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Stace made a face. “And I hated all of them. I can’t explain it. People have always just called me Stace. Or Stacey, when I was younger. It’s the only good thing my dad ever gave me, other than half of my DNA, I guess. I’m just Stace.”

She was.

“Yeah, you are a Stace.”

She nodded in my direction. “Thank you.”

Our server brought the check and I was almost disappointed. It was getting later, and I needed to get going, but I didn’t want to move. Didn’t want to get in my car and go back to my quiet apartment.

Stace paid it before I could get the chance again.

“You don’t always have to pay,” I told her.

“I know. But I like paying. It’s just a few slices of pie, princess. My bank account can handle it.” She got up to pay at the register.

“That’s not what I meant.”

She didn’t respond.

When she came back, I wanted to say something about the money comment she’d made, but she said she had to get home to her dog and it was the first time she seemed like she wanted to get away from me.

Perplexed, I followed her out to the parking lot and toward my car. She followed me again and waited while I got in and put on my seatbelt.

I rolled the window down and she put one hand on the roof to lean down and speak to me.

“Drive safe, Hunter,” she said.

“I will. You too.”

She tapped the roof once and pushed back. When she didn’t say anything else, I rolled the window up again and turned my car on. She stood back and waited while I backed out of my space and pulled onto the street.

Made it home safe and sound I sent to Stace after I’d slipped my shoes off on the mat at the door. She hadn’t asked me to send her a message, but now that I had her number, it felt like the right thing to do.

Happy to hear it. I’m home too. Buck says hi. Her message was accompanied with a picture of the dog I’d seen earlier laying across her glorious legs. She wore a pair of shorts similar to the ones she’d had on at the yoga class. At first, I wasn’t even looking at the dog. Too busy staring at those legs and trying to get my lust under control. Fuck, those legs. So thick and defined just the way they should be. I wanted them around me. I wanted them to crush me. I wanted to lick every single glorious inch of them. Suck on her skin and leave marks.

Very, very inappropriate thoughts.

I shoved them aside as best I could and looked at the dog. He really was cute. He had these triangle-shaped ears and one was always kind of folded over and the other would stick straight up. I didn’t mind meeting him. It was so much better than going to that damn event.

Tell him I said hello I responded even though it was silly. The dog didn’t understand English.

Stace responded with a video of the dog “waving” at me with one paw. Okay, that was adorable, I had to admit. She hadn’t been lying about him being well-trained.

He’s a good boy she added.

I watched the video multiple times. Not just because of the dog or her thighs, which you couldn’t even see. I wanted to look at her apartment. I needed to know if she was a slob. I didn’t think so, but you never knew. Cade wasn’t a slob, but her apartment was always a kind of controlled chaos. Kind of messy, but not dirty. And if you asked her where something was, she knew exactly which pile to point to.

I could handle a little bit of mess. Dirt, on the other hand, that I couldn’t stand.

From what I saw, Stace’s apartment was cozy and filled with bold colors. A red couch. A multicolored rug. Art and tons of pictures on the walls. A dark wood coffee table. Nothing fancy, but her place was warm.

I played the video again as I walked to the kitchen and looked in the fridge. Too bad I hadn’t gotten another piece of pie to go so I could have it now.

There was no cookie dough in my freezer either. Immediately I got online and placed another order for cookie dough to be shipped to me, but that wasn’t going to help me right now.

I don’t have any cookies I posted in my group chat with Cade and Reid.

The latter was probably at work and the former was probably having spectacular sex with her older girlfriend, but it was still worth trying to get them to talk to me.