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Han licked the tip of his nose and sighed with canine satisfaction.
And damned if Devine's heart didn't melt like the pussy he was.
"I CANNOT BELIEVE I'm doing this," Izzy muttered under her breath, pulling into the circular driveway. She squinted through the dark to make out the outline of a decent-size ranch with a fenced-in yard and a small covered porch. Her curiosity was piqued. She'd finally get to see his house.
Little whimpers poured from the backseat. "I know, sweetie; we're here. You're going to see your brother." She got out of the car and slid the crate out, walking up the winding path. When he called, she'd been in a state of near tears from Leia's constant howling for the second night in a row. His crazy request to come over actually sounded sane. At this point, she'd try anything, even though she was still mad he had ruined her unique name by stealing another character for his own puppy. So unfair.
The door opened before she could knock. Her heart pounded and her body went on instant alert. How was this fair? He was literally a mess. Hair sticking up, a rough five o'clock shadow hugging his jaw, wearing a faded T-shirt and black sweat shorts, and sporting bare feet. She'd barely been able to pull on some old jeans, a blue sweatshirt with a hole in it, and flip-flops. Her hair was pulled up in a ponytail and her makeup was almost nonexistent. She looked awful.
Yet he looked more delectable than ever. She wanted to pounce, climb on him, lick at that stubble, tear off his clothes, and ride him hard.
The image slammed into her brain, and she shook her head hard to dissipate it.
"Thank God you came. Come in." He took the crate from her and set it on the earth-tone carpet, then shut the door. "Han, I have a surprise for you," he called out.
A whizzing ball of fur flew to her and attacked her ankles, nibbling on the strap of her shoe and wildly licking her toes. She burst into giggles and picked him up, placing a kiss on his snout. "That tickles, you little fur ball," she crooned. "Have you been torturing Liam?"
"Prisoners of war should be locked up with a puppy to take care of. That would teach 'em," he muttered, pulling Leia into his arms. "Come here, sweetheart. You have your brother to play with now."
A shiver raced down her spine at his low, crooning voice. Her nipples twisted into hard points, and her panties dampened. Crap. He had to stop talking like that to her puppy or she'd break.
They placed the puppies on the floor and watched them hurl themselves together in a crazy embrace. Tumbling around and around, nipping at ears, legs entangled, it seemed like a joyous homecoming that got Izzy all mushy.
"Have you slept at all this weekend?" he asked.
"An hour or two at the most," she admitted.
"How bad are the accidents?"
Izzy sighed. "I'm glad I don't have wall-to-wall carpets. At least I can pull up the throw rugs temporarily."
"Yeah, but do you take her outside on the leash forever, and then when she comes back in, she pees right in front of you like she thinks you're an idiot?"
Izzy laughed. "Yep. They're not in control of their bladders, I think. Arilyn said if we keep taking them out, eventually they'll get it."
"Let's just hope it's not a year from now. I thought I was a strong person. But I'm cracking, Isabella, and it's only been a weekend."
"I know. We need to dig deep and things will get better. They're babies."
"Yeah, you're right. I love the little bugger, too. Can I get you a Coke? Tea?"
"Water would be great for now."
Letting the puppies wrestle freely, he headed to the open kitchen overlooking the spacious living room. Izzy walked around, taking in the layout. It was a beautiful house. Dark wood furnishings and neutral colors screamed masculinity, from the leather sectional to the large espresso dining table. A surplus of technological equipment such as a megascreen television, speakers, and shelves full of DVDs and books was scattered about. The ceilings held a crisscross of beams, adding a bit of the rustic. A fireplace framed in distressed brick took up the far wall, surrounded by crooked shelves holding an array of books. An antique-looking cabinet painted red was the only shock of color besides a few green, leafy plants strategically placed around the room. The walls were mostly bare except for a family photo here and there. No throw pillows or blankets or feminine touches softened the stark look. The kitchen had a butcher-block counter, updated stainless-steel appliances, and nice ceramic floor tiles. The table held a MacBook Air, several folders, and the daily clutter that marked a well-lived-in house.
"Your place is nice," she called out. "Did you say you renovated it?"
He walked over and handed her a glass of water with lemon. "Yeah; I bought it for a clearance sticker price. It was run-down and abandoned, so the bank sold it to me. I redid the front porch, gutted the kitchen, and built a deck on the back."
"Yourself?"
He grinned. "Some of it. The other stuff I hired contractors for, but I learned a lot. I like to fiddle with stuff around the house. It's soothing."
