When he came to a stop, it was way inside her personal space. The cat carrier bumped his legs, and he might’ve come closer if she hadn’t had it in front of her. Instead, he braced one hand to the right of her head and leaned in until his forehead touched hers.
They stayed like that for a moment, and she let her lids close as she took in his proximity. He smelled like fabric softener and aftershave even after spending the afternoon out. Her heart rate was picking up, and butterflies were morphing into full-size mourning doves in her belly. If she listened hard enough, she thought she might be able to hear his heartbeat synching with hers.
When he pulled away, she leaned forward but he had retreated a step.
“You should ice your ankle, then get some sleep.” His voice had turned gravelly.
She blinked and opened her mouth to say something, maybe not anything intelligent, but something. But nothing came out because she wasn’t sure what she wanted to happen.
Brandon reached out and brushed a strand of hair from her cheek, turning the touch into a caress along the side of her face that ended with his thumb gently placed over her lips. “You’ve gone through insanity in the past couple of days. It’s a lot to process. I can stay out here in the living room to watch over you, or I can be nearby. It’s your choice.”
But he hadn’t given her the choice of addressing the chemistry sparking up between them. Frustration welled up inside her and she set her jaw.
But his gaze was gentle, caring, and earnest. “You ought to get rest, Sophie. Tomorrow’s another day.”
Ought to. Yes. Practical Sophie always did what she ought to do. The frustration fizzled out. He meant well. He had her well-being in mind. And if they pursued anything past that one kiss, they might not be able to be friends anymore.
The memory of their kiss burned on her lips, but right then, she really needed her best friend, Brandon, to face tomorrow.
She breathed out a sigh. “I think I need my apartment to myself tonight to get my head straight. I want to manage on my own, get myself the things I need, and just get a good night’s sleep.”
She needed to figure out what she wanted to do about her career, what she wanted in life. And she needed to do it before she pulled Brandon into the mix.
His acceptance was a simple nod. He backed away even farther and opened the door out of her apartment.
“Call me and I will be here.” His promise resonated deep inside her chest. “Good night, Sophie.”
*
“Forte.” Rojas gave him a wave from beside his parked SUV.
Forte acknowledged Rojas with a lift of his chin, then headed in his direction. Along the way, he made a visual check of the parking lot and surrounding area. Rojas would’ve done the same. They weren’t making an attempt to hide their presence, either. If this was a move to hurt the men of Hope’s Crossing Kennels by targeting one of their own, Forte wanted their adversary to know Sophie wasn’t an easy target simply because she didn’t live on the kennel grounds.
Cruz had stayed behind to keep watch at the kennels, but Rojas had brought their new client out to meet Forte face-to-face.
“Raul Sa, meet Brandon Forte, owner of Hope’s Crossing Kennels.” Rojas kept the introductions short. They’d all be doing plenty of talking later, focusing on what they really wanted to know about—dogs.
“Good to meet you.” Sa offered his hand. “I hear good things about your dogs.”
Forte nodded and extended his own hand. They shook and took each other’s measure. Sa had a firm grip, not too forceful. Apparently, the man didn’t feel he had something to prove. He had a calm demeanor, not reserved so much as peaceful. The shadows in the man’s eyes and the tendency to set his jaw were subtle tells, though. Raul Sa might be carrying some internal baggage, but didn’t they all? He kept it contained and projected quiet confidence.
Good signs in a dog handler. The dog picked up the mood of the handler. A nervous handler resulted in a nervous dog and a team that made mistakes. Calm confidence in the human gave a dog the reassurance needed to face any of the potential situations they might be headed into and inspired immediate response with any command. It was about absolute trust.
“Sa was Army. He’s recently returned with an honorable discharge.” Rojas continued to bring Forte up to speed. “He’s entering the private sector and is looking for a new partner.”
Sa nodded. “I was mostly stationed abroad contributing to combat operations by providing target odor detection.”