Chapter Thirteen

Oakley woke up with Hercules lying across her, pinning her to the bed, even as he snored loudly in her ear. “Good grief.” The huge dog simply couldn’t understand why he couldn’t be a lap dog or use people for his personal pillow. It only worsened during winter, when he demanded his own blankets and plastered himself against her body in an obvious attempt to share heat. His mattress resided on the living room floor, a twin size to encompass those super long legs, but he rarely slept on it at night, preferring instead to climb into bed and squish her. She normally didn’t mind his choice of sleeping arrangements, except this morning her bladder tingled with an overflow warning.

Giving a hard shove, she managed to budge Hercules enough to drag her legs out from under him. Finally free, she quickly headed to the bathroom, shaking her head at the canine still sawing logs.

Once finished, she noticed the time. Seven a.m. For the first time, she realized Tanner hadn’t returned last evening or, if he had, he hadn’t let her know. She shrugged it off while running a brush through her tangled, waist-length hair. He had probably got busy or come in too late and hadn’t wanted to wake her. Or, he’d found other entertainment for the night. Oakley frowned at that thought. Surely not. Especially when just yesterday they had agreed to give their budding relationship a chance. Nah. He wouldn’t do that to her. In all reality, he’d simply got tied up and when he did return home, wanted some time to himself. Everyone needed alone time now and again.

At least she’d finished the final exam, lined up grades, and had answered all emails in preparation for the last test of the semester. It had taken most of the evening, but she had managed to get everything done. Now she had a couple of days to just take it easy, checking online every so often for any last minute questions then posting the test when their time frame for taking the exam arrived. The computer automatically graded their answers, allowing them to see their results immediately. It would also add that score in with their others, compile a total, and translate that into a letter grade. She would check over everything after the time frame expired, verify results then forward the letter grades to her department head. For all that work, she earned a month off before reloading for a shorter summer session.

A month off. What would she do? On previous vacations, she’d stayed home and played lazy. Once, she’d loaded Hercules up and gone on a short trip, staying in a dog-friendly hotel for a few days while they’d wandered the beach and marveled at the vastness of the ocean.

Tanner might be home for at least part of that time. The thought made her smile. A whole month of teasing and flirting, running and snuggling. Whose bed would they sleep in and where did that leave Hercules?

What in the world am I thinking? Talk about putting the cart before the horse. They hadn’t been intimate yet, and she was already considering sharing a bedroom each night.

Yet. The magic word. For the first time, thoughts of sleeping with a man didn’t set off warning bells and near panic. Instead, she embraced this opportunity, feeling comfortable and confident in her neighbor. Something about him drew her, compelled her to learn more about him, to be with him.

Then tear his clothes off, jump on board and ride him, cowgirl. She snorted. Where did the hussy voice come from? Talk about mind in the gutter. Oakley chuckled at herself. She kind of liked this newly found part of her mind. With any luck, she’d be able to explore it physically as well as mentally for a long time to come. If Tanner said anything about it, she would simply blame him for corrupting her. It was the truth, after all.

Before him, she’d rarely thought much about getting naked with a man. Old fears had haunted her enough to make her reconsider the wisdom of having sex. Now she couldn’t wait to unleash her inhibitions and soak up the knowledge only Tanner could provide.

A cold nose to her behind jarred her from her thoughts. Spinning around, she found Hercules peering up at her with pitiful brown eyes and abject begging. “Okay. Okay. Can’t have you going hungry.” With practiced ease, she pulled her long locks up into a ponytail before heading off toward the kitchen. She opened a cabinet, pulled a large bag of dog food from it, then poured it into the extra-large dog bowl sitting on a raised platform. When she’d adopted the large dog, his foster mother had warned her of the importance of keeping food and water bowls elevated so he didn’t have to eat at floor level. That lessened his risk of gastric torsion, a condition highly fatal in large dogs if not treated immediately.

As he crunched away, she returned to the bedroom, trading pajamas for shorts and a T-shirt. Dressed, she finished her morning routine with brushing her teeth and a quick scrubbing of her face. By the time she’d finished, Hercules had emptied his bowl and stood at the back door, tail wagging in an obvious signal that he needed out. She slid the door open and Hercules bounded to the grassy area.

Not spying Tanner outside, Oakley gathered up Hercules’ leash, snapping it on his collar when he had finished his morning business. Together they trotted down the park trail behind the house, beginning their run. The return circle took them by the front of the condo where she spied Tanner’s car. He must have gotten home late and still be sleeping. Her mood perked up at once as thoughts of possible activities for the day entered her mind. Breakfast muffins topped the list.

She picked up the pace, finishing with a sprint to the back patio. Panting, she immediately filled Hercules’ water bucket, allowing the dog to drink his fill.

