Page 41 of Restless Ink

She just winked and leaned down to kiss the top of Captain’s head. “Our boy is pretty smart.”

He knew she’d only saidourbecause she loved Captain too, but a small part of him paused at the word, liking it far more than he should this early in their relationship. He was still finding out who he was without his marriage surrounding him and yet…and yet.

“Come on in, I didn’t mean to make you guys stand out in the cold. We’ll get Captain settled, and I’ll go back to making dinner.”

“Sounds like a plan.” He moved closer to her as she stepped back to let Captain in and kissed her softly on the lips. “Hi, Thea.”

Her cheeks blushed, and she smiled. “Hi, Dimitri.”

“Thanks for having us.”

“I missed Captain.” He kissed her again. “And you, I guess.”

“I guess,” he teased and walked into the house. The place smelled of herbs and warm food, and his stomach growled at it all. “Smells wonderful.”

She smiled at him, but there was something in her eyes he didn’t understand.

“What?”

“I had planned on something else for tonight, but Molly said this was your favorite and I decided to make it instead. I got it in my head that she was so excited about it, and if it’s your favorite…well. Yeah, probably not the best idea, but we’re going with it.”

He shrugged. “Thea, baby, we’re figuring this out together.” He set the bags down on the floor while Captain roamed. Then he cupped her face, kissing her softly. “This isn’t a normal relationship for either of us. She’s your friend, and I see her more often than not because of Captain. She’s part of our lives, and that means we need to be respectful and also find our own path. I get that it’s weird as hell, and not everyone will understand, but we’ll make it work.”

“I want to make it work. And that means making concessions and knowing things are odd but not letting that be the only thing that matters.” She moved forward and was the one to kiss him this time. “Now, enough about that, let’s have some wine while dinner warms on the stove.”

“Wine sounds good. But first…” He cupped her face again and kissed her, needing her taste, craving her taste. She moaned into him, and he arched into her, loving the way she bit down on his lip when they parted.

“I love your kisses,” she murmured.

“You kiss pretty fucking good, Thea. I think I’m addicted.”

She grinned wide. “Good. My plan is working.”

He kissed her some more, all of his attention on her as his hands roamed over her. He wanted her naked and beneath him but remembered his promise. Tonight was about getting to know her, not more, not right then.

“This was a pretty damn nice way to start the night.” He kissed her temple, and she sighed.

“I’d say. How about that wine?”

“Sounds good to me. Let me set out Captain’s things. The fact that he’s lying in front of the fireplace already and getting comfortable makes me happy.”

“He makes me happy because you’re happy.” She shrugged as she said it and went to get the wine. He watched her walk for a moment, then went to take care of his dog.

“So, what have you been up to other than what you’ve been texting?” she asked as she made her way into the living room with two glasses of white wine.

“Grading. Seriously. That’s it right now at this time of year.”

“I’m so glad I’m out of school,” she said with a laugh, handing over his glass. “Sorry.”

“It’s not for everyone. I’m just glad I get your cookies. And cakes. And coffee. I’m pretty selfish.” They clinked glasses, and each took a sip. It was a nice, smooth Riesling, and he was happy.

“We work then.”

He hoped so.

“What have you been up to?”

“Well…I’ve been doing my usual things that you know about, but I’ve also been working on a side project.”