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lond, braces. Wearing jeans with one of those shirts that show off her belly button, which is kind of ridiculous in this type of weather, and way too old for her."
Arilyn turned, swinging her high heels from her fingers. She grasped for her own patience. Was it so wrong just to want to go inside and have sex without talking to anyone? "That's Tina, my dog walker, Mrs. Blackfire. She was here to walk Robert. I'm watching him while Kate's on her honeymoon."
"Oh." The brief disappointment quickly disappeared. "But she had something under her arm! She stole something from you! Why didn't Patrick walk the dog? I don't trust these young kids anymore. They don't know the value of honest work."
"Poppy had a field trip today, so I had Tina take over. I let her borrow a few books of mine; that's probably what you saw under her arm."
Her face fell. "Well, you should check anyway." She pointed toward Stone. "I wasn't pleased with the police response. They said that since she had a key, she wasn't a burglar. In my day, it would've held true, but this is a new age. Burglars have keys now! We need to be watching every second!"
Arilyn tried not to groan, forcing a smile and opening her door. "I agree. I'll talk to Stone about it. Good night, Mrs. Blackfire!"
She gave a small humph, then disappeared back inside. Arilyn figured she had a few minutes before the telescope began moving. She motioned toward the windows. "Pull those blinds down so she can't spy," Arilyn hissed.
Stone chuckled, moved forward, and froze.
Robert, Kate's paraplegic pit bull, came racing down the hallway at top speed. Happy and desperate for company, he dragged his back legs behind him with expert ease, his large body hauling his way toward Stone for a classic doggy greeting.
Pure fear carved out the lines of Stone's face. His skin looked clammy in the hall light, and he huddled against the door, watching the dog bound closer, stuck in a memory of horror where he couldn't fight back.
Oh, God, she'd forgotten. Pit bulls. The bite. His fear of dogs.
Robert.
"Robert, stop!" she whipped out, firming her voice and stepping in front of Stone to block the path.
The dog skidded to a halt. Eyes filled with trepidation for doing something wrong, he whimpered low and ducked his head.
"Shhh, sweetheart, it's okay." Arilyn dropped to the ground and hugged him, pressing her forehead to his in a gesture of humbleness. "You're a good boy. But Stone doesn't realize that yet. You need to give him a chance to get used to you before knocking him over for kisses. Understood?"
Robert wriggled, licking her cheek gently. She snuggled, reached out to check his bladder, soothing him with a pat. "You did good tonight. We have to be careful of bladder infections while Mommy and Daddy are away. Let's get you hooked up and bring you outside."
She straightened and walked toward Stone, who watched the whole encounter with wary eyes. "I'm so sorry," she whispered, reaching out to place her hands against his chest. "I forgot to tell you Robert is a pit bull. He doesn't have a mean bone in his body, Stone, I swear. Kate saved him when a car crushed his back legs. I know he looks big, but his back legs are useless. He's a good dog."
Stone let out a breath. Color seeped back into his skin. "I'm sorry for being an ass," he muttered. He wiped his palms down his pants, his gaze stuck on the dog, who was waiting patiently to say hello. "He just looks like--looks like--"
"The dog who bit you," she said softly. "I know. But Robert isn't like that. Can you give him a chance?" He remained silent but nodded. "Thank you. I have to take him out first. I'll be a minute. Why don't you grab a drink and make yourself comfortable?"
Keeping his distance, he skirted around Robert's excitedly shaking body, and put the high counter between them. Arilyn hooked up the dog's scooter, adjusting the straps, and let him go free.
Laughing, she watched him race over the lawn, round and round as the wheels turned. His head thrown back in doggy abandon, he breathed in the cold night air and managed to go to the bathroom under the Tree of Spite. After some of his energy had been spent, she brought him back inside, unhooked the scooter, and grabbed his box of treats from the table.
"Peanut butter or bacon?" she asked.
He barked twice. Stone jerked back, startled.
Arilyn laughed. "Bacon it is." He took the treat gently between his teeth and raced back down the hall to finish the snack in his special orthopedic bed with his favorite purple bunny squeaker toy.
"He knew what you were saying?" Stone asked in disbelief.
"Yep. Kate's had him for years. He's extremely smart."
He walked around and knelt to examine the scooter. "And he's able to move around using this cart?"
"Yes. It was specially made for him. Allows him to run and play like the other dogs."
"So he had a tough life," Stone murmured.
"Some of the most extraordinary animals I know had it tough." She paused. "Some extraordinary people, too."
He turned. Stared. Suddenly, the domestic ease leaked away, replaced with a simmering sexual heat that softened her limbs and made her thighs tremble. Playtime was officially over.
