Chapter Eight
The man was tireless.
And so was his dog.
Chloe sat cross-legged in the grass, occasionally closing her eyes and lifting her face to the hot North Carolina summer sun. She couldn’t remember the last time she sat outside, other than next to the pool at her Miami apartment on a rare day off. She certainly couldn’t remember the last time she sat in grass, but for some reason, folding down on the soft bed of green seemed natural out here. Not natural for her, but it felt good.
She heard Shane hoot and Daisy bark, the sound making her peek from behind closed lids to catch him running like he was on a football field, the dog chasing him feverishly. He stopped, fell, and Daisy jumped on him, covering his face with her tongue and paws.
Lucky dog.
Yeah, as if she’d behave that way with man or beast. Was Shane responsible for the madness of sitting in the grass, walking a dog, and thinking about doing things that normally made her…walk away from a man?
He might think he was a dog whisperer, but Shane’s gift might be something altogether different. And all Chloe knew was that she wanted to be around him to get more of it.
And it wasn’t only how he looked.
Although, he looked good. She stole another look, catching him running and rolling with the dog, the tight T-shirt clinging to damp, defined muscles.
From somewhere—they probably had hidden toy stations all over this place—he produced a bright green tennis ball that he held in the air. Daisy stared at the ball with what was probably the same expression Chloe wore right that moment staring at Shane. The dog waited way more patiently than Chloe would if she were on her knees in front of him. Daisy didn’t move until she was told she could, then she shot off after the ball, snagging it with her teeth and wagging her tail at her accomplishment as she trotted back to Shane for more.
There was nothing intimidating about that dog.
Maybe that was Shane’s magic. He got creatures to do things they might not otherwise do. So that was one good reason to take the dog—it guaranteed more time with Shane, which guaranteed more…broken barriers.
She swallowed and thought of one barrier she might actually consider breaking. Sex.
She let out a sigh at the thought, dropping her head back again and closing her eyes. Sex had never gone well for her, but with a man like Shane? Despite the sun, a shiver danced over her. She could imagine it, imagine him.
Something warm blew on the skin of her arm, and a loud breath—
“Oh!” Her eyes popped open, and she came face-to-two-toned-face with Daisy, panting six inches from her.
“We decided you were thinking too hard.” Shane was on the other side, looming over her, blocking the sun.
“That scared me.”
“You were moaning.”
“I wasn’t…” She collected herself and lifted her hands off the grass, straightening her back.
Daisy barked, and Chloe jumped, gasping again.
“She wants you to acknowledge her,” he said, slowly folding down to sit next to her. “You need to recognize her.”
She turned to the dog, still feeling the puffs of her warm breath, her pink tongue hanging out, her half-brown, half-white face oddly symmetrical and appealing to look at. “She’s going to lick me, isn’t she?”
“She’s cooling off,” he explained. “That’s why her tongue is out. She’s going to stare you to death if you don’t give her a little attention, though.”
“Hi, Daisy,” she said, giving a little wave.
Shane laughed softly. “You know she won’t hurt you, right?”
“Yes, of course. I…just…” For a long moment, she held eye contact with the dog, seeing her own reflection in the dark eyes. And something else. Something like…emotion. “Does she feel things like that? Like what other people think?”
“I believe dogs have souls,” he said. “Because they have feelings. Shame, anger, love. Lots of love.” He leaned a little closer. “They need love more than anything.”
She sighed and lifted her hand, slowly laying it on the dog’s head. “Hey, Daisy,” she whispered. “How are you?”
Almost immediately, the dog got down on her belly, turning her head one way and then the other.
“She wants a neck scratch,” Shane explained. “Dig your nails in a little, and she’ll be yours forever.”
She let her fingers go deeper in the soft, short coat, surprised at the lovely texture of the fur and the hard muscles underneath.
Daisy lifted her head and looked up adoringly at Chloe.
“Not forever,” Chloe said. “I can’t do forever.”
“Oh, no. Marie would kill me,” Shane said. “I called her this morning to make sure she was cool with this idea, and she loved it, but warned me that she’ll cut my heart out with a blunt knife if someone wants to take Daisy from her. And she wants to be texted pictures every day.”
“I can take pictures of her,” Chloe said, surprised at how much she liked the feel of the dog. She felt warm, solid, and clean. “It’s like being handed a baby and having no idea what to do.”
Shane stretched out on the other side of Daisy, taking off his baseball cap so that Chloe could see tiny beads of sweat on his forehead. His chest rose and fell as he caught a breath and laughed as Daisy collapsed between them. “Lucky for you, I train people how to handle dogs for a living. Couple of lessons on the basics, and you and Daisy will be great together. Is that all you were whimpering about?”
“I wasn’t whimpering.”
He made a face like he didn’t buy her denial, so she turned her attention back to Daisy and the neck scratch. Otherwise, she’d just stare at him and study every individual bead of sweat and imagine petting him instead of the dog.
“I was making my pro and con list for taking Daisy,” she finally said.
