Page 4 of Hard to Get

I pull my tongue back into my mouth as I get closer to them, eyes locked on her honey-brown hair waving around her shoulders and shining in the late-day sun. She’s not dressed in a sexy way; baggy jeans hang from her narrow waist, with a plain white shirt tucked into them. But she’s still hot as fuck.

“Is Frank bothering your dog?” I call.

She looks up at me and when that smile is bestowed on me, I feel like I’ve been checked hard into the boards. Brown eyes dance with amusement, but there’s no sign of recognition on her face. “No, it’s fine. They’re getting along. But look at them! They’re twins!”

“I noticed that.” I stop next to her. “Crazy.”

“We’ve never met another pug here.”

“Even the same colour.”

“Yeah.”

“Frank’s face has a little more black.”

“Yes.” She studies my dog.

Her dog puts his front paws down, butt in the air, and Frank responds the same. Then they take off, chasing each other in circles around us.

The woman laughs. “They’re so funny!”

“Yeah.” Jesus. I need to up my game here. Stop drooling. Start impressing. “What’s your dog’s name?”

“Betty. And yours is Frank.”

“Yeah.” I grin. “From Men in Black.”

“Oh right!” She nods.

“Why Betty?”

“It just suits her.” She lifts her shoulders.

I tear my gaze away from her to watch the two dogs play. “They like each other.”

“They do.” She lets out a light laugh and glances at me again.

We look at each other with unmistakable interest.

Don’t be a creep. Be cool.

I cross my arms and turn my attention back to the dogs again. “So how old is Betty?”

“She’s two.”

“Still a pup. Frank is four.” I pause. “Do you come here often?”

She laughs. “I come here more often than you do with good lines.”

I groan and slap my hand to my forehead. “That did sound like a line, didn’t it?”

“Wasn’t it?”

“No, I was really asking. Like, is this your favourite dog park?”

“Well, it’s the only park we know so far. I just moved to this neighbourhood a few weeks ago.”

“Ah, you live in the neighbourhood. So do I. We have so much in common.”