Despite all her mother’s admonitions echoing inside her head, the laughter finally escaped. In the past hour, Ruby had withstood a useless show dog, a restlessly agitated crowd, and a torrent of abuse from the harshest judge she’d ever met—and without so much as a blink of her false eyelashes. The sight of Spencer luring Wheezy out of the gym with a cheeseburger, however, was the thing that was going to break her.

“Don’t worry,” Spencer said cheerfully. “I’m not going to give it to him. The carrot in my pocket is the only treat he’s getting today.”

Spencer proceeded to make light work of removing Wheezy from the center circle. Ruby could have sworn the two of them must have planned it ahead of time, because Wheezy sprang to his feet and trotted out of the room with barely a second glance at the food in Spencer’s hand.

Since her work here was unarguably done, Ruby lifted her hand in her most pageanty wave and followed them to the utility hallway, the crowd roaring with laughter behind them.

“I hope you’re happy with that little performance,” Spencer said as she shut the gym door. He tossed the cheeseburger to the dog, who promptly wolfed it down. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything less dignified in my whole life.”

She paused a moment to give her eyes a chance to adjust—and for her heart to adapt to the sudden tightening that enfolded it. That sounded exactly like the Spencer she knew, the Spencer she’d fallen in love with. A little bit stern and a whole lot sexy, refusing to settle for anything other than the best.

“I hope you’re talking to the dog right now, because my execution out there was flawless,” she said.

He turned, his eyes widened in surprise. “Ruby! I didn’t know you followed me.” He lifted a hand to reach for her before dropping it again. “Of course I was talking to Wheezy. I would never say that about you, could never—”

“I repeat,” she said carefully, “my execution was flawless. Obedient and beautiful and everything you look for in a contestant.”

Wheezy must have noticed the tense note in her voice because he finished his snack and cocked a quizzical head at her. The golden retriever understood what Spencer hadn’t yet—that what she needed from him weren’t flowery compliments on how she looked and sweet nothings about her performance. Those things were fine in a man she dated casually or saw only on weekends, but when it came to her partner—her equal—she demanded a lot more.

She didn’t move, not even to blink, her breath suspended as she waited for him to respond.

It was worth the wait. He was worth it.