After taking a few deep breaths to compose myself after that close encounter, I shut over the door and headed to the kitchen. Snatching up another glass, I grabbed the rest of the bottle of wine and made for the couch.
Soft grunts and growls met my ears as I turned around. The sight that met my eyes was enough to make me bend over double, howling with laughter. Both of them were on the rug, on all fours, staring each other out. It was almost as if they were settling who was the boss... if they were both dogs that is.
"What on earth are you two doing?"
I walked towards them and shoved Sam lightly. "Sammy, down."
With that he rolled over on to his back and wiggled around, a tummy rub expected.
"Silly boy." I chuckled as I nuzzled the soft fur on his belly before picking him up and placing him in my lap as I sat down.
"You know, you don't have to become a dog to be his friend. A biscuit works just as well." I smirked at the hunk still hunkered down on the floor.
"If you were trying to play the 'alpha male' card with him, you'll be disappointed. He's a mummy's boy. I'm his alpha." I continued on, chuckling.
He stared at me strangely, almost as if he was trying to work out if I was joking.
He coughed and stood up, brushing his jeans off nervously. "So, you said something about wine?"
"The glass and bottle's right behind you." I smiled, nodding. "There's also some chocolate drops up there which are a certain little man's favourite."
He filled his glass up and grabbed the bag of treats off the fireplace. He made his way over to the 'L', glancing between the space beside me and the far end of the couch.
Smiling amusingly at his nervousness I pat the space beside me, inviting him to sit at a reasonable distance, rather than far apart where we'd need to shout over to each other.
He seemed pleased that I wasn't making him sit a million miles away and sat down, grabbing a handful of choc drops as he done so.
"Uh, here, Sam." He held out his hand, right in front of Sam's muzzle, waiting on his acceptance or refusal.
His wavering confidence was cute. There was no doubt in my mind what Sam would do next. Almost immediately after I had that thought, Sam dove into his hand, scoffing all the little drops in a matter of seconds, before hopping across to his lap and snuggling in, contentedly.
Giggling, I grabbed the full glass from his hand before it spilled and allowed him to get comfy with a new buddy on his lap before handing it back.
Grinning, he glanced at me and shrugged. "Guess he's taken me as his beta then, eh, 'alpha'?"
I childishly stuck my tongue out at him before grabbing my own glass.
Sipping my drink, I glanced up at him, finding his eyes never left me.
"You know, considering I've had more human interaction with you tonight than I've had the past month, you think I'd at least know your name." I murmured, a small smirk gracing my lips.
"Ah, yeah, that's probably what I should've led with in the café, huh?" He smiled sheepishly.
He cleared his throat and held out his free hand. "Hi, I'm Alex. What's your name, gorgeous?"
I immediately giggled (yes, giggled like a schoolgirl again) at his cheesy line and played off my blush by fanning myself with my hand.
"Woo, smoother than milk chocolate or what.
Hi, Alex. I'm Lily, but you can call me whatever you want." I grabbed his hand and squeezed, winking as I done so.
Way to go girl, I knew you still remembered how to flirt.
His mouth was slightly open as he remained holding my hand. I ignored the sparks shooting through my hand and the butterflies swarming around my stomach.
Eventually he let go, very reluctantly and slid slightly closer on the couch. "Well I'm very glad to have met you, Lily-". A soft grunt and nudge to his thigh had him looking down. "And to have met you too, Sam." He corrected himself and scratched behind his new friend's ears.
I smiled, gazing at the gorgeous man currently becoming best buddies with my usually not-particularly-sociable pup. I may only have met him a few hours ago but I felt an unbelievable connection between us; a kind of pull that I had never experienced before.
He smiled up at me as I watched them bond, seeming just as content as I was. "So, Lily, tell me about yourself?"
From this point on we discussed my work as a journalist, how whether my work was printed or posted online determined whether I was paid, and how I spent my free time writing for myself and taking Sam to the local dog parks where he would bark the entire time.
"I'm sorry, I've gone on about us. What about you? What's there to know about 'Alex'?" I smiled as I adjusted my position on the couch, sitting sideways to face him dead on, legs folded underneath me.
"Don't be silly. Every word you say has me mesmerised." He winked –actually friggin' winked– before continuing on. "Hm. Well, I'm a bit of a Jack the Lad. You know, joinery, plumbing, whatever, but I mainly do landscaping. The thing is, I stay in a small community outside of town. The locals kind of prefer to keep to themselves, so we sort of, uh, band together (?) to keep the community going. I know it sounds kind of mad, but..." He trailed off and glanced at my face.
I swiftly grabbed his hand, reassuring him that I didn't think he was in some crazy cult.
"Not at all! I barely know my neighbours names here. A thriving community where the residents are close to one another? Why, your little slice of home sounds lovely." I grinned and subconsciously squeezed his hand tighter in my excitement. "Uh, maybe I could come by some time? See just how wonderful this community is. If they'd welcome me, that is..."
