Chapter 4
CHAPTER FOUR
Arden
I kissed her because I didn’t know what else to do.
Because I’d fantasized about doing it since the moment I saw her.
Because she talked and talked and talked, and I loved every minute.
But mostly because I wanted to.
Oh, how I wanted to.
I ignored my feelings, ignored how calm she made me feel, ignored the attraction, but it didn’t change a goddamn thing. I could be as cold and closed off as I wanted, and it still wouldn’t change anything.
I stole a kiss from her, just like she stole my heart.
Isla tasted like strawberries with a hint of mint, our lips effortlessly gliding together as if we were always meant to be.
When we broke apart, neither one of us said a word, our chests rising and falling in succession.
When I finally spoke. “At a loss for words now?”
Isla laughed. “Pretty much.” Her cheeks flamed red.
Fred barked from downstairs. “I need to relieve my dog. He’s probably ready to burst.”
Isla’s face lit up. She was too fucking cute. What was this damn woman doing to me? Cute? Really? But she was. “Can I meet him?”
“He’d like that.” I offered her my arm, and she took it. I wasn’t hiding from this anymore.
Downstairs, I led Isla through the living room to where I kept Fred’s crate. He’d been used to a crate since he was a little puppy, and most of the time, he went in there on his own.
As soon as he saw us, he was on all fours, his tail wagging as he whimpered.
“Hey, buddy. There’s someone I’d like you to meet.” I looked at Isla and pointed at the couch. “Sit there, and I’ll bring him over. Sometimes he gets a little too excited and jumps. I don’t want him to knock you over.”
“No, he’s a good boy, aren’t you, Fred?” Isla made baby sounds toward him, and I couldn’t help but laugh.
“Most of the time.” I unlocked his crate and opened the door, grabbing his collar and clipping his leash on. “Go easy, Freddie. We don’t want to scare our guests.”
Fred barreled out of his crate anyway, but I pulled back on the leash, and he obeyed. “Good boy.” I pet his head. “Heel.” We walked over to Isla, and she held out her hand for him to sniff.
He sniffed and licked her palm, causing her to laugh and pet his head. She petted him and scratched beneath his collar, her huge smile never once disappearing. I loved how much she loved my dog.
Not that Fred was hard to love. Everyone who came in contact with him loved him.
But it felt special since it came from her.
“I’m going to go for a quick walk with him. Did you want to join us?” I asked Isla, hoping she’d say yes. It’d be nice to have some company.
The thought made me stop dead in my tracks.
Had it been nice to have some company?
Who the hell am I right now?
But when it came to Isla, I wanted her around me. I wanted her company, her warm rays of sunshine, her beaming smile, and dammit, I couldn’t stop thinking about kissing her. Again.
“Yes, I’d love to.”
“Great. Let’s go.”
Fred and I showed Isla our favorite trail behind my cabin, the one we often walked most days.
Sometimes I’d change it up and walk down the street and back up, but there was something about being in the woods that I loved.
It was peaceful and quiet, only you and Mother Nature.
Plus, the views were stunning, and the late afternoon was a perfect time to catch a glowing sunset.
The snow stopped, leaving behind a dusting, the clouds parting just in time to catch the sunset.
As it descended in the sky, the glowing ball of fire turned it into cotton candy swirls of clouds and colors, blue and yellow, mixing in with orange, pink, and purple.
When we came upon the clearing, the spot where the views were the best, Isla stopped dead in her tracks. “Wow.”
Fred and I came up beside her. “Isn’t it breathtaking?”
“Yes, it really is. So many pretty colors. You’ve got an amazing view.”
“I’d say the view from over here is pretty damn amazing, too.” I stared at her from where I stood, her side profile as beautiful as her front and back.
When she turned to look at me, with her pink nose and cheeks from the cold, and that sparkle in her eye I loved so much, she smiled, a sort of shy smile I wasn’t used to seeing from her. But I liked it. A lot.
I closed the distance between us, giving Fred a longer lead so he could explore around us, as I leaned in to kiss her again. “You make me feel alive in ways I haven’t for years.”
She gasped. “I do?”
I nodded before kissing her again, this one longer, slower, and more tantalizing, our tongues swirling together.
“Come on, let’s head back. I’m starving.” I said as I held out my arm to her once more, and she took it.
“Are you a good cook?” Isla asked as we walked back toward the cabin.
“Kind of,” I said with absolutely no confidence. “Let’s just say I get by.”
She smiled. “I love to cook. I can cook for us if you’d like.”
“We’d have to run to the market in town then. It’s slim pickings in my fridge right now. We could also go out to dinner. Or better yet, order in. You must be tired from traveling.”
“You know what? That sounds really nice.”
“I have a bar in the finished basement. I’ll make us a drink, and we can soak in the hot tub.”
“Stop it,” Isla screeched.
“What?” I asked, concerned.
“You have a hot tub?”
I laughed. “Yep. I love a good soak.”
“What’s the catch?” Isla looked around. “There’s a catch somewhere. Where is it?”
“I know! I don’t have a dishwasher.”
We both laughed.
Once we reached my backyard, I let Fred loose, giving him freedom to run around before coming inside.
“He loves the snow, the outdoors, anything that has to do with being outside. He’s used to being active and having his mind stimulated, so it’s good for him to run around.
I also have the puzzle bowl for him, so he has to work hard for his kibble. ”
“Did you adopt Fred when he was a puppy?”
“Actually, no. But I’ve known him since he was a puppy. He was part of my squad when I was in the military.”
“You served? That’s awesome, Arden.”
“Thank you. Best part was getting Fred out of it.”
“That is a good reward,” Isla said as Fred ran over to her, his slimy, half-chewed ball in his mouth. He dropped it at her feet, looked up at her, and barked.
“He wants you to throw it.”
I thought she’d get grossed out at the ball; hell, sometimes even I am, but she bent down and picked it up without hesitation, tossing it across the yard. Then she wiped her hands on her jeans.
I couldn’t resist anymore. I needed to make this woman mine.
Wrapping my arms around her waist, I held her tight against me and kissed her soft lips. “Thank you for bidding on me. You’re an awesome person.”
“So are you.”