Well, this is it! You got this girl! Unlocking the front door to the dog grooming spa, So Fetching, minutes before my first client is scheduled to arrive. I’ve been up for a few hours, too anxious to sleep, cleaning and prepping for my first official day in business.

Everything is as ready as it’s going to be. Checking my outfit once more, tightening the laces on my black converse. I’m excited to be working again, it’s a chance to get back to some sort of normalcy.

My phone buzzes on the counter; a text from Xavier wishing me good luck today. The sweet gesture has me smiling as I tuck my phone away before busying myself with work. We’ve texted back and forth quite a bit, mostly him teasing about a second date, but with him working nights and me getting ready for today there’s not been time for one.

Seven and half hours (and six dogs) later, my phone buzzes while I’m sitting at my desk filling out today’s paperwork and accounting information. Over $500, plus tips! Not bad for a first day girl, not bad at all!

It’s another text from Xavier: How was your first day? Have you eaten?

Skyla: It went well. Survived on coffee and willpower. Lol

Xavier: Let me in?

It’s only now that I realize it is almost 5:30pm, I turn off the lights in the salon and lock the front door. Seconds later a pounding on the backdoor startles me, but I take my time answering it.

“Hey” Xavier smiles.

“Hey yourself, but I don’t remember agreeing to you coming over.”

He cocks his brow holding up bags of food, “I brought dinner, can I please come in?”

“Well” I respond, crossing my arms like I really have to consider “that depends entirely on what you’ve brought with you.”

“Chinese take-out" he says excitedly “only, I didn’t know what you might want... so I brought some of everything.”

“Alright, come in. The stairs to the apartment are this way.”

I might have been surprised by the amount of food he brought over if I had never seen him eat before. Leading him up the stairs and into the loft. It’s a three-bedroom, two bath, modern style apartment with access to the roof that I’ve turned into a makeshift lounge area with lots of plants everywhere. Surrounding myself with life helps me feel that way too.

“Well shit” he mumbles as he glances around the open floor plan. We eat in relative silence again, but I can feel his eyes burning into me, just pleading for me to speak first.

“Thanks for dinner,” looking up from my Lo Mein, “but you didn’t have to do this.”

“It’s no problem, how did your first day go?”

“It was good, all the dogs were well behaved and no complaints from their people... that little poodle’s owner came by and picked her up this morning.”

“Yeah?” he asks “that little dog from Saturday?”

"She’d been missing almost a week, apparently she bolted through a gate that wasn’t closed properly... the sweetest little old lady owns her. She promised to bring her by every once in a while for a spa day.”

“I like dogs and all...” Xavier says “but like, I couldn't imagine them being my only companys all day. Don’t you miss, I don’t know... people?”

“Dogs are honest, loving creatures by nature...” I shrug “and even having been bitten and bruised and scratched throughout my career, dogs can’t hurt you the way people can.”

Xavier reaches across the table gently laying his hand over mine and giving it a gentle squeeze, the warmth of his touch sends electricity up my arm. I slowly slide my hand from under his and defensively cross my arms before looking up at him.

“I didn’t mean anything by it, I'm sorry if I hit a nerve. I don't get along with myself too well, if I'm being honest, so it's hard to imagine just being with my thoughts all day.” He says straightening back up in the chair.

“It's okay, I'm just tired is all. I didn't mean to get all defensive like that” I reply. Who are you trying to convince, him or you? "Any other plans tonight? How many more women are you surprising with dinner?”

Shaking head and smirking, “Just you.”

I narrow my eyes at him, “I’m your plans tonight, or you’re only bringing me dinner?”

“No plans,” he laughs “I just wanted to see you again, and offering you a meal worked well last time.”

“I guess I should be more careful, can’t be giving away all of my weaknesses. I hadn’t planned on guest... well, ever... I was just going to watch movies until I was tired enough to pass out but you’re welcome to stay if you don’t have somewhere else to be.”

“So free food is a weakness of yours?”

“No... GOOD food is a weakness, though it doesn’t hurt when the delivery boy is...” Pausing to choose my next words carefully; a devilish grin spreads across his face as he teasingly leans back in his chair gesturing over himself. His muscles so well-defined, his thin t-shirt clinging to the fit body underneath it.

My eyes follow his hands, tracing every movement and muscle. Stop it, pull yourself together. I flick my eyes back up to meet his “You clearly don’t need me to boost that ego.”

He laughs, leaning forward “Well? What are you watching?”

I shrug as I stand to open the cabinet hiding my movie collection, he follows moments later to look through the shelves of DVDs and BluRays.

“Any favorites, or suggestions?” looking up at me after clearly being overwhelmed by the number of titles I have hidden in plain sight.

“I’m good with whatever you pick, I’ve seen everything in there more than once. If there’s two of anything the older one probably doesn’t work well.”

He furrows his brow looking back at the movies “You’re an odd one, aren’t you?”

“Shut up and pick a movie.”

“Hell, I don’t know” he says, sounding a little defeated “Resident Evil is up front here, you watch it a lot?”

“Yeah, I could probably quote the whole movie for you but I never get tired of it, hand it over.”

