I feel wet strokes against my face, and I really hope it’s not the chick from last night.

I know I told her I don’t do sleepovers.

I peek open an eye and see Nova’s big brown eyes peering at me while she licks my face like I’m made of white chocolate.

“What the fuck, Nova?” I groan. She’s standing on the back of the naked woman still in my goddamned bed, and peers at me innocently as I sit up and lean against my headboard. My little fur-ball barks low and jumps into my lap, making me grateful that I put nail caps on her claws.

I sleep naked. Claws plus my balls is a recipe for disaster.

I scoop the Maltipoo up, stroking her light brown fur and nuzzling her against my face. “You think this girl should go home too, don’t you, baby? Let’s see about waking her up, hm?”

Nova wiggles like she wants out of my hold, and I let her slip away. She promptly starts licking at random woman’s face.

I can’t remember her name, or else I’d use it.

“Dane!” She giggles, keeping her eyes closed as she stretches and turns on her side, supposedly to bare her body to me so I can continue licking other parts.

I raise a brow and cross my arms.

“That’s not me.” I slide out of bed and go to the bathroom. I’m putting the toilet seat back down while she’s shrieking, and when I hear a thud, I assume she fell out of bed because of her antics.

If she’s this dramatic over Nova, who barely weighs all of 6 pounds, she’s probably a drama queen about a lot of shit.

“What is that…that thing!?” She shrieks, and I start to wonder if her voice was that high when we met the night before or not.

“A puppy?” I pull on boxers and sweatpants, annoyed. Anyone who doesn’t fall in love with Nova is a shit person in my book. And she called my fur ball a thing. How fucking offensive.

“I don’t like dogs. You can’t have a dog if I’m going to be staying over.”

What kind of sub-par human doesn’t like dogs? Shit, I need to start asking screening questions.

She puts her hands on her hips and stares at me like she’s expecting me to throw Nova out of the window or something.

“What’s your name again?”

I don’t have time for her shit. Need to be at the rink at 10.

She stomps her feet and one of those awful shrieks leaves her mouth again and I’m regretting that those lips were anywhere on my body.

“Can you be outraged somewhere else? I have shit to do.” I try not to be one of those jerks that sleeps with women and then is rude or callous, but mincing words isn’t exactly my style either.

She insulted my baby girl. The woman doesn’t deserve consideration.

She clearly isn’t good at listening, because she was still in my home when we’d discussed her leaving when we finished last night.

I watch her snatch up her clothes and shoes, stalking out of my room as Nova wags her tail and barks from my bed.

“I know fur-ball, I’m glad to see her go too.” I see thin black panties peeking out from under the bed, and I scoop them up and toss them in the trash.

No need for souvenirs.

I shower quickly, glancing in the mirror at my beard with a shrug. Eh. Not time to shave it off yet.

I’m shrugging on a t-shirt when my phone lights up, and I see a picture of Keyra on the display.

Weird, pretty sure she has meetings this morning. They’re still doing staffing interviews and taking stock of current employees for her dad.

“Babycakes?” I carry my phone to the kitchen, wincing when I step on one of Nova’s chew toys. She runs around my ankles and picks it up after I cuss, trotting over to hop on her cushion and settling down.

She’s fucking perfect.

I turn up the volume on my phone and realize I only hear sobbing. It makes me put the spinach down I was about to pop into the blender.

What the hell?

“I…can’t…stop…baking.” Keyra cries, and I take her off the speaker, putting the phone to my ear.

“What the hell is wrong with you?”

“You…sound…so…mean.” She hiccups, laughter coming between her tears and I’m alarmed.

This isn’t normal Keyra at all.

“What do you mean you can’t stop baking? Why aren’t you at work?” Is that panic in my voice?

I mean, this is the woman that was giving orders the minute they released her from the hospital. I would drop in after a game sometimes and she’d be working, on the phone, just never stopping. I kept falling asleep on her couch, and she never blinked a tired eye.

“My dad fired me. I’m banned from work for the next six months.” She sniffs. “Snickerdoodles are your favorite right? I made 3 batches, but I’m making a chocolate cake too. And there are chocolate chip cookies.”

Good lord.

“I’m going to come over before I go to the rink okay?”

“Okay.” Her voice hitches and I hang up the phone, shaking my head.

Fired?