Page 64 of Bodybuilders for the BBW

My eyes roamed, taking in every shift of her body, catching the moment when her lips twitched and then curved into a smile.

“So you want to date me?” That had to be a rhetorical question, because she knew what I was thinking. “Let me infodump my top ten interesting facts about different dog breeds? For example, did you know that these dogs have a Samoyed smile?”

“Me too.”

I couldn’t help but grin right along with Hoppy. Katie hadn’t run out of the brewery screaming, so hope flared to life.

“I’m warning you,” she said. “I know a lot about dogs. Cats too.”

“And I know a lot about firefighting gear and gym routines. Maybe we could…” I remembered a video I saw on social media. “Do puppy yoga or something? Great for flexibility, and stretching helps your muscles recover more quickly.”

“Puppy yoga?” Her hands went under her chin. “Oh my god, sign me up. That sounds so much better than the hell Mandie’s been putting me through.”

“It’s a date.”

“Were you finished with your meal?”

I looked up, and it felt like the server had appeared out of nowhere. She shot me a motherly smile, as if she’d seen exactly what was going on.

“Mine was amazing” Katie cradled her stomach. “You might have to roll me out of here like one of those beer kegs, though.”

“There’s a lovely track by the lake,” the server said, shooting me a meaningful look. “Goes up into the forest. Can be good for helping a meal settle.”

“At this point, it would be more of a waddle than a walk,” Katie groaned.

“C’mon.” I was up and out of my chair and offering her my hand. She looked at it and then smiled, grabbing it with hers. “I’ll carry you if I have to.”

“My prince…” She affected a dramatic pose before dropping down to pat the dog. “Bye, Hoppy, you were amazing company.”

For a moment, I found myself jealous of a dog, but that evaporated the moment her hand slid into mine. I grabbed on tightly, then led her out the back of the brewery, the track to the lake immediately apparent.

“That pizza was incredible. I want a nice long nap now, though,” she said as we walked towards the trees. It was peaceful here, away from other people, the brewery, everything. All I could hear was the hush of the breeze in the trees and her.

“Well, if we’re talking about what we want…” Could I do it? Could I be honest with Katie about what I wanted? I turned to stand before her, studying the way the sun turned her hair to the colour of fire. My eyes dropped down for the millionth time, tracing the shape of her lips. “Katie, I really want to kiss you.”

“Kiss…?”

I expected her to jerk free of me, my hold already loosening, but instead, her eyes seemed to light up even as she began to grin.

“Look, I’m probably rushing things but?—”

I was silenced by a pair of very soft lips pressing against mine. My arms moved without thought, wrapping around her, and I held her pressed closely as I took over. Her kiss was a sweet thing, but I wanted, needed, more. Kiss after kiss, the salty aftertaste of the pizza and her mixed, driving me nuts. My breath whistled through my nose as I parted her lips and claimed her mouth.

Hot, wet, slick, it was a sensory overload that threatened to overwhelm me, but more than that. Her, that’s what I felt, Katie. Her scent in my nose, the feel of her softness against my hard body, but it was that little sound that caught my attention. A helpless little sound of pleasure, I realised belatedly. That’s what had me pulling back, staring down at her, just to make sure.

“Whoa…” She touched her mouth and some savage part of me loved how swollen her lips looked. “That was…” Her finger pointed aimlessly in my direction. “I did not expect that.”

“You told me to be blunt.”

“Did I?” Her eyes dropped down to inspect my mouth and I wondered what she saw. Lips hungry for another taste of hers. I watched her smile slowly. “Maybe I did.”

She moved in, claiming a kiss of her own, though it was much softer. Mine claimed her mouth, she introduced herself to my lips, and we were both very glad to make her acquaintance. Finally we were forced to pull away or make a very public scene in the forest.

“Tell me we can do this again,” I rasped as I pushed an errant strand of hair behind her ear.

“Puppy yoga, remember?” she said. “I’ll never say no to that.”

I’d find the puppies myself and import them into a yoga studio if that’s what it took, sure that Rhys would help me find a space.

---