"I didn't realize puppies needed so many things," Rhett said.

They had driven to Findlay and gone to the pet store, where he had let Joseline pick out most of the stuff for the puppy. She seemed to be in the know. They'd gotten food, toys, treats, puppy pads, leashes, a collar, and a crate. She had also signed him up for some puppy training classes. Those wouldn't start for a few weeks, but she couldn't wait to take him. She couldn't stop talking about all the cool things the puppy would learn.

When they got back to his place, they spent nearly an hour puppy-proofing his downstairs. They would do the upstairs the next day, but until then the puppy would live on the ground floor. Rhett also looked up fencing companies. He wanted to be able to leave the puppy in the backyard without having to tie him up.

All in all, he was very happy. It was another nice day to store away for when she was gone.

"What are you going to call him?" Joseline asked him.

"I don't know. What do you think about Fetch?"

She rolled her eyes. "Does this look like a Fetch to you?"

Truthfully, the puppy didn't look like much of anything to him. It was wriggly, and it was warm. The little guy already had a knack for stealing the show. That was probably his most significant feature. The women who would normally fawn over Rhett didn't even notice him when he was holding the puppy.

"What about Spot, like spotlight?" he suggested. "Or, how about Thief? Or Brownie?"

"Are you jealous of this little guy?" She started opening the toys they'd bought.

"Why do you ask?" Rhett took the puppy from her and looked into his eyes. He didn't really look like a Thief or a Spot. Brownie was starting to sound good to him, though. He knew dogs didn't eat chocolate, but it fit. The puppy had warm brown eyes that drew everyone in. He could get anything with eyes like those.

"You're trying to call him Thief and Spot, like spotlight. That makes me think you're jealous that he's taking the spotlight away from you." Joseline finished opening the toys and spread them around the living room.

"I like Brownie best," he told her. "What you think about that one? And if you hate it, what are your ideas?"

"Hold him up," she urged him.

Rhett held the dog up to her. "Brownie? Does the name Brownie appeal to you?"

Joseline laughed. "He does look delicious. What do you think, little guy? Brownie? Are you a Brownie?"

The puppy gave a mewling bark. Joseline looked up, eyes bright. "That's it! You got yourself a little Brownie."

"That was really easy," Rhett said. "I'll pick him up a nametag when I go to the grocery store tomorrow. You want anything when I go?"

She turned to look out the window so her back was to him. "I don't think you need to get me anything anymore, do you? I think you're pretty close to solving this, aren't you?"

"It's over. I should have mentioned this sooner but one of the calls I had to return was to Tucker. The Abbott Keepers are no longer interested in you. But I still think you should stay a while longer if you can," he said delicately. "If you need to go home, though, I completely understand."

And he wouldn't stop her. Even if he desperately wanted her to stay, it was not his place to keep her here. She had a life of her own that she wanted to get back to, one that was safer than what he could offer her. He had already waited long enough to tell her she could go. He could barely believe that the dragons were going to leave her alone.

The call with Tucker had been quick. He would be in to explain the day after tomorrow. But Hayes had gotten on the phone himself to say that they "didn't give a rat's ass about the stupid human woman." It was almost too good to be true.

It would be smarter to ask her to stay a few days longer. Just to make sure that they weren't lying. Or tell her exactly how he felt, but that would be trapping her. She knew all about shifters and how they mated for life. If he told her she was his mate, she might feel obligated to stay. If she didn't want to stay of her own accord, he didn't want to guilt her into it.

Even if she went, at least he would have the puppy to keep him company. Brownie was going to be a welcome distraction from the long, lonely nights.

"I don't necessarily have a job to get back to right now," she said. "I haven't scheduled anything for at least another week and a half."

"Well, would you like to wait a bit longer to make sure it's safe?"

"Would you like me to stay longer?"

There she was, coming out and asking him point-blank. He needed to be careful. "I want you to stay as long as it takes for you to feel safe. I personally don't feel safe letting you go today. Maybe not even tomorrow. But if you feel like you need to leave, I won't stop you."

