Page 46 of Bond Strength

Noah shook his head, a grin on his lips. “I’m just damn lucky, that’s all.”

“Luck has nothing to do with it. More like us actually communicating.”

Noah hopped out of the car. “Well, let’s communicate with some pups in tow.”

I stepped out of my car and remained there, watching for a moment. Noah raced up to the front door, his excitement as palpable as mine whenever I got to study the night sky.

When he glanced back at me, the look in his struck me silent.

God, he was blindingly beautiful, and he was mine.

I had no experience in falling in love, but I believed I already had.

Chapter eighteen

Noah

The evening was crisp and perfect weather to take out a few puppies. We’d gotten a crate to contain them, and Petie happened to be at the shelter when we’d visited. I hadn’t been able to leave him behind, even though I struggled more and more to separate with every visit.

I got the three pups leashed up, and I handed one of the leashes over to Declan, though not Petie’s. “How comfortable are you with dogs?”

He accepted the leash. “I don’t know if you remember Brandysnaps, but after handling the contrary little Pekinese, most dogs feel easy in comparison.”

A laugh escaped me. “Oh man, that dog was such a shit. He only liked Aislin.”

We stepped past the gate of the dog park portion, and I kneeled to let these guys roam leash-free. Watching dogs run free lifted my spirits more than waking up and realizing it was a Saturday. If I had a dog,I’d build a fence for them to be able to run around like that whenever they wanted.

The other two dogs raced off at once, but Petie remained next to me, his tail wagging. His eyes were bright and sweet, and my heart tugged. I wanted to take him home with me so damn badly. I dropped to my knees and ran my hands over his furry head.

“Is this my competition?” Declan joked.

“He’s gotten attached.” I accepted the gift of Petie’s puppy kisses all over my face.

“I don’t think he’s the only one,” Declan said. Even though some of the other volunteers had said the same, it hit deeper coming from him. Because he knew me beyond the superficial, past simple external observations.

“Just a little.” I didn’t want to admit how much I wanted to bring this dog home. It was a miracle he hadn’t been adopted yet, and a small part of me felt like the universe was giving a nudge. I bumped my forehead with Petie, and he let out a happy yelp. Fuck, how did Declan know what I needed? The way we clicked together was the exact reason no guy had ever measured up. Because no one else soothed me and challenged me in the same breath like he did.

I’d dated briefly, had hooked up, but the entire time, I’d been searching for…this.

I glanced over at Declan while giving Petie an abundance of pets. He stared at the golden and the pittie we’d taken along with us frolicking on the grass, running around, and letting out joyful barks. His eyes crinkled, and a soft smile lingered on his lips. God, I was so in love.

I’d almost blurted it out in the car, but I’d swallowed the words back. We’d just started dating, and I didn’t want to leap in, only to send him spiraling. One step at a time.

“I’m getting my résumé together.” Declan crouched as the pittie came rushing back to him. The big guy bumped at his glasses, but Declan didn’t seem to mind. He let out a loud laugh, just pure joy. The breath stuck in my throat. Fuck, he was so beautiful.

“Where are you going to submit it?” I asked, my heart thumping. Had our conversation left a mark?

“There are a remarkable number of engineering companies involved in aerospace engineering, which is more where I wanted my skills utilized.” Declan ran his hands down the pittie’s sides, and the big guy happily barked. “Maybe some change wouldn’t be remiss.”

“I’m proud of you,” I said, my chest aglow with warmth. Goddamn. Together for less than a week, and we were helping each other in ways I could never have imagined. Yet Declan’s call-out with me, his blunt truths when I’d sorely needed to hear them, were already working their magic on my life. And hell, today had been such a massive step forward. “My mom wants to get together for dinner soon. She tried for tonight, but I told her we had a date.”

Declan’s gaze locked on me. “You said no?”

I nodded, trying to bite back my smile, but it slipped out. Giddiness fluttered through me. The bright sun beamed down on us, and given the crisp late fall breezes, the combination was potent and alluring.

“Well, then I’m proud of you too,” Declan said, his observant gaze on me. Fuck. A shiver ran through me. Those three little words bubbled up on my tongue again. Petie licked my face, not happy that my attention was on Declan and not him. I shook my head with a grin and grabbed one of the tennis balls out of the bag on my shoulder.

“C’mon, boy.” I tossed the ball, and Petie rushed off after it like a shot.

---