Izzy imagined him stripped down, hammering at a wall, tool belt hanging low around his waist to show off his impressive abs, and felt a bit woozy. She avoided his gaze, knowing his police skills were too sharp. If he scented weakness, he might try to take advantage.
Her inner voice laughed with mocking hilarity. Yeah, right. She'd end up being the one to take advantage of him. When it came to Liam, she reacted like a sex-starved, love-struck teen at a simple touch. Why did it feel so good? Like she was alive again after existing in a black-and-white world?
"Sit. Let them play. Forgive me if I start snoring in the middle of a sentence."
She relaxed. The man was in no shape to take advantage. She set her drink on the coffee table, tucked her leg underneath her, and leaned against the cool leather. He sat next to her, leaving a comfortable few inches between them. Still, his body threw off delicious waves of masculine heat. "You going to work tomorrow?" he asked.
"No. I took one extra day so I could get Leia settled in. You?"
"Same thing. I had the weekend free and got McCoy to take over my shift tomorrow. Think I can train Han in one more day?"
"No. We're screwed."
He sighed. "Yeah. At least I'm not on nights for a while, and I already lined up my neighbor's daughter to come take care of him in the early afternoon."
"I'm lucky, too. Arilyn's grandfather said he could help during the week if I'm working late, and I can go home on my lunch hour to take care of her."
"Patrick is a good guy. We hang out at Ray's Billiards together. He's a trip. Can hold his damn whiskey better than any of the guys at the station."
Izzy saw the moment he stiffened, as if realizing how easy it was to talk about getting drunk. "You know I don't care, right, Liam? Drinking is a way of socializing. If I hadn't overindulged on a consistent basis, I could enjoy a drink or two, too."
He tilted his head, studying her face. "Are you also an alcoholic?"
"It wasn't as much the alcohol as the drugs, but I decided to cut that out of my life also. One tempts the other. My father is an alcoholic, and since it's been documented that genes could have an effect, I don't need to tempt fate any more than I did."
"Smart."
She liked the way he took her answers and understood. He asked when he was curious, not afraid to be real.
A crash to the floor made her jump.
She craned her neck around as Liam cursed softly and headed to inspect the damage. "Okay, you little monsters, it's a good thing that didn't break." He picked up the metal picture frame from the side table. Scooping up Leia and Han, he walked to the center of the room where they could be carefully watched. "Play over here and--ah shit!"
Izzy winced and watched as Leia made a familiar noise and retched all over his shirt.
&n
bsp; Slapping a hand firmly over her mouth, she held back the giggles ready to explode from the look on Liam's face. Disgust, horror, and shock combined as he stared mutely down at the puppy, who now looked like she felt much better and was giving him the famous look all females did when they were in trouble.
Brown puppy eyes wide with apology, she whimpered and nudged his hand, licking gently.
"I assume she was nervous?" he asked steadily.
She tried to keep a straight face. "Yep. Arilyn said the vet checked her out thoroughly and declared it a nervous habit she'll grow out of."
"Fantastic." He plopped them down, wrinkling his nose. "Ugh, I smell." Pulling the fabric away from his body, he peeled off his shirt. "Let me throw this in the wash; be right back."
She refused to watch his naked retreating back, so she sipped her water and watched the siblings play. She heard the faucet run and then quiet footsteps returning. "I'm making you pick her up next time until she grows out of it."
"Sorry, I figured she . . ." Izzy trailed off, words deserting her.
He hadn't put on another shirt.
As he stood in front of her, chest bare, she shook with a desperate need to close the distance and touch him. Whorls of golden hair lay scattered over a muscled chest, tightly defined. His abs looked rock-hard. Her fingers curled into tight fists, craving to trace the line of hair down the middle that disappeared under the waistband of his shorts. He looked like a Greek god, feet braced, hands on hips, not aware that his masculine beauty and strength would cause any woman's heart to stop, stutter, and restart.
He caught her reaction and stilled. The air between them became charged. Burning heat shot from his aqua-blue eyes and he caught his breath, as if trying to make a decision. She stared at him, helpless to move.
"Keep looking at me that way, and we're going to have a problem," he warned softly.
Izzy jumped, tearing her gaze away with painful effort. She cleared her throat. "Sorry."
"I'm not." He sat down beside her but kept the space between them. "I just don't want to feel punch-drunk from lack of sleep when I finally get you in my bed."