“There’s no con.”
“Poop.”
“Look, you have a yard. Let it go and don’t pick it up. Dissolves in the rain and fertilizes the grass.”
She looked skyward. “My, you really know how to talk to a girl.”
“What other cons?”
“The whole ‘bed in storms’ thing. I can’t sleep with her, Shane.”
All of a sudden, Daisy sat up and shook off, making Chloe quickly draw back her hand at the force of that. Then she repositioned herself closer to Shane, who was on his side, his head propped up on one hand. She snuggled against him and lay down with a sigh.
Chloe had to laugh. “She understood that, didn’t she?”
“Yep.” He ran his large hands over Daisy’s side, stroking her over and over. “And she answered by showing you who she really wants to sleep with.” He squinted up at her, grinning. “Can you blame her?”
No. “But what if I don’t let her in my bed? Will she jump up in the middle of the night?”
“You can close your door and let her sit outside your bedroom and listen to her cry.”
“Which would be cruel.”
He leaned to whisper in Daisy’s ear. “Great news, doggo. She does have a heart.”
Chloe kicked his shin with her sneakered foot. “Stop it. Don’t make her dislike me.”
“What else is on your stupid con list?”
“Can I go out without her?”
“As long as I’m with you.” He winked. “Just kidding. But it’s not a bad idea. Dinner tonight?”
Why the hell did the casual invitation make her heart dance a little? Because it was a date. And a date would mean…another kiss. And another kiss would mean trouble. Fortunately, she was ready.
“Actually, I have plans with Andrea Rivers,” she said. “But not if I should stay home with Daisy,” she added quickly.
“Architect Andi?” He seemed amused. “You two could raise some eyebrows…and other things. Where will you be? I’ll come and make sure no one bothers you.”
She smiled at the other things. “No one will bother us. We’re having dinner together. But if I take Daisy home today, can I go out tonight? Is that okay?”
“Of course,” he assured her. “You can leave Daisy for hours as long as you make sure she has food and water and hits the backyard before you leave. Her breed doesn’t do well alone for long stretches, but I tired her ass out. She’ll sleep on your sofa all night.”
She angled her head and gave him a death stare.
“Or your floor.” He laughed softly. “Until you leave. Don’t worry, very low shedding with Staffies.”
“Shedding. I hadn’t even thought of that.”
“Then don’t.” He dropped the hand holding his head and patted her leg. “Stick with the pros, not the cons.”
Like the fact that having Daisy meant seeing more of Shane. That was still her favorite pro. “Well, I suppose she makes the house more secure, too,” she said instead.
He scratched his head, thinking about that one. “I hate to break your closely guarded preconceptions, but Staffies don’t make such superb guard dogs unless your house is being robbed by another dog. They’ll bark, but then be pleased to sit on the sofa with your intruder and watch the football game.”
She eyed the dog, her heart shifting a little at the way Daisy snoozed in the sun, her broad back rising and falling contentedly. She didn’t look like she could hurt, well, a mouse. “I did misjudge her, Shane. I’m sorry.”
He looked up at her from his prone position on the grass. “You misjudged me, too.”
“No, I…” Then she remembered meeting him. “I thought you were a back-bar fix-it guy.”
“And still you gave me a little tongue.”
She tapped his arm, almost toppling his head. “Don’t remind me.”
“Why not? I thought about it for days and jumped all over the opportunity to see you again.” He leaned forward, his chest covering Daisy. “I wanted a second chance since I failed so hard the first time.”
“Failed? I kissed you.”
“And then ran off like Cinderella without leaving a shoe, last name, or phone number. I had no way of finding you.”
Why that gave her a little thrill, she couldn’t say. But it did. A not so little thrill.
“Billy mocked me mercilessly the third time I asked him if you’d come in again, and I actually hung out near the Bitter Bark Bed & Breakfast on the off chance I’d see you.”
She felt her mouth open in surprise. “Really?”
“No reason to lie, Chloe. I liked you. I wanted to see you again.” He plucked a blade of grass, looked at it for a second, and put it between his teeth. “I wanted to kiss you again.”
“Not after you put grass in your mouth.”
“Grass is clean.”
“At a dog training facility?”
“Shit.” He spit it out and wiped his mouth. “There. Clean as before.”
She rolled her eyes, fighting a smile knowing that she would kiss him despite the egregious hygiene. He was that cute. That close. That kissable.
“Why are you so freaky about germs, anyway?” he asked.
“Not just germs,” she said. “All dirt in general is the enemy. So is clutter, disorder, anything unkempt, messy, or out of place.”
“So I was right about the underwear rolls?”
She gave him a slow smile. “My panty drawer is a thing of symmetric beauty.”
He fell on his back with a grunt. “Not sure if that’s the sexiest thing I’ve ever heard or the scariest.”
“It’s the truest. I like my life orderly.”
“Why? Disorderly is so much more fun.”
“Fun for you maybe, but I told you, I was a sick child.” Sick from the time she was born until the day she left her hot mess of a mother when she turned eighteen.
