Hammer's Fall (The Breakers' Bad Boys)(61)

Observing him covertly gave Kalista time to reflect on what she wanted to say to him once they were alone. He was standing at one of the other tables, and she watched as he casually stepped away from a woman who reached out to touch his arm.

In that moment she had an epiphany.

The move had been as automatic as it was when he leaned down and kissed the top of her head whenever he passed by her. He didn’t do it because he knew she was watching. He did it because that was who he was. For the last few days Kalista had been worried about the possibilities of what would happen with their relationship based on what other people had done to her in the past.

Jared was a man of his word. Smart, caring, and wickedly passionate, he was all hers. He loved her, but instead of focusing on that she’d been worried about all the reasons that he shouldn’t. For some reason she had never understood why he had chosen to be with her, and that had been clouding how she viewed their relationship. He had never given her any reason to doubt him, and yet she was treating him like he had.

Feeling a new sense of awareness, Kalista turned to face him and felt her lips curve into a smile. She loved Jared, and she wouldn’t let her own insecurities get in the way of that any longer. When the talked later she would tell him that she would love to move in with him, and that she didn’t want him to go. She knew it was a great opportunity for him, and if he really wanted to do it she would be supportive, but she would tell him how she felt before he made his decision.

Jared cast a glance her way and smiled, then looked back at the person he was talking to. He froze in place then looked back at her, his eyes darkening with an inner fire that thrilled her because she knew without a doubt it was all for her. When he walked away from the woman he had been talking to without another word, she was sure he could see all the love she felt for him shining in her eyes.

He pulled her to him and captured her mouth in a scorching kiss. Kalista’s arms wrapped around his neck, holding on as he dipped her backwards over his arm in what felt like a brilliant replica of the quintessential Hollywood kiss. Lost in each other, Kalista and Jared became aware of the crowd clapping and cheering around them at the same time. She held onto his arms as he lifted her back onto her feet, holding her steady when her knees threatened to buckle.

“You can’t look at me like that in public and not expect me to kiss you silly,” he growled softly.

“Maybe that was my master plan,” Kalista teased, loving the smile he gifted her in return.

“Go on you two, get out of here for a bit and take a break. All your hot and sexy vibes are melting the frosting,” Becca quipped as she shooed them from the tent.

Kalista was amazed when she got her first real look at the success of the event as she walked hand-in-hand with Jared around the grounds. She smiled as she saw several empty cages with signs on them stating that the former inhabitants had found a new home. There were several more dogs that wore bright red collars with the word “adopted” printed on them.

“Those dogs have someone who wants to adopt them,” Hunter explained when Kalista asked. He had strolled over to join her and Jared as they walked around. It made her sad when Kalista noticed that he always kept the side with his burns facing away from her. “They’ve filled out the paperwork and stuff, but we need to do a home visit before we hand over the dog so we schedule a time to do that next week.”

“What about the dogs that are already gone?”

Hunter smiled. “Some of those went home with people who have adopted from us before, and some are people that we know well. If they have another pet, we either encourage them to bring them with so one of our staff can see how they interact or they have to wait until we can do a home visit.”

“We send a staff member out to check out the house of the local adopters if they wanted to take the dog with them today,” Evie said as she walked up to join them. “I just got back from a run over to the Hollister house. Everything is set, and the paperwork is in the office. Those kids loved that puppy so much I couldn’t make them wait.”

“You’re a soft touch, cuz,” Hunter said, then he grunted as she slapped his flat stomach.

“Shut up, you hard ass.”

“My family,” Jared said as he put his arm around Kalista, pulling her close. “Aren’t we a docile bunch?”

Hunter snorted at that. “More like dysfunctional if you ask me.” He turned as someone called his name, then looked back at Kalista and Jared for a second.

“Good luck with everything,” he said, and then he wandered off.

“Idiot,” Evie muttered. Before she could leave, too, Jared stopped her.