His smile could not have gotten any bigger. It gleamed with happiness.
"They definitely would.
And I'd really, really, like that, Lily."
He gazed at my face and leaned in, eyes flashing to my lips and back up to my eyes. He closed the distance between our faces-
Slurp.
And just like that, Sam stole the moment, wagging his tail happily at Alex.
I couldn't help the bubble of laughter that came bursting from my throat. My little man sure knows how to keep a man on his toes. Alex seemed stunned, almost as if he couldn't believe a dog could have such good timing.
He shrugged his shoulders and playfully nudged Sam's face away from him. "Damn, boy. Way to help a brother out."
He turned his head back to me and smiled, a slight blush creeping onto his cheeks –probably matching my own- and held up his empty wine glass. "How about a refill, beautiful?"
Biting my bottom lip, I nodded my head. "Please. There's another bottle in the cupboard by the fridge."
As he got up to get the fresh bottle of red, I ushered the pup with impeccable timing onto his soft bed under the window. I found myself hoping that Alex would make another move, despite our initial meeting being turbulent to say the least. But maybe that was okay, because perhaps, if this went anywhere, it would make a good 'how we met' tale. The hopeless romantic that lived deep inside me was giving me no say in the matter. She was ready to fall hook, line and sinker for this man, and I was having a hard time finding a reason not to either.
Alex came back over from the small kitchen just off the livingroom with the uncorked bottle in one hand and the hooded top he had been wearing outside over the other arm. His muscles rippled under his dark v-neck I'd seen before in the café, rendering my thoughts mush and my charisma non-existent.
"Uhh..."
"Something up, Lily?" He smirked as he topped up my glass and handed it to me, brushing his hands over mines as he had done earlier.
Oh he knew exactly what he was doing.
I tore my eyes away and took a large gulp of wine, the alcohol beginning to warm me and calm my nerves slightly. I turned back to face him on the couch to find he was sitting right beside me, his arm thrown across the back of the seat behind me. His warm breath tingled my skin as he leaned into me, lithely dancing his fingers up my arm.
I released a shudder and looked into his eyes. "I, uh, don't normally invite men into my home."
He flashed his pearly whites as he continued caressing my arm with his large, calloused hand. "You don't know how glad I am to hear that."
He continued his trail up my arm until his hand cupped my cheek. "I'm the exception to the rule, huh? Will you let me show you how thankful I am for that?"
His eyes swept my face, taking notice of my flushed cheeks, the shuddered breath that left my open mouth, and my dilated pupils.
Ever so slowly he brought his face towards my own. The wait was excruciating. If I held my breath any longer I was likely to turn purple and pass out. My heart thudded in my chest, goosebumps pricked my skin and my palms felt unusually cool from my cold sweat.
His eyes flickered back and forth between my eyes and lips, his dilated pupils rendering his eyes almost fully black. His breathing was steady as he closed the remaining distance. He licked his lips as he brought both hands to hold my cheeks. My eyes automatically closed. Soft, warm lips pressed themselves lightly against my own; sparks and tingles surged through my entire body as soft kisses were peppered on me.
His warm breath came out in pants over my face before I fluttered my eyes open slightly. He was staring intently at me, awaiting my response.
A soft smile made its way onto my face as I reached across and held him by his shoulders. I decided to put him out of his misery and again closed the distance between our lips. He responded immediately, reaching down to my hips to pull me closer. He pressed his lips hard against my own, his tongue peeking out to lightly trace my lower lip, testing the waters. My mind was muddled but the sparks zigging and zagging around my body weren't about to let me stop him any time soon. To save him his apprehension I met his light tracing with my own tongue, entangling them as my mouth opened wider. I could sense his surprise, but he recovered well. He stroked my hips through my lounge pants as his tongue explored my mouth, battling my own for dominance.
Eventually biology regained control over our bodies as we broke apart, panting for breathe, as wide smiles broke out over both of our faces.
One word was all I could muster up.
"Wow."
This was not how I had foreseen my Thursday evening playing out, but I definitely was not complaining.
----
*A/N
Hello Bloodhounds 🐺, how are we doing?
Sorry for the lack of updates the past couple of weeks. I'm not gonna make excuses –I was sick and spent most of my time sleeping it away. Buuut, I'm feeling better now so I'm back to my wolves and Mr Valeska. If you haven't checked out my other book 'Jerome Valeska', then what are you waiting for? He's eagerly anticipating your company 😏😉.
So, did you like Sammy's big debut? How about that first kiss though? Probably came sooner than you thought, huh? (That's what she said! *cackles* 😂😇). Well, they aren't gonna take forever cause that's just not how I roll. Fall fast and fall hard. (I'm sure there's another joke I could make here 😏 but I won't do it 🤐).
Let me know what you think, all feedback/comments/critisisms/votes/drinks/Gotham chats are welcomed.
Hope you all have a nice Saturday 🍷!
–Ellie 💋