riling me up in ways I was having a hard time containing. My eyes drifted across the smooth skin of her shoulder, imagining my lips there. My teeth.
I tore my eyes away. Again. Looked into my mug like my black coffee held the secrets of the universe.
“Have you ever thought about getting a dog?”
“What?”
She took a sip of coffee and grinned. “A dog. You know, man’s best friend. Loyal companion. Tail wagging all over the place.”
I was glad for something else to focus on, although it still felt like an effort to keep my ass on this side of the table. I wanted to toss her over my shoulder and haul her to my bedroom like a cave man. “I know what dogs are.”
“You seem like a dog person,” she said. “I’m kind of surprised you don’t have one.”
“I like being alone.”
“Do you, though?”
Like a knee-jerk reaction I couldn’t control, I stood and walked a few steps away. Why the fuck was she analyzing my life? I needed a dog? I was doing just fine. If I needed anything, it was to bury my fist in someone’s face.
Damn it, I needed to stop. I didn’t want to yell at her when she hadn’t done anything wrong. And I was still a little bit afraid she’d up and disappear again.
Another reason I was on edge. Every time I left, I kept wondering if she’d be gone when I got back. Or if I’d imagined the whole thing, and she’d never really been here at all.
I clenched my fists and took a deep breath. “Why do you want to know if I’ve thought about getting a dog?”
“Just wondering,” she said, her voice casual. She either couldn’t tell I’d been about to snap at her, or it didn’t bother her. “Like I said, you seem like a dog person.”
I turned toward her and rubbed the back of my neck, but didn’t sit down. I felt like I couldn’t get too close to her right now. It was hard enough just breathing the same air. If I kept smelling that lavender scent, I was going to lose my mind. “I like dogs fine. Just don’t know if I’m cut out to take care of another living thing.”
“Really? You’ve been taking excellent care of me.”
Turning away, I grumbled something incoherent, but hearing her say that made a warm, contented feeling spread through my chest. “I need to go into town. Wanna come?”
“I’d love to. Do you mind waiting, though? I need a shower.”
I had to stop myself from groaning. No, it’s fine, I’ll just be out here dying of this perpetual hard-on while you’re naked in my shower. “I can wait.”
She finished her coffee and went into the bathroom. I paced around the house, listening to the water run. I felt guilty for the way my dick ached with unrelieved tension. Callie was a friend. Even after everything she’d been through, she trusted me. I couldn’t let all this shit I was feeling mess that up.
I thought about calling Jonah to see if he wanted to go for a run today. It was a testament to how keyed up I was. I hated running. But maybe it would help me burn off some of this fucking energy.
After she came out of the bathroom, I took a quick shower and threw on some clean clothes. By the time I finished, she was ready to go. Her colorful hair was wavy and still a little damp and she’d put on a tank top and denim shorts. Her purple toenails matched her hair.
She was all smiles and idle chitchat on the way into town. I still felt like I had a seam about to burst open. She looked good and smelled good and as soon as we were in public, I’d be reminded that she felt good too, even if it was just her hand in mine.
Sure enough, we got out of the truck, and she slipped that soft little