As soon as Hercules had finished drinking, Oakley led him inside. He plopped down on his comfy mattress on the living room floor while she headed directly for the kitchen. She pulled out a recipe book and gathered ingredients. Soon after, she dipped batter into muffin wrappers, and placed the pan in the oven. While they baked, she cleaned fresh strawberries and placed them in a bowl before doing the same with cantaloupe slices, chunking them into bite-sized pieces and setting them on a small platter. By the time her timer dinged, she had arranged the table in preparation for a guest for breakfast.

Still no Tanner in sight. Maybe after her shower, if he didn’t appear, she would carry him some food.

She turned the oven off but left them inside for the moment. More than once she’d forgotten and left food out on the kitchen countertop when she’d left the kitchen, only to return to find it eaten. Hercules excelled at counter surfing, a habit that forced her to keep the kitchen neat and organized, for his sake and hers. She considered the fruit for a second then stashed it in the fridge for safekeeping. He had never eaten fruit before, but today could be the day. With breakfast safely stored away, she hurried to the shower.

Twenty minutes later, clean and dressed, she finished braiding her hair. She grabbed a still-warm muffin from the oven and headed to the back patio. Craning her neck this way and that, she peeked in the back window and still detected no signs of Tanner.

However, she found someone else.

“Good morning, Spoon.” She smiled at the tall, dark-haired man.

He returned her grin. “I thought I smelled muffins.”

“Fresh from the oven, no less. There are plenty if you’re interested. I thought Tanner would have climbed out of bed by now on the trail of food, but no such luck.”

“Probably sleeping like a log. We’ve got plans, so it’s time to wake him.” His mouth turned up in a mischievous grin.

Oakley tilted her head in perplexed interest. “Going to call him or knock on the door?”

“Nah. It’s more fun to wake him up personally.”

“Huh?”

He shook his head. “Highly classified secret information.” He pressed an index finger to his lips.

She bobbed her head in understanding.

“Why don’t you round up those muffins while I wake the hibernating bear. Food might improve his attitude a bit this morning.”

“Okay.” Those men were just odd in her book. She decided to leave them to their own devices.

After heading back in, she pulled the muffins from the oven, arranging them onto a plate for easy grabbing. Then, she added the fruit and glasses to the breakfast banquet.

A loud thump jarred the wall next to her with muted voices following. Guess Tanner is awake now. She grinned at the thought of what pranks Spoon might have played on his buddy. They were just like brothers, always trying to get the better of one another.

By the time she’d filled all the glasses, Spoon and Tanner appeared at her back door. Spoon appeared as clean and brushed as before, his short hair combed and in place, jeans and white shirt without wrinkles or smudges. Tanner seemed a bit worse for wear with a cowlick through his lighter brown locks, his eyes still at half-mast with sleep.

“Look what the cat dragged in.” Spoon gestured toward Tanner, earning a shot to the upper arm for his troubles.

Oakley smirked. “Poor Tanner. Can’t even sleep in one day without someone waking you.”

He snorted. “Yeah, I would have preferred Hercules to slime me with doggie saliva than to have this gorilla try to sneak up on me.” A smirk followed. “Good thing he has a hard head.”

“Whatever.” Spoon shrugged, not rallying to argue.

“Come on. Breakfast is ready. It’s not much, but it’s fresh.”

Both men strode forward, before taking a seat at the table and grabbing a couple of muffins from the heaped mountain before digging in. She followed suit, nibbling on a strawberry.

Tanner focused on her and stared.

She blinked and had another bite, not understanding his sudden interest.

Spoon glanced from Tanner to her and back again, a slow grin appearing on his face. Scuffling noises came from under the table.

Nervous with the awkward silence, Oakley tossed out a question. “So, what are you guys going to do today?”

“Paintball,” Spoon answered between bites.

“Oh. That sounds fun.”

Tanner’s gaze never wavered until she’d finished the strawberry. “Ever been paintballing before?”

“I’ve heard of it, even seen it on TV, but never participated. Heck, I didn’t even know they had a place around here for that.”

“You can come with us,” Spoon offered.

She blinked at them. “They have bunny hills for newbies?”

Both men chuckled.

“That’s skiing, and no. But it’s broken up into teams based on skill level. It’s all for fun, so even if you’re brand new, there are plenty of things to do.” Spoon took a long drink from his glass.

“I wouldn’t slow you two down?” She balked, realizing how out of their league she would be. Heck, former top military Special Forces would make mincemeat out of her and her juvenile attempts to duck, cover, and shoot.

Tanner shook his head. “Not at all. In fact, I think you would make it all the more fun.” He shot her a wide smile, those chocolate eyes sparkling.

She considered it another second before making a decision. “Can I have blue balls?”

Tanner snorted.

Spoon choked on laughter. “Oh, I think Loco already has them.”

A chair squeaked with movement, followed by Spoon’s grimace and mumbled curse.

Oakley tittered at their antics. Whatever today brought, at least it would prove entertaining.