Finally we see the trees thin out and the rise of buildings and lights. The road, Lincoln Way, cuts along the edge of the park, and there are still a handful of concertgoers straggling along the sidewalk.

“This seems busy enough,” Lachlan says as we come to a stop a few yards from the road. “You can hail a cab from here. Do you need any money?”

I stare at him blankly. “No. Where are you going?”

He gestures with his head down the street, where it disappears into the heart of the city. “Cabs don’t let you take dogs.”

“An Uber might.”

He raises his brow. “This Uber thing, you need a phone for that, aye?”

“So you’re just going to walk?” I ask, incredulous. “That’s like miles and miles from here. That’s the whole freaking city. It will take hours.”

He shrugs. “That’s fine. Will give me time to get to know the dogs better. If the pit’s leg gets worse, I’ll carry him. If he lets me.”

I know I’m staring at him like he’s crazy, but I can’t help it. “It’s not safe to walk the streets this late at night,” I tell him.

He rubs at his beard and gives me a small smile. “Listen, love, I can handle it.” He gazes down at the dogs. “Plus, I have a pit bull now. I’m sure I’ll be given a wide berth.”

The fact is, anyone looking for trouble would give him a wide berth anyway. Those mountainous traps and shoulders, those hard, wild eyes, they warn everyone to stay away.

Everyone but me.

“I’ll go with you,” I tell him.

He shakes his head. “You just said yourself that it’s a long walk.”

I cross my arms and attempt a commanding stance. “That’s true, but you’re not getting rid of me that easily.”

In the distance, a siren wails. Lachlan looks off, chewing on his lower lip, that lip I’d give anything to chew on again. Finally his eyes slide to mine, amused and kind. “All right,” he says. “If that’s what you want.”

“Yup.”

“You really are something aren’t you?” He takes a step closer to me. “Stubborn as shit.”

I grin at him and my grin widens when he reaches out and grabs my hand, giving it a squeeze.

“Shall we?” he asks.

I squeeze right back, my palm pressed against his, skin on skin, electricity buzzing up my arm. I don’t know when I of all people started finding kissing and hand-holding to be insanely erotic, but I did. All because of him.

Hand in hand, we head off across the city.

I talk the entire time.

About my mother.

My brothers.

My father.

My ex-fiancé.

My job.

He listens intently to every single word that comes out of my mouth. It’s an amazing feeling to actually be heard. More than that, he seems to understand.

We pass sketchy characters, but all Lachlan has to do is look at them and they shrink away. We pass parks where he spots other stray dogs, and it breaks his heart—and mine—that he can’t save them all. We walk through blocks and blocks of harsh city life, and Lachlan seems more at ease than ever. He’s alert but comfortable, even as we pass the fringes of the dangerous Tenderloin district. And I never feel unsafe.

The dogs stay by our side the whole time, with Lachlan feeding them from another packet of beef jerky that I ran into a 7-11 to get. They seem more comfortable, and Lachlan tells me that he can tell they both had homes at one point, which will make it easier for them to get adopted.

When we get to his apartment building, my feet are burning and the sky seems to be growing lighter in the east, and I hope it’s a trick of my eyes because I still have to go to work when day breaks.

I hope the dawn never comes.

I want the night to go on forever.

It’s a bit of a struggle to get the scruffy dog inside, especially as we’re trying not to attract attention to ourselves—Lachlan’s not sure about the building’s pet policy. Finally he takes off his Henley shirt and wraps one of the long sleeves around the dog’s neck until we get him in the door.

At least I think that’s what he does because I’m staring at his shirtless body with my mouth open. I don’t even have the decency to look away. I’m tired and sleep-deprived and sore, and the sight of all those muscles, all those tattoos, lifts me up like a tonic.

But if Lachlan can tell I’m staring deliriously at him, he doesn’t show it. We eventually get up the elevator, the dogs freaking out now, and into his apartment. He immediately gets a bowl of water for them while they wander around the place sniffing everything. He puts his shirt back on—dammit—and starts rummaging through his kitchen.

“Can I help with anything?” I ask him.

He shakes his head and takes some raw ground beef out of the fridge. “It’s lucky I eat a lot of protein,” he says, putting the meat into two bowls and setting them down. “This should do.”

The dogs sniff it warily then launch into it, devouring it quickly.

I watch Lachlan as he stares down at them, arms folded across his wide chest, a quiet smile on his lips. His eyes are lit up, the corners of them crinkling slightly. The way he looks at the dogs is completely different from the way he looks at anyone else, myself included. There’s real love there.

That’s a look I’d die to have.

Take it easy, crazy pants, I quickly admonish myself. One kiss and a night of hand-holding and you’d think you were going to marry the guy.

I don’t even have to remind myself that he’s leaving next week.

As if sensing the finality of it all, Lachlan looks at me. “I guess I should call you a cab.”

“Oh, okay.” I look around for the time and spy the clock on his wall. It’s fucking 4:05 a.m. “Holy shit. I have to be up for work in three hours.”

He looks apologetic and unplugs his cell that was charging on the wall. “Time flies when you’re walking across San Francisco.”

He makes the call and tells me a cab is on the way.

I gesture to the dogs who are sniffing in the kitchen. “Are you going to be okay with these guys?”

“Aye, we’ll be fine. Come, let me walk you downstairs.”

He opens the door for me and we head down the hall. Once in the elevator, it’s awkward without the dogs there. We aren’t speaking and I’m not sure what we should be saying. There’s a lot I want to say to him. There’s even more that I want to do.

So many, many things.

But as we stand outside the building, I keep my eyes on the street, scanning for the cab. I want to stare at him. I want to take him in like a cool glass of water. It’s just that I’m so wired and tired that I’m afraid I’ll do something stupid.

“Thank you,” he says to me, and at that I finally meet his eyes.

“For what?”

“For being there,” he says. “Tonight. It was nice to not have to do it alone.” He pauses, licking his lips. “Sometimes…solitude can be blinding.”

God. I know this. I feel those words in my soul. My throat closes up with some flash of strange emotion.

He reaches for my face with his hand, grazes my cheekbone with his rough fingers. His brows knit together and his mouth opens like he wants to say something. I hold my breath, waiting, wondering, wanting.

The cab pulls up and honks, making me jump. Lachlan’s hand drops away.

I give the cabbie my death stare, sighing in frustration.

Rude.

I look back at Lachlan, wishing I could have those seconds back.

“So…” I say, fumbling for words.

“So,” he says. “We should get coffee this week. If you want, that is.”

“Coffee would be great,” I say.

Dick would be better, though.

He leans forward and kisses me softly on the lips. “See you soon, love.”

Fucking. Swoon.

When the cab finally drops me off at home, I stagger over to my bed and collapse on it, remembering at the last moment to set my alarm. I’m going to feel like absolute shit in the morning. I didn’t even get laid.

But, god, it was absolutely worth it.