“Jax! Down! Down!” He pushed her off me. “I swear, she doesn’t usually jump. She really likes you.”
I brushed myself off and tried to discreetly wipe the slobber off my face. “I have to admit, I didn’t think she was who I’d be making out with.”
He laughed and covered his eyes with a hand. “I’m not good at this, am I?”
“We’ll blame Jax.”
“How about that drink? And we try again?”
I agreed and followed him to the kitchen, where he poured us each a glass of wine and suggested we sit in the living room. He let Jax out into the backyard, then sat next to me on the sofa.
I took a sip. “This is really good.”
He shrugged. “I don’t really know much about wine. I should, with my dad and all. But I just have what he gives me to try usually.”
“You haven’t mentioned him much.”
Joe took a sip. “He travels a lot. Wanted me to be a lawyer, not a photographer. But we do well otherwise.”
“And your sister?”
Jax scratched at the back door to come in, and he went to open the door for her. She jumped right into his spot on the sofa and put her head in my lap for me to pet her.
“Jax! For the love of—you’re not helping!” He tried to pull her off the sofa, but she had dug in.
“Is she like this with every girl you bring home?”
He laughed nervously. “She’s never like this. Jax! Treat! Come on, girl!” She jumped down at the word treat and ran toward the kitchen, while Joe quickly claimed the cushion she had vacated next to me. He took a big swig of his wine, then looked at me. “Hi.”
I set my glass down. “Hey.” We were facing each other, and he inched closer, putting one arm behind me, brushing my hair back with the other hand. I had forgotten this sense of anticipation, the delicious moments before a kiss happened, when it felt like gravity was pulling you into someone in slow motion.
His lips touched mine, and then everything moved quickly again. His hand was in my hair, and I was on his lap, kissing him with an overwhelming urgency as he pulled a strap of my sundress down my shoulder. I pulled my arm out and reached down to start unbuttoning his shirt when I felt his tongue along my neck.
Wait. I pulled away. That wasn’t his tongue. His had been quite busy with mine. We both looked at Jax, then at each other and started to laugh.
“Bedroom?” I asked. He nodded. I stood and he followed, his shirt untucked and half-buttoned.
Jax ran down the hall ahead of us and jumped onto the bed. “Oh, come on, Jax. Out!” She wagged her tail happily from the middle of the bed, but Joe repeated his command and she slunk sadly into the hall. He shut the door and turned to me. “I have a confession. I haven’t actually brought anyone here since—well—I got Jax three years ago. So . . . this is new to her.”
It was sweet. And special. And desperately romantic.
He really likes you, Sofia’s voice said in my head.
He moved closer to kiss me again. I looked at the king-sized bed that he had shared with Emily and no one else since.
And I panicked.
“I can’t do this.” I pulled the dress strap back onto my shoulder self-consciously and turned around, looking for my purse, not remembering that it was on the kitchen counter. “I—I need to go back. I’m sorry—I—”
“What just happened?”
I couldn’t look at him. I didn’t know how to answer that question. The honest answer was that it got too real, and I was scared. But I couldn’t say that. I couldn’t admit that. Instead, I opened my mouth and something else came out. “I don’t want a one-night stand.”
He touched my elbow. I hadn’t realized I’d crossed my arms. “I don’t either. That’s not what this is.”
I stepped back. “It is though. I’m going home in a few days. And I’m still married. I don’t want to get over one guy by getting under another.”
Joe recoiled and was quiet for a long moment. “I’ll take you home.” He began rebuttoning his shirt.
“I can walk.”
He blinked hard, clearly refraining from saying what he wanted to. “You’re not walking two miles in the dark by yourself.”
My shoes were in the living room, but they were heeled sandals. I could take them off on the beach, but the walk up the road to the cottage would probably result in a broken ankle. I nodded and opened the bedroom door, Jax bounding through to jump back onto the bed.