Halfway through, Harper. Only four more weeks.

Nolan eyed the clock as he scraped the last bits of banana ice cream into a small container. He expected Bridget in less than half an hour, and he still needed to hop into the shower. He shoved the ice cream container into the freezer and sprinted to the bathroom, where he took the quickest shower ever. He’d was buckling his belt and reminding Iggy to mind his manners when his doorbell rang.

“It’s go time, buddy. Remember what I told you.” Nolan pointed at the cat, who sat on the back of the couch, with his tail swishing ominously.

“Mrowwp!”

Nolan took a deep breath and opened the door to find Bridget grinning at him, wearing one of her halter tops and a pair of slim jeans and looking good enough to eat.

“Hey.” He grinned back at her, fully aware that he looked like a loon. “Boy, look at you.” Nolan continued to grin at her for a few long moments until he realized that she was still standing outside his entryway. “Well, shit. Come in.” Nolan, you need to calm your ass down.

He stepped aside to let Bridget into the apartment, and when she stepped across the threshold, she stood up on her tiptoes and gave him a kiss on the cheek.

“Hey, Nolan.” Bridget ran her hand down his arm and ended by giving his hand a squeeze. “You look good yourself. I like your toes.”

Nolan glanced down and realized he hadn’t put on any shoes. Talk about keeping things casual. It didn’t seem to bother her, because she slipped off her own footwear, drawing attention to her bright red toenails and a braided band of gold winking from one toe.

“I like your apartment complex. There’re so many trees!”

“Yeah, I like it, too. It’s almost like living in a house. The river runs right behind it. We can take Iggy for a walk down there after supper.” Nolan blew out a breath. “Sorry. I know I’m babbling.”

Bridget squeezed his hand again. “You’re fine. No, you’re more than fine, Nolan.”

“Mrowwp.”

Bridget hopped back in surprise as Iggy flopped down onto her feet. “That is a big cat!”

“Yeah, we both need to do some more work. He used to be bigger.”

“I’m assuming this is Iggy?”

“Mrowwp!”

She squatted down and began massaging the big cat’s throat, and Iggy turned over onto his back to allow her better access to his belly. “Oh, you’re a big softie, aren’t you?” Bridget crooned. “Yes, you are. God, I love your squishy belly.”

Nolan snorted. Lord, I hope she feels the same way about my squishy belly.

Bridget looked up at his snort and gave him a look that communicated that she knew exactly what he was thinking. She gave Iggy another pat on the tummy and stood up. “So, what’s the plan, man?” She stepped into his space again and looped her arms around his waist. “What do you have planned for us, hmm?” Bridget stepped even closer, and Nolan found himself embracing her, smoothing his hands down the slope of her back to rest on the subtle curve of her ass.

“Um, some supper and, uh, maybe a walk. Dessert. Anything you want.”

She quirked an eyebrow. She rested her chin on his chest, looking up at him with a mischievous glint in her eye. Nolan stroked her cheek with the back of his index finger and then couldn’t keep himself from brushing her lush bottom lip with his thumb. He sucked in a breath when Bridget pulled his thumb into her mouth and bit down on it. She closed her eyes, and he was reminded of that day in the locker room, his cock growing instantly hard at the memory. Bridget licked the length of his thumb and then opened her eyes. 

“Anything?” she asked

“Uh, within reason. Like, I don’t have any Pappy Van Winkle, but then again, I figure you don’t drink during training anyway, so . . . ,” he stammered.

Bridget kissed the center of his chest. “You’re right—no booze for me. But I’m up for just about anything else.”

Oh boy. Nolan cupped Bridget’s head in his hand, and just as he pressed his lips against hers, her stomach growled. Loudly.

They both laughed, even as they kissed, and Bridget mumbled against his mouth, “Wow—that was attractive.”

“I think this girl needs to eat, huh? Guess I need to get busy.”

Nolan wrapped his arm around his date and led her over to the bar that lined the galley kitchen so they could chat while he finished preparing their dinner.