Page 45 of Bond Strength

Noah stood in the entryway, and the breath left me.

The sun glowed on his blond strands, carefully swept to the side, and the stubble on his chin highlighted the cleft there. His warm blue eyes glittered, and his goofy smile had made its appearance. He wore a white tee that stretched over his defined pecs and a plaid button-down with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows. I’d never noticed forearms much before, but his were dense and defined, and apparently those turned me on now too.

“Fuck, you’re so gorgeous.” He closed the distance between us in a few strides and wrapped his hand around my nape. His mouth descended on mine.

This kiss was electric and rewired my brain. We stood out in the open where all his nosy neighbors could see us, but the moment Noah touched me, every other distraction melted away. I sank into the kiss, into the intensity blooming in my chest, like sunlight coaxing a bud to open. Noah brought his other hand around my waist, and theway he consumed me, how he surrounded me body and soul, was transcendent.

Forget the date. I could spend the rest of my time losing myself in his body.

My heart thumped hard, and when he pulled back, the fevered look in his eyes matched the heat percolating through me.

“Right, we’re supposed to go on a date,” I said, needing to remind myself. “We’ll come back here to fuck later.”

“You’re making it hard not to just toss you over my shoulder and carry you to my bed,” Noah said.

The idea of him lifting me like that—damn. My cock perked to life, fast turning to a semi. “Mmph. Okay, so that’s getting added onto the later part of the plan.”

Noah’s grin turned dangerous, a banked heat in his gaze that flared through me. “Sounds perfect.” He stepped out of his house and locked up, then grabbed my hand. “So, where are you taking me?”

“Do you want the plan outlined, or do you want to be surprised?” I asked but already knew the answer.

“I’ll be happy anywhere you want.” The dopey grin on his face made my heart slam into double time.

“Well, hopefully, we can set the bar higher for our expectations.” I climbed into my car. He hopped into the passenger’s seat. “I don’t think you’d be saying that if I rolled up to a reptile show.”

“Look, I know they’re not bad, but snakes make my skin crawl.”

I settled my hands on the steering wheel. “You don’t need to justify to me. I’m just saying you’re human and not going to be fine witheverything.”

“Is this where you make me define my preferences?” he teased.

“I’m not going to make you do anything, but you’ll get a lot more of what you want if you do.”

Noah shrugged. “Most of the time, I’m just happy to be around people I care about.”

I shook my head, warmth welling in my chest. That was such a Noah answer. We were so different, but somehow, a sliver of hope had started to burn inside me that we could make this work.

The drive wasn’t far. Maybe I should’ve picked somewhere farther away to extend our date, but I thought the activity would fit as a way to spend the afternoon together. All too fast, I pulled up in front of one of the local dog shelters. I’d spoken to the volunteers and arranged time to take a few of the dogs out for a run at Barkingfield Park, so I hoped Noah wouldn’t be disappointed.

The second I parked, Noah laughed.

“No way.”

My brows drew together. “Did you not want to do this?” Fuck, what restaurants could we go to? Most of them were fairly noisy, and I preferred to get takeout or delivery instead.

The sign for Furever Homes glared down at us, and I glared back. I’d misinterpreted what normal people wanted for dates again.

“I volunteer here,” he said.

“Wait, what?” I scrubbed at my face. “I called and set up time for us to take a few dogs out for a run.”

Noah beamed at me, cupped my cheeks, and crushed his mouth to mine. I soaked in the kiss for a moment but pulled back. It would bother me until we cleared up whether this was a good or bad idea.

“Is this date idea okay?” I asked.

“More than.” His grin was pure sunshine. “I love how well you know me, Dec. You listen when I say things, and that means more than anything. Fuck, I…” Tension increased between us as if unsaid things hung heavily in the air. My pulse sped up, but the impetus, apart from him, was unknown.

“You what?” I asked.

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