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But ignoring her was usually best for my sanity.
It wasn’t fair that she was just as annoying as she was hot. Though no one said I had to talk to her to have sex with her…
Nope. That was officially off-limits. Family boundaries and all. But fantasies didn’t hurt anyone. It was better than getting irritated at her, considering that was exactly the response she wanted.
Even her calling me GQ was designed to piss me off. Sure, I tended to dress up rather than down most of the time I was off-duty. But I enjoyed getting my hands dirty. I was a cop, for Pete’s sake. I had a dog—something I had not planned. And I worked with wood and ice and fire and enjoyed it immensely. I wasn’t some model type who strutted around sucking in my abs.
But silence was golden when dealing with Vanessa Monaghan’s smart mouth.
“Not sure if you’re aware, but this is my dock.”
She managed to splash her feet. “Oh, yeah?”
“Yeah. So, if you need something, let me know.”
She shifted to sit cross-legged facing me, her hair blowing around her shoulders from the breeze. “I was told this dock was a shared access space.”
“Shared between residents,” I said carefully.
She’d found a new focus, however.
“Aw, well, look at you, sweetheart. Come here.” She held out a hand and my disobedient dog ignored my requests to stay put and trotted right over to her, rubbing her face into her palm with adoration. “I heard you had a dog.” Her lips twitched. “Didn’t know it was a cockapoo.”
“Francie’s a Yorkie.” I angled my chin. “Who told you I had a dog?”
“Little birdie.”
“Named Tabitha?”
Shrugging, Vanessa let out a delighted laugh as Francie tugged me forward and scampered into her lap. She circled a couple times to get the right spot then plopped down and laid her head on Vanessa’s bare thigh just beneath the frayed hem of her jean shorts. “She’s so sweet. Sure she’s your dog?”
“Last I checked. You don’t have any pets.”
“No.”
“Why not?”
“I’m not big on putting down roots. Hard to fly if you’re always tethered to the ground.”
With a frown, I gave up trying to urge my dog to return to me. She obviously had found a place to rest she liked better.
I also would not mind being stationed in Vanessa’s lap. My mouth, at least, if not the rest of me.
“Yeah, well, you seem pretty stationary to me.”
“I am now. But you never know when the open road will call.” She gestured wildly. “Sometimes you just gotta split to check out some new surroundings. See new people, think new thoughts.” She grinned. “Lay your head in new beds.”
I clenched my jaw. “Didn’t you promise your sister to be her birthing coach?”
“That’s not for six weeks and you know your brother won’t settle for being the backup.”
I snorted. “Don’t be so sure. He fainted when Tabitha cut herself in the kitchen.”
“And he’s a cop?”
“We all have flaws, Pocket Plus.” I tugged on the leash and Francie finally dragged herself away from her new love with a look of longing that did not fit an acquaintance of less than five minutes.
Though with all the family shit going down over the next few months—the Jack and Jill wedding shower so “the guys got to be included”, the impending birth of my first niece, the wedding shindig between our siblings, then assorted joint family dinners and holidays—Francie would have plenty of time to get to know my new sister-in-law.