“Did you have something specific?”
“I had everything. Every allergy known to man, every virus within a ten-mile radius, every cold, flu, headache, and illness you could get, I had it.”
He eyed her, spending a long time on her face, then even longer on her body. “You sure look healthy now.”
“I am,” she said proudly. “I had allergy shots in my twenties, so I’ve got allergies under control. And I haven’t taken an antibiotic or so much as a sip of cold medicine in ten years. But having been sick that long and that often made me super germ-conscious, and my neatness is who I am, so sorry if that bothers you.”
“Doesn’t bother me,” he said. “And I understand it now. Doesn’t actually explain the underwear drawer, though.”
“You can’t stay away from that, can you?”
“I admit I’m captivated by the idea. Will you show it to me?”
She laughed. “If you stop teasing me about being a neat freak.”
“Lie down.”
She blinked at the order. “What?”
“I want to see if you can do it. Lie down on the grass like I am.”
Looking down at the grass, she considered it.
“You really can’t do it.”
“I can,” she said. “I’m not sure I want to.”
He ran his hand over the grass. “It’s cool. Soft. Green. Natural. Daisy and I love it. Lie down, Chloe.”
The invitation sent another one of those shivers over her again and an ache in her chest. She wanted to lie down. Wanted to line her body up with his and just be a normal person hanging out in the grass on a lovely summer day.
She swallowed, the familiar, unnamed fear trickling through her.
Oh, no. It had a name. Doreen Somerset, ruiner of normalcy.
“Sure,” she said, stretching out her legs and slowly bringing her upper body to the ground. She rested her elbow on the grass, then relaxed a little, turning to face him and Daisy. “See? Lying.”
“Yes, you are.” He reached over Daisy, but she popped up and trotted away, leaving nothing but space between them. Space Chloe suddenly wanted closed. “I’ve never seen something so simple cause so much pain.”
“I’m not in pain,” she replied.
“Then why are you frowning?”
She forced the furrow out of her brow. “Stop it,” she said. Because if he kept digging deeper, she’d probably admit more, and then he’d know her issues were deeper than dirt and way, way more complicated.
“I like teasing you,” he said softly, leaning a little closer. “You’re pretty when you laugh.”
She opened her mouth to respond, but her breath caught in her throat. A response so low and real and feminine rolled through her, surprising her with its power. “You really are a…whisperer.”
“I am,” he said with that undercurrent of cockiness that was both annoying and attractive. “I get creatures of all kinds to change.”
“You do?”
“Mmm.” He nodded. “Takes a little patience and persistence, but you know what the trick is?”
“I think I’m about to find out.”
He leaned a little closer. “Letting them know who has control.”
She tried to swallow, but her throat was bone-dry. Speaking of complicated issues. “I don’t lose control,” she said, holding his gaze to make her point. “Not in life, not at work, not with men, and not in my underwear drawer. I always have control.”
“Yeah, yeah, yeah.” His mouth curled in a smile. “You know the other trick?”
“What?”
“A reward they can’t resist.” He let his gaze move from her eyes to her mouth, settling there long enough so that she knew exactly what that reward would be. And, damn, it would be good.
The sweet smell of the grass and summer air disappeared. Even the pressure of the ground under her and the summer sun on her shoulders and face lightened.
It was like every one of her senses was focused on him.
“Did you forget the grass in my mouth yet?” he asked.
“No.”
“So I can’t kiss you?”
“I didn’t say that.”
He touched her lips with his, as light as air at first, like he was giving her time to get used to the idea, then he slid his hand around her neck, the heat and strength of his long fingers suddenly as intense as the kiss.
Her breath hitched again as he added pressure, easing her back a bit, letting their tongues touch as he tunneled deeper into her hair. He tasted pretty damn good for a guy who’d just had grass in his mouth. Delicious, in fact.
He broke the kiss first, inching back. When Chloe opened her eyes, she was surprised to see his closed for a second, then he met her gaze.
“I swore I wasn’t going to kiss you until I knew for sure,” he said.
“Knew what?”
“If you were going to take Daisy. I can’t kiss a person who doesn’t like dogs. It’s against my personal code of ethics.”
She smiled. “You had no problem in the bar the other night.”
“I plead ignorance and overwhelming desire. Are you taking her?”
“If you’ll agree to give me a little training first.”
“On kissing or dogs?”
“Both.”
“Then you have come to the right place. And the right man.” He kissed her lightly on the mouth and pushed up. “Let’s hit the training pen.”
She looked up at him, probably not able to hide her disappointment that training took precedence over kissing.
He reached his hand out. “You could always break your date with Andi Rivers and go out with me tonight.”
“Nope.” Not a chance she’d ditch a new girlfriend for a guy. Not even this guy. “Train me, Shane Kilcannon.”
“Just a warning, Chloe. You really don’t want to give me a challenge unless you’re ready to see me meet it.”
One more shiver danced over her as she took his hand. “I’m ready.” She hoped.