Ultimate Courage (True Heroes #2)(41)

“I…” She didn’t ease her hold on the front of his tee.

“I can stop if you want. You can absolutely tell me to stop.” It was important for her to know that. He didn’t want to apply pressure. “And I can also be a friend, if you need ‘friend’ more.”

It’d require a shit-ton of self-control, but he could do that for her. He wanted to at least be someone she could lean on if she needed to.

“No.”

His heart stopped in his chest. He started to release her shoulders. He should go if he wasn’t wanted. And good thing if they settled it right away like this. Tomorrow morning he’d come back as an easygoing friend and do his best to let her settle into a comfortable rhythm with him again.

But Elisa released his tee to press his hands against her shoulders. “No, I don’t want you to stop. I just…need to find my way through every step as we go. And this between us is new, and complicated, and I don’t want it to get twisted up in the process.”

He grinned. Better. Much better than he’d thought. “We can take it slow.”

She looked up at him through long, dark eyelashes. “You don’t mind?”

“Not at all.” Because aside from the kisses, he hadn’t really thought it through, either. This was going to be complicated from a couple of different angles, on both sides.

She smiled then, rising up on tiptoes to kiss him again. He was really starting to like her kisses. Especially when she placed her hands on the waistband of his jeans and tugged him closer, tipping her head back and angling it for an even deeper kiss.

He slid his hands over her shoulders and down her back. Time was starting to slip away, and he was more than happy to ignore its existence.

Then a dog whined.

Elisa jerked back like she’d been splashed with cold water. “Oh. I. Uh…”

He raked his hand through his hair. “Yeah. Uh.”

He turned to regard Souze, still dutifully sitting in the doorway, staring right at them. The dog might be drunk on the pheromones in the room because his jaw hung open in a doggy grin.

“Not really into canine voyeurism.” Elisa sounded breathless and hell, his ability to speak clearly wasn’t in the best shape, either.

Mostly, his brain was scrambled. His pants also felt about three sizes too tight around the groin area.

“Rojas. You ready to go? Gary and Greg checked in; they’ll be here any minute.” Cruz’s voice came floating up the stairs.

A beat of silence. “So did Souze whine because things were getting intense or because he heard Cruz coming to the stairs?” Elisa asked.

“Actually, I don’t know.” Rojas considered himself a good trainer, and he could read canine body language most of the time. But there just wasn’t any way to know this time what exactly had nudged Souze to whine when he did.

“Well.” Elisa let out a soft laugh. “Good timing either way, I guess.”

Maybe. He was still arguing with the raging hard-on he had at the moment.

“I guess you guys are going to head back now. Boom’s going to need to take her medicine before bedtime.” Her voice had gone softer, but he heard the tremor anyway.

He turned back to her and brushed a stray lock of dark hair from her face. She’d be here by herself, and he really didn’t want to leave her alone if at all possible. And he also appreciated that Boom was at the forefront of both their otherwise chemistry-distracted minds.

Inspiration struck. “Why don’t I leave Souze here with you?”

Her eyes widened. “Really?”

“Sure.” He jerked his head back to indicate the dog. “He’s already demonstrated good behavior in your company, and it doesn’t hurt to give him some exposure to a night outside his kennel. It’s not like the two of you even have to leave this room. Cruz and I will lock up.”

The relief was palpable in her expression, the tiny wrinkles between her brows clearing. “I mean, just the company would make a difference, I think.”

He nodded. “If there’s any issues at all, call us. If you hear anything outside or if he starts to fuss in here, it’s no problem. Just hit my number on speed dial.”

“Okay.” She smiled.

“Rojas!” Cruz amped up his call a couple of decibels.

“Yeah!” Rojas called back over his shoulder. “On my way.”

Elisa rose up on her tiptoes and kissed him, then gave him a decent shove. “Go on. And thank you.”

*



Rojas murmured a quiet command and shut the door behind him.

“Doesn’t hurt to lock it,” he called back, muffled by the wood between them. “Gary and Greg have a room down in the basement so they won’t disturb you.”

Both Elisa and Souze stood staring at the closed door, listening to the sounds of Rojas and Cruz greeting Gary and Greg. Then her new friends were turning off the lights and locking up the school downstairs. When she couldn’t hear any more, she watched Souze as the big dog continued to stare at the door, apparently still listening. After a few more minutes, Souze sat and looked at her.

“Don’t ask me what we’re supposed to do now. I’ve no idea.” Elisa looked into those liquid, dark eyes and wondered what the big dog was thinking.

Souze seemed to be considering her, too. Or maybe she fancied he was.