Arilyn couldn't wait.
"Come here," he commanded. She shivered from the dark, sensual tone of his voice and obeyed. Each step closer tightened the knot in her belly, until she stood before him, waiting. Her hair was curled and secured with a dozen bobby pins to cascade from an elaborate knot on top of her head. With infinite patience, he reached over and began pulling out each pin, one by one. Taking his time, he pulled his fingers through the strands, rubbing her scalp, until a low moan caught in her throat. Like a cat, she lifted her head for more, enjoying the luxurious sensation of being taken care of. Finally, when her hair fell loose around her waist, he stroked her cheeks.
"Do you know how beautiful you are?"
A flush heated her cheeks. "I'm glad you think so."
"I know so. Sometimes, I gaze at you demonstrating those yoga poses and lose my breath. You remind me of a dancer. Your body is like an instrument, begging to be played and worshipped. Begging to be fucked."
She shuddered, the dirty words pushing her arousal higher. Her panties were wet between her thighs, and a deep aching made her want to howl. "No one's ever talked to me like that," she admitted, pressing her forehead against his chest.
"No hiding." He pushed her gently away, forcing her head up to meet his gaze. Pupils dilated, she sank into a seething blackness filled with lust and need and a hunger so real she wanted to cry with pleasure. "Not between us. Not ever. I'm not like the men in your past. I won't tell you lies or make love to you with tenderness. I'm rough, and crude, and loud. I like sex in all its messy, raw ways. I want to make you come all night, in ways you never imagined. I want you to say all those dirty things you fantasized about in my ear and make them all come true. Do you understand, little one? I'm not just going to be your lover tonight. I'm going to take every shred of you and demand each last piece of your darkest, secret soul. Are you ready for this? I'm giving you one last chance."
Arilyn couldn't run if the demons of hell were about to seize her soul. Held transfixed to the floor by his delicious body heat, and scent, and words, and touch, the room spun around her and she gave up, gave over, and gave him everything he wanted.
"I want this," she whispered. Every muscle in her body shook like an answering storm. "I want you."
His smile was slow and full of promise.
"Good. Now take off your clothes."
Pushed by the need to experience everything he promised, she reached back and unhooked the clasp on her dress, then drew the zipper down. The sound cut harshly through the thick silence. Without pause, she wiggled the bodice down her body and let the chocolate chiffon pool at her feet. Since the dress was strapless and she wasn't well-endowed, she wore no bra.
His quick indrawn breath told her he appreciated the lack of underwear, and her skin flushed with awareness. Standing before him, the only item keeping her from being fully naked was the scrap of black lacy panties covering
the apex between her thighs.
His gaze roved over her like an intimate touch, probing and exploring every part of her with a fierce appreciation that made her feel beautiful. Arilyn knew what he saw. She'd come to terms with her body image and learned to love who she was. Yoga taught her to care for and appreciate the skin she lived in. Yes, she was slim hipped, with a boyish figure and small breasts. She was no hourglass-curved temptress many men lusted after. Her pale skin held a scattering of freckles, and a funny mole on her upper thigh, and her feet were way too big ever to be called delicate. But it was her body, and she lived in it well, so Arilyn tilted her head up, drew her shoulders back, and let him drink his fill.
"I always knew you'd be extraordinary," he murmured. "But still the reality has me weeping."
A smile touched her lips. "I thought you weren't going to offer me poetry."
"I also said I tell the truth. Turn around so I can see your luscious ass." She turned slowly, taking her time, enjoying his frank gaze and the obvious erection that told her she was beautiful to him. When he spoke again, his voice was thick with lust. "Now take off the panties. Slow."
She hooked her fingers under the elastic and dipped down, dragging the skimpy material over her hips, thighs, calves, and kicking them away from her feet. She kept her pussy neatly trimmed but not bare, preferring a more natural state. His low growl told her he liked it.
"Oh, I want to make you do so many bad things, Arilyn," he drawled. "All for me." Still fully clothed, he began walking around her, close but not touching, until he teased her with his scent and body heat trapped beneath a suit of civility. "Later, I'm going to make you touch yourself. I'm going to watch you orgasm by your own fingers, so I can see every move you like to ensure your pleasure. I'm going to feast and devour you whole. But we have plenty of time for that. For now, I want you to walk ahead of me into your bedroom."
Heart tripping madly against her chest, she tried to breathe while she led him down the hall into the bedroom. Knowing her bare ass was on display, she gave an extra swing to her hips, enjoying her role of Eve and temptress. It was as if the secret bad girl inside burst out and refused to be caged again. With Stone, she could be everything she wondered about. She felt safe with him.
