The older woman’s shoulders jump and fall with her laughter as she shuffles away, only to stop as though remembering something. “What did he do anyway? To make you change your mind?”
“I found out he was cheating.”
“Huh.” The woman seems disappointed rather than sympathetic. “So no leather or handcuffs and stuff?”
“What?”
“Said you needed an escape.” Nora nods my way.
Eve’s nose delightfully scrunches. “Mitch didn’t tie me up.”
She’s definitely disappointed.
“I just left when I found out he was cheating on me. In my wedding dress.”
“A runaway bride?”
“And now the press are hounding me.”
The woman sniffs her disinterest. “Yesterday’s news is tomorrow’s kitty litter. Just don’t bring ’em here,” she says as she turns away. “Don’t want the newspapers knocking on my door.”
“It’s not like I’d do it intentionally.”
“I mean it.” The old woman swings back, pointing her finger at Eve.
“Okay. I get it. Do you want me to put Bo back in his kennel?” Eve adds hesitantly.
“What’s the point?” Nora shrugs. “He’ll just get himself out again.” And with that, she trudges off.
“So, that was Nora,” Eve observes.
“She’s charming.” The corner of my mouth twitches.
“Not even a little,” she says as her lips curve. “But don’t let her gruff exterior fool you. She’s a good person, and a wonderful advocate for anything four legged.”
“And that’s why you’re here, I suppose.”
“Yeah. This has become a labor of love for me. The kennels aren’t exactly to code.” She gestures to the ramshackle buildings off to the side.
“Which would make this a ...” A shambles? A dumpsite? Somewhere in need of condemning?
“An animal sanctuary, though Nora gets no funding, no charity status. It’s privately run, financed by luck, goodwill, and donations. She basically does this out of the goodness of her heart.”
“I can see she has a very big heart,” I reply doubtfully.
Eve laughs. “There’s only space in there for the four legged.” Which seems the ideal opportunity for a three-legged sheep to hobble past. “And those born to walk on four legs.”
Nora has a soft spot for animals, and Eve, while a veterinarian, has a soft spot for both animals and people.I wonder which category you fall into,whispers a dark voice in my ear.
“She seemed to have other interests,” I say, sliding my hands into my pockets and sauntering closer. “Like whether Mitchell is into BDSM.”
“Trust you—”
“—to pick up that Nora has a vivid internal life or that Mitchell is a slave to vanillaism?” I stand so close that if the rain were continuing to fall, it wouldn’t pass between us.
She scoffs.
“He doesn’t know what he’s missing.” Her eyes are all pupil as I take her chin between my fingers. “You’d be such a beautiful little slut for me, bound and on your knees.”
