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Damn, he felt like an ass for making light of her fear. Just because Dilbert was a nice dog didn’t mean they all were, that was true. He’d been a heel to not respect her genuine concern.
“I’m sorry,” he said. “I shouldn’t have brushed off your feelings about dogs. I’ll go ahead and crate him for the night.”
Grabbing a bone from the cupboard, Dean called Dilbert over to his large plastic crate. Inside was a plush bed and the stuffed duck that Dean had grabbed during their first trip to PetSmart. Dilbert came to his feet, stretching his back legs and then his front. Slowly, he took a few steps toward Dean, and when he finally walked into the crate, he lay down with a huff. Dean handed him the bone, and the large jaws opened, gently pulling the treat away. As he closed the door, he caught Violet watching them pensively.
“I thought he might try to take your hand off,” she said.
“No, he’s got a really soft mouth. Guess it comes with the lazy package.”
“I’m sorry,” she blurted. “You shouldn’t have to crate your dog for me. Maybe we should just call it a night. I could call a cab or Tracy . . . ”
Dean stood in front of the sink, washing his hands as he waited for her to stop rambling. When she finally trailed off, he turned to face her, keeping his expression blank, although he was more than disappointed at the thought of her walking out the door. “Do you want to leave?”
Her cheeks turned red as she looked down. “No, I just feel bad.”
“He’ll be fine for one night. I don’t use the crate as a punishment, so he doesn’t look at it that way. Relax.”
Dean turned back to making coffee, and a few seconds ticked by before Violet spoke again. “Did you really mean that whole friends-with-benefits thing, or were you just messing around?”
Dean rested his hands on the counter, weighing exactly how to answer. She hadn’t taken him seriously before, but he wanted her. Bad. Their initial jolt of attraction was what made him try to scare her off in the first place, but somehow she’d managed to override all of his common sense. Now, he had her in his house, asking him what he wanted . . .
And there was a good chance she was going to walk out that door anyway, no matter what she’d told him. Still, he owed her honesty.
Slowly he turned around to face her, leaning back against the counter. “Actually, I did mean it. It’s all I’m looking for. I don’t plan on being in town much longer, and I don’t want to hurt you or anyone else when we say good-bye.”
She didn’t say anything, just watched him, and he could see the gears in her head turning.
“Would this be a one-time thing, or would we just hook up whenever the mood struck?”
He couldn’t believe she was actually considering this. “It’s up to you.”
“You’re right. How do I know you’re even worth a second go-round?”
Dean’s jaw hit the floor as indignation shot through him. “I can’t believe you just said that.”
“I thought you were all about honesty. And honestly, I’m not sure I’m ready to say yes to any kind of relationship until I see what you can do.”
The coffeepot dinged behind him. “Well then, why don’t we just see where the night takes us?”
“One last question,” she said. “If we were to enter into a friends-with-benefits arrangement, would we have other friends as well, or just each other?”
This is getting too fucking complicated.
“Why don’t we save that question for after your test drive?” He smirked when her cheeks caught fire. “You know, for someone who clearly knows what she wants, you tend to get embarrassed by frank discussions.”
“I may not want something serious, but I’ve never really considered anything like this, either.”
“Would it surprise you if I said this was a first for me, too?” He pulled two mugs down from the cupboard, already knowing what her answer would be.
“Actually, yes it would. I thought all guys wanted an FWB relationship.”
Dean poured the coffee with a smile. “From what I’ve heard, it’s a lot of work and it’s not as easy as it sounds. Despite everyone’s best intentions, it’s hard to separate feelings during sex.” He turned with her doctored coffee in one hand, still smirking. “Especially great sex.”
“See, if you keep pumping yourself up like that, I’m going to go into this with high expectations. I’ll expect God-like endurance and a penis the size of a Buick.”
Dean almost made a joke about being called God during sex, but the last thing he wanted was to turn her off by being crass. “Here you go,” he said, handing her the mug. “Wanna take this to the couch now?”
“Sure, thanks.”
