Page 72 of No Interest in Love

“No…it’s…” I stop in front of her. “You left these.” I hold her glasses out. She takes them, slowly pushing them back into place. I avert my eyes so I don’t have to watch the equivalent of a strip tease.

I wait till I hear the click of her door shutting before heading back to my room. I’m still walking off a partial sport, and something keeps pinging around in my head, making me dizzy. I just have to shake her off, that’s all. It’s been almost a week alone with her. After tomorrow, the screen test, I’ll remember what I really want.

A soft whine echoes down the walkway just outside my room, and I turn around in search of the noise.

It’s the dog. She’s huddled in a dark corner, whimpering. Her eyes reflect the moon, creeping me out some, but not enough for me to leave her. I cautiously make my way to her, noticing a collar with vaccine and owner tags, so at least I know she’s not a stray. Her ears pull back, tail curled up between her legs.

“He left without cuddling, huh?” I crouch down and stick the back of my hand out for the girl to sniff. She leans into my palm, and I scratch her ears. “What a fool.”

Her nose points to the ground, as if she’s nodding. My fingers run over the cold collar, and I see the owner’s address is the motel. Must be a lobby dog. A hint of a grin makes the corner of my mouth twitch.

“Come on.” Tucking my hands under her belly, I lift her up and take her back to my room. She puts up a little fit when I put her in the tub, but she kinda stinks, so I’m gonna wash her. I use all the shampoo from that tiny complimentary bottle, then I set up a spot for her on the floor. She’s asleep before I am.

I look at the clock.

4:35.

No good decisions are made after 2A.M.

Thing is, I’m not sure if the bad decision was kissing Shay…

…or letting her walk away.

9:00A.M.

The first thing Shay says to me when I open my door to her knocking is “We are not going to be awkward today, so say what you want now before we catch the shuttle to the airport.” Then her head tilts slightly to the side and she points under my arm. “Is that the dog from last night?”

I smirk and let her inside. “Technically, it was this morning.”

She shakes her head and brings her eyes back to mine. “You kissed me.”

“You kissed me back.”

“It was after two.”

“Nowyou’re agreeing with me on that theory?”

She narrows her eyes at my smart-ass grin and then socks me in the arm. “Are you really going to joke about it?”

“I thought that’s what you wanted. No awkwardness.”

“So last night—”

“This morning.”

“—was just a lapse in judgment? A 2A.M.mishap?”

There’s no way I can answer that right now, but I know she needs to hear it wasn’t a big deal so we can move on. So I play it off, grabbing the handle of my carry-on and trying to give her a reassuring smile.

“Shay…you’re an attractive woman who I’ve been stuck with all week. Couldn’t help myself, I guess.”

Her slightly parted lips close as she looks around the room, focusing on nothing in particular. “That goes for me too.”

A small laugh tumbles from my mouth. “You finally admitting you think I’m good-looking?”

Her eyes meet mine and a hint of a smile crosses her face. “Until you open your mouth.” She sighs, dropping her crossed-arm stance. “But we’ll be refraining from making the same error in the future?”

“I’ll keep my lips to myself, if that’s what you want.”

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