He goes on. “I keep pouring my money into upgrades for the pub. It needed all new plumbing and electric not too long ago, so that cost a pretty penny.”

“Nothing missing in your life then, except kitchen upgrades?”

His elbow grazes mine, and he says, “I think you know what I’d say to that.”

I do, and my heart feels so big it might explode. “I guess I do.”

We get to the front door, and I hear Maureen barking inside.

“We’re coming, we’re coming,” I say.

I find the key and open the door. Maureen jumps around, positively beside herself. She’s clearly over the moon to see what is, I have to guess, her two favorite people on the planet.

She’s a little damp from her earlier walk, but somehow she doesn’t reek of wet dog.

“Oh, yes, girl, I know,” Cillian says, allowing her to nuzzle against his chest as if she wants to climb directly into his heart.

I can relate.

I find the leash and hand it to him. “Sorry about the whole dognapping thing,” I say.

“It’s okay. I like that you love her so much. You ought to; you made me get her to begin with.”

“I did?”

He takes a beat.

“We got her together, really. But you were afraid of the commitment, I think. So she became mine.” We both look down at her happy little face, and he says, “It was all right with me.”

He looks back up at me and then his eyes drop down to my chest. He points and I look, expecting to find some embarrassing dribble of ketchup there or something, but instead I remember it’s his sweatshirt.

“Oh, right.” I start to pull it off.

“No, no. I just always like seeing you in my things. Probably some toxically masculine trait of mine, but”—he lifts a shoulder—“I like it.”

I put my arm back through the sleeve. “I get it. I like it too.”

We’re standing close. I can feel the heat of his body and I long to take one step closer. I want to know how his hands feel on my skin. I get chills every time I think about when he had his hand on my arm that first night. I can’t even imagine what would happen if he were to touch me for real.

“Do you want to stay?” I ask, my voice raw, loaded with a hunger for him. “I mean, even for a little while.”

His eyes flit between mine, and then drop down briefly to my lips and back again.

“Do I want to?” He gives a humorless laugh. “I’m dying to. Under the worst of circumstances, I can hardly ever say no to staying with you.”

Energy buzzes through me as I realize what might happen.