Page 12 of Lead Me A Stray

Disconnecting, I pull off to the side of the road and jump out, leaving my phone in the truck so it doesn’t get soaked because undoubtedly, I will be.

The rain feels like it’s falling ten times harder standing outside in it, my clothes already soaked as I jog toward where Piper is standing with her hands on her hips.

Her turquoise tank and black athletic shorts are molded to her body, leaving almost nothing to the imagination, and I have to swallow back the lust.

Because she needs me.

The rest can wait.

“Hey,” I call over the rain, “where’s the dog?”

“He’s over there.” She points to what looks like a white blob in one of the hedges, the details blurry through the sheets of water coming down. “Thank you for coming. I?—”

“You can thank me later,” I tell her, holding her gaze and letting her see the desire in my eyes. She swallows hard as droplets stream down into the valley of her breasts… Are her nipples hard?

Iswearthey weren’t before.

Fuck.Focus.

Right.

“I think we should try and box him in. We won’t have a choice on technique here. I think he’s more scared than aggressive, but be careful.”

Nodding, we skirt around the bench, walking over the pavers as we approach the bush. The branches make it almost impossible to figure out how he got in there—almost. But about halfway through my scan, I see it.

It’s not a hole, but a space where the branches seem a little farther apart and probably the only chance we have of pulling him out.

“Hey, buddy,” I murmur, kneeling down on one side as Piper does the same on the other. “We’re gonna go real slow now, all right? All the food and blankets you want as soon as we get back, okay?”

Anxiety pours off the dog in waves, its body shaking either from nerves or the storm, I have no idea. He jumps when my hand touches his back, but I’m not afraid and I do my best to show him that. With Piper’s words of encouragement, I take a steadying breath and get my hands around him, lifting him up and maneuvering him slowly out of the hedge, rocking back on my heels when he’s finally free and I can pull him against my chest.

“Oh my gosh,” Piper breathes, “thank you so much.” Her hair is plastered to her head and her mascara is smudged under her eyes, but she’s still the most gorgeous woman I’ve ever seen. “Here, I have a blanket in the back.”

She doesn’t seem nearly as enthralled with me as I am with her as I follow her back to her truck and secure the dog in the kennel with little fuss. The damn thing must be exhausted, and I wouldn’t hate a blanket to curl up in right now either.

“I’ll follow you back.”

“You don’t have to do that, Mack. You’re soaked and you’ve already done so much. I’ll-”

“Piper,” I manage, stepping into her space so she has to tilt her head back to look at me, “don’t fight me on this.”

Whether I’m talking about going back to the shelter or my lips crashing over hers, I’m not sure, but in the middle of Main Street in Hearts Bend, I kiss her and claim Piper Knight for all to see.

And now, I just need to convince her it’s for real.

8

PIPER

Iswear my lips are tingling the entire drive back to the shelter, my body shivering with my clothes drenched and stuck to me as I try to focus on the road and not the way Mack kissed me in the middle of the street.

But wow, that kiss.

Is he going to kiss me again?

Or was it just the heat of the moment?

Pulling into the parking lot, I throw my truck in park. Mack’s already out of his by the time I make it to the back and open the hatch. The dog is burrowed in the blanket and extra towel, his little eyes more tired than scared as I pull the cage to the edge of the tailgate and throw another towel over the top. It won’t keep him totally dry, but it’ll help as we move him inside.