“I’m really sorry.”
“You have to be more careful. There are kids and other dogs and people everywhere, okay? He was about to bite our dog.”
“Okay, I said I was sorry.”
Reeve relaxed a bit. Still, he was pissed. “Yeah. So good luck with the training.”
The guy clipped the leash back onto Henry and pulled him the other way. Reeve turned to Sutton, whose mouth was agape. “You saved my dog.”
Reeve handed the little dog to Sutton’s outstretched arms.
“He’d have been fine. He’s a tough little guy.”
Sutton shook her head. “I can’t believe you did that. You were so fast,” she said, in a breathless way. “You just reached your hand in there. He bit you. That dog bit you.”
“It’s nothing. I swear it’s nothing.”
“Let me see.” Sutton reached for Reeve’s wrist, touching tenderly around the red indentation from a canine.
“There isn’t even any blood. I’m totally fine.”
“We should get this cleaned up.”
“Sut, it’s nothing. I swear I’m totally fine.”
“Please.” She looked so pleading, so warm again. This was what he had wanted. Not to be bitten, because the mark she was so concerned about was barely a graze. But he wanted this Sutton. The one beneath the veneer.
“How about this? I’ll let you buy me a drink.”
Chapter Nine
Sutton ordered a beer for Reeve and a white wine for herself, then steered them toward a quiet table in the back. They were at a neighborhood bar called Dahlia’s. It wasn’t quite a dive nor was it a too-trendy club. It was a standard order bar, and she liked it because it reminded her of England. The Artful Dodger was safe and sound at home, snoozing in the middle of the king-size bed, surrounded by extra blankets.
She was still shaken from what happened and the way her darling dog had nearly been a snack for that German Shepherd. But she was more impressed with Reeve and his reflexes, especially the way he didn’t even think twice. He just dived into the melee and saved her most favorite mammal in the entire universe.
“I can’t thank you enough,” she said again.
“I’m just glad he’s fine. And hey, look on the bright side. Now we have another story to tell tomorrow night that’ll make this—“ he gestured from himself to her—“seem all the more real.”
Real. There was that word again. This wasn’t real, but it had felt so real during the dog walk. She’d felt real jealousy over Jill. And she’d felt real admiration for Reeve when he saved her dog. And then there was the way she felt right now.
Real like. She was in real like for him.
Damn.
She wanted to berate herself. To remind her idiotic heart that this was a first-class mistake. Because this was the thing she’d most wanted to avoid. She’d never intended to let him into her heart. He was acting, only acting. Somehow, the act had worked on her, and now she had fallen into real like. Because of that, she asked the question that had been gnawing her. “Is there something with you and this Jill?”
He tilted his head back and laughed, showing off those brilliant straight white teeth.
“Why are you laughing at me?”
He moved closer and pressed one strong hand on top of both of hers. “Because you are a conundrum.”
“Me? How could I possibly be a conundrum?”
“Why do you want to know about Jill? You already told me how I had to act, and I’ll do that.”
She huffed out a sigh. “I’ll take that as a yes. That you’re involved with her,” Sutton said, then felt a flash of anger toward him when she thought of the library and the theater. He was cheating on his girlfriend with her. “You’re cheating on her.”
He laughed again, and gripped her hand tighter. “No. I’m not. I’ve never done that. Never cheated on anyone. I never would. When I’m with someone I’m only with that someone.”
“So she’s not your girlfriend?” Sutton pressed as the waiter appeared with the drinks. Reeve took a long drink from his beer bottle, while Sutton ran her index finger along the rim of her wine glass. She was edgy, waiting. “Reeve, just tell me.”
He grinned. “No. She’s a great, great friend. We like each other, as buddies. So don’t worry. I’ve never done the things to her that I’ve done to you.”
Heat flared in her belly. “What do you mean by that?”
He moved closer and draped an arm around her shoulders. She loved the warm, protective feel of his arm around her. “I mean, I’ve never gotten her off in a theater. Or anywhere. I’ve never kissed her on the steps of the library. And she’s never gone down on me in the stacks. Incidentally, you give a f**king awesome blow job.”
He traced a finger lazily across her top lip and Sutton was speechless. She wasn’t sure if he was playing the role again, the part he’d been hired for. Because he’d been pissy and irritated on the walk, but now we was flirty and sexy again. She didn’t know what to make of it. But she knew she wanted to take his finger and suck on it. Then he pulled his hand away.
“But you never answered my text.”
“What do you mean?” she asked, trying to play it cool, but inside she was burning. “I replied to it.”
“Yeah, about a book. But you didn’t answer the question. Encore? Do you want an encore?”
“For real?”
“Yes.”
Somewhere inside her, she let a piece of her heart free for a moment, and it felt fabulous. Did this mean he liked her too? As in real like? She didn’t have time to ponder an answer because his lips were on hers again, and he explored her mouth, tenderly at first, then rougher as if he wanted to consume her. She responded in kind, grappling at his hair, silky smooth between her fingers, pressing one hand against his firm chest and bringing his mouth closer and deeper as if every life and breath depended on this kiss. She wanted him to devour her.
He broke the kiss and looked at her.
“Damn, woman. You like being kissed, don’t you?”
She blushed and looked away, embarrassed. She hated that she was this way with him. So easy. One touch and she was ready to go. One quick kiss and she was about to spread her legs right here.
“Hey,” he said, softly. He pressed a palm on her cheek and turned her face back to him. “I like kissing you. I like being the one you want to have kissing you. I mean it.”