She turned back to face him. Her eyes and body language were difficult to read. Her arms were crossed, which made him think she was trying to protect herself and keep him at arm's length. But her eyes looked sad.

What had she wanted to hear? He'd said that he wanted her to stay. What more could she want?

"If you want me to leave, I'll go."

"I didn't say I wanted you to leave. I said I wanted you to leave when you felt comfortable."

What was she pushing for? Did she want a stronger statement that she was the one for him? Why didn't she say she wanted to stay if she did? She was playing some kind of game with him and it was getting frustrating.

"Do you think I'm safe now?"

"I said you weren't." He put the puppy down. "I said I wanted you to stay longer. I may have closed this case but the dragons were tailing you just yesterday. This might be too soon."

"I see." She picked the puppy up and sat on the couch with him. "Can I come back and visit Brownie?"

He scuffed the dog's head. "You can come back and visit him whenever you want. I don't know much about dogs, and I feel like you could help me a lot here."

"Okay. I think I'll go home tomorrow, then," she said. "But I'll come back and visit the dog at least once a week, if not more. Is that okay?"

No. That was not okay. It was too early, and he wasn't ready to let her go.

He forced a smile and nodded. "If that's what you want, it's fine by me. Before you go, I have something I'd like to tell you."

***

Of course. Now that she wanted to leave, he was going to confess his "true feelings" for her. Sure. Whatever. Joseline was over it. He didn't want her to stay. They'd been having such a nice time, but that was all this was to him. He was probably stringing her along.

"Shoot." She was glad she had the puppy to hold on to. She was going to freak out, she was sure. If she was holding Brownie, she couldn't throw anything at Rhett, and she was less likely to stomp out of the room.

"First, I know I should have told you this earlier, but I could never find the right moment."

"Uh-huh." She knew this speech. She had heard it a million times when she was trying to end a friends-with-benefits situation. Miraculously, when they were going to lose the free sex, the guys always realized they had feelings for her. That they were falling in love with her.

"So, you know I'm a Keeper, but I didn't always work in Lake Magnolia. I started working in Abbott. That was my first territory."

Joseline didn't breathe. She stopped petting Brownie.

"I used to be just like Hayes and Knox," he continued. "I used to be pretentious and stuck-up. I didn't give a damn about other shifters, and I couldn't have cared less about humans."

He reached out and took her hand. "What they were going to do to you? I used to do that. I used to mess with humans' minds. Not often, but I was good at it. I only made one mistake. I drove a man mad. I wiped his memory after he saw one of the dragons. That was back when we weren't out in the open."

"What happened to him?" she whispered.

"He went home and he killed his family and then himself. I was done after that. Because of me, three innocent people are dead. I didn't have to wipe his mind. I think he was afraid enough to keep his mouth shut, but I didn't care. He was just some stupid human to me. After that, I left, and I was alone for many years."

"That's why you don't date." She understood. He was a monster. He couldn't be around people because he would hurt them. He couldn't trust himself. That was why he'd tried to protect her. He was making amends. It wasn't about her; it was about him and his past.

"That's why I don't date," he confirmed. "I know this is shocking to hear, but I'm not like that anymore. I've changed. That's why I couldn't let them try it on you. I couldn't risk that happening again. Not if I could stop it."

She nodded. "I understand."

"I was thinking about doing it to you too. Or at least trying."

She looked up sharply. "You were going to do it to me?"

He nodded. "If I had to, I would have tried. But I'm glad it didn't come to that."

"Me too."

He squeezed her hand. "I wanted you to know everything before you left. If you're going to come back and visit me, I want you to know the whole story."

"Thank you."

He didn't love her. He might have thought she was hot, but he didn't think she was his mate. The sex was fun for him. It didn't mean to him what it meant to her. He wasn't protecting her this whole time; he was keeping an eye on her. He was nicer than the dragon shifters but he would have done the same thing to her in the end. He'd done it before. The only difference this time it seemed was that he was attracted to her.

She understood completely now, but she would still come back. She wanted to see Brownie and make sure he was well cared for. It would take her time to get over Rhett, but she would.

He was nothing like she'd thought. She'd been mistaken again.