12. Storm Chaser

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When Tim arrived at the shelter, his was the only hand that reached for the door handle. He looked around, but Lucy was nowhere to be found; he presumed that she would arrive soon enough, so he started the process of gathering Kojo and fastening a leash to his collar, and then he waited. Kojo barked at him. "We're waiting for Lucy, buddy." The dog barked again in response. "What do you want me to do?" Kojo gave him the cutest puppy dog eyes, and he knew they had to go without her, so he took Kojo out alone. When he returned to the shelter at the end of their walk, filled up a bowl of water, and put the leash back in its proper spot, he started to worry about her, because they had arranged to meet and walk their favorite dog together, and she had never missed one of their walks before. Distractedly, Tim tried to secure Kojo in his kennel when he started to wildly wag his tail and howl excitedly. Without turning or witnessing the dog's reaction, he felt her presence. "Hey," he murmured while still kneeling on the floor facing away from her.

"Hi, how's our boy doing today?" Lucy asked.

"Fine," he answered with a bitter smile, because why was she asking about Kojo when their kiss was still so fresh in his memory?

"Sorry, I missed the walk. I woke up late." She omitted the fact that she slept in dreaming about kissing Tim and then stayed in bed for a long while to conjure up the sensation again. He stood up to his full height, and her breathing hitched when he stared down at her. All she could do was gaze at his lips. "I, uh, I'm here to check out a dog for someone."

His eyes were locked on her plump, pink pout and considered requesting more practice kisses from her. "Who's the client?"

"I'll do this one on my own."

"Are you trying to find yourself a new dog because I won the bet?"

"You didn't win."

"None of the people you set me up with were good matches for me. I won," he stated the obvious. Tim's hands itched to pull her into his arms and kiss her senseless even if their conversation did not indicate that.

"You didn't give Ashley a fair chance."

"What are you talking about?"

"Do you even know five things about Ashley?"

"Her name is Ashley, she's a lifeguard, and she's blonde." He hated saying some other woman's name when his mouth only craved to claim hers over and over again.

"That's three things, and I'll admit I know that much about Chris. You owe it to yourself to see if there's something between you and Ashley. You owe it to yourself to be happy, Tim." Even when she was pushing him to pursue someone else, her lips quivered from fighting the urge to kiss him.

"What about you and your happiness?"

"I'm happy every time I make a successful match."

"And what about a successful match for you?"

"My compatibility scores haven't been that high with anyone, but maybe I should give Chris another chance."

He was about to swallow his tongue. "Chris? You think you'll be happy with Chris?"

"I don't know. The algorithm..."

"Forget the algorithm. What about your gut?" If he made out with her long enough, maybe he could coax the stubbornness out of her as he coaxed her lips apart.

"Not sure it's very reliable," she admitted then swallowed hard. One kiss with Tim, and it was positively consuming her.

"Tell that to the dogs and cats that you've found new homes for."

"I've had help," Lucy replied sweetly with a smile.

"We both know I haven't been very helpful. It's your gut." Tim took a step closer to her.

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