Promises & Pina Coladas: A Sudden Falls Romance by Bemis Elizabeth

Author:Bemis, Elizabeth [Bemis, Elizabeth]
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Tags: Family Life", "Single Women", "Reunion", "Sisters", "Small Town", "Career", "friends-to-lovers
Published: 2015-07-14T04:00:00+00:00

Chapter 27 - Annie

I continued to needlessly fluff the puppy with the towel. At the rate I was going, the little guy would be lucky if he had any fur left when I was done. I met Ben’s eyes then set him on the tile floor. The quiet click of nails skittering across the linoleum wasn’t enough to break the contact.

“I’m sorry.” Ben opened his arms for a hug. I stepped into them, grateful for their secure warmth around my body and the comfort of his chest under my cheek, even while I mourned the loss of my plan to seduce him. It would be emotional suicide. I breathed deeply and savored the moment. He smelled of rain and fabric softener, the barest hint of his cologne, with a little wet dog thrown in for good measure.

Yipping and hissing from the next room interrupted our embrace. We both scrambled to the living room.

Mr. Smithers was puffed up like a giant orange marshmallow. The newest addition to the household cowered with his tail between his legs as he piddled on the carpet.

Ben took one look at the scene and burst into laughter. I rolled my eyes and snapped the towel still in my hand at him “Get your cat so I can rescue the dog.”

“My cat?”

“He likes you better than he likes anyone else.”

“Of course he does,” Ben said with a tad more cockiness than required as he scooped the cat into his arms like a baby. Mr. Smithers, the traitor, began rumbling like an old Volkswagen. “I’m a likable sort of guy.”

The cat securely out of the way, the puppy charged towards me at full tilt, his long fur rippling behind him in smooth white waves. After taking my first long look of him, clean and dry, I had to laugh. “You know, with a tail extension, he’d make a pretty good mop.”

“What should we name him?”

“He looks like an Arthur.”

Ben looked up from rubbing Mr. Smithers’ belly, and I caught his grin. It did something to my stomach that I really wished it wouldn’t. Oh yeah, we were simply going to forget that we had crossed some invisible line. Right.

“Arthur it is,” he told me.

Could I really make it through a couple more weeks of close proximity without spontaneously combusting? Or worse yet, losing my heart? Sure. I could tell him to head over to the Marriott, but I didn’t want to. Having him here platonically was better than having him gone.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.