Settling next to him on the sectional as the movie starts... Wow, he smells good. A masculine woodsy cologne with just a hint of something citrus; I can’t help but breathe a little deeper as if I’m trying to take in every bit of the tall, gorgeous man sprawled across my couch.

“If I had known I was staying past dinner...” pausing to brush the hair out of my face, “I would’ve brought dessert.”

Blushing at the unexpected contact, I bite my lip to steady my breathing, “Who said I would even want dessert?”

He leans in close, just an inch or so away from my face. His eyes looking at my lips before meeting my own, “Everyone wants dessert.”

Not saying anything else, just holding his gaze, tension thick in the air. Slowly he cups my face with one hand leaning in, placing a small kiss on my lips. To hell with it all, you can have some fun. Kissing him back before he can pull away.

Ignoring the nagging voices in the back of my head; You don’t know him. You’re going to lose control. Stop before this goes too far... I end up leaning further into him and placing my hands behind his head. Deepening the kiss as his hands move to my hips, pulling me into his lap.

The kiss is raw and full of urgency. He tastes like spicy Chinese food and the bourbon he had for dinner; I can’t get enough of that slight burn while our tongues fight for control. Xavier wraps his arms around my back and waist, pulling me closer. I just know he can feel my heart pounding against my chest.

With my fingers laced through his hair, I tug gently to test his reaction before scraping my nails across his scalp. He bites my bottom lip, pulling me closer still; I can’t stop the moan that escapes me.

“If I had known this was on menu” he says, voice lower and sexy. “I would have skipped dinner.”

Every second our lips touch my mind is screaming at me to stop, my body betraying me... craving more. It's been too long, far too long, since I'd even considered being intimate with someone. Never in a million years would I have expected a stranger to pull these feelings and urges out of me. Shifting my hips into him, aching to be closer, Xavier's turn to moan. Just how turned on he is very evident between the layers of clothing separating us.

His hands slowly roam my body, squeezing my hips before one of his hands wanders under my shirt igniting the skin on my back under his touch. Stop! It's too much, you can’t hide that. Breaking our kiss for a second to catch our breaths.

“Damn woman” he practically growls into my ear, “can you feel what you’re doing to me?”

Grinding against him in response; his devilish grin capturing my lips once more. His large hand, on my back beneath my shirt; my breath catches as his fingers find the scar on my spine, stiffening as he traces it up the length of my back.

Shit, shit, SHIT. Not now. Breathe girl, b r e a t h e! Frozen in place, I’m sure all the blood has drained from my face. I can’t will myself to move, stuck in his grasp and as rigid as a statue. I’ve not heard him pleading for my attention, my eye locked on some random cabinet in the kithen behind him.

“Skyla!” Xavier says sternly.

Snapped out of my nightmare. Stupid panic attacks. I slowly turn my head to look him in the eyes; his brows are furrowed and heavy with worry, it feels like he’s trying to peer right into my soul and learn all my secrets.

A scream on the television makes me jump, bringing me completely back to the present. I feel like a ton of bricks is sitting on my chest, “I... umm...” I sputter out, desperately trying to control my breathing.

“Are you okay?” he whispers “Where’d you go?”

I can’t manage to get any words out, simply swallowing hard as I shake my head. Xavier brushes my hair back again while offering me a forced smile. See, that look. That one right there is why this was a terrible idea. You shouldn't have even let him come up stairs. He lifts me as if I weigh nothing, moving me from his lap and setting me down on the couch. Without another word he gets up and walks into the kitchen.

Staring emotionless at the zombies in the movie, a million thoughts still swirling around my mind. You knew this would happen. Why can’t you get over it? Why is he still here? You’re broken, no one will ever want you or love you again.

Taking my hand and placing a small glass of water in it, “Here” he says. I haven’t noticed my hands were shaking so much, slowly gripping the glass with both hands and sipping it as my breathing finally evens out. Satisfied that I’ve calmed down a bit; he takes the glass and places it on the nearby coffee table.

“Can I stay ‘til the end of the movie? I kinda want to see how this ends.” He asks carefully.

I nod, allowing him to pull me to his side, relaxing under the weight of his arm wrapped around me. The sound of his loud and steady heartbeat keeping me grounded. About thirty minutes later the credits begin to roll across the screen. Xavier lifts my chin to face him; two fingers gently pushing until my eyes meet his.

“I better go, I’m sure you have another busy day ahead of you tomorrow...” he says with a smile, “I need to get home and check on my sister anyway.”

Looking away, embarrassed “I’m sor...”

He stops me from finishing my apology by placing a finger over my lips, “You have nothing to be sorry for, and you don’t owe me any explanations.” Xavier kisses the top of my head as he stands to leave. “Have a good night, I’ll call you tomorrow.”

All I can manage is a shy smile as I watch him leave, moments later the backdoor downstairs closes and the security alarm resets. Just in time too, the floodgates opening after trying so hard to fight back the tears. Forcing myself to clear the table and put away leftovers before changing for bed and crying myself to sleep.

The same nightmare once again plagues me, I get little rest and end up rewatching the movie just to escape my own thoughts.