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My nipples tighten.
Unbelievable. My libido has been dormant for so long that these feelings surprise me. I could do it. With Austin. If I can feel like this from just talking to him, my God… What would it be like if he touched me?
A touch of panic sets it. Would I freak out?
No. It’s been long enough. I want to be with a man like Austin—a gorgeous man who’s attracted to me. Who wants nothing more from me than pleasure because he doesn’t know about my past.
I steady myself as I get out of the Jeep. I have one job here—to care for animals—but I can still lust after Austin Bridger. I could sleep with him, cross the first-time-since sex off the list, but I have a feeling I’d still be lusting. He’ll just be that good. It’d be a step toward being myself again because I’m sure a guy as attractive as Austin would know what to do.
I follow Lexie toward the large building which houses the kennels. Barking sounds through the air.
“Chance breeds Australian Shepherds,” Lexie says. “They’re great with all the animals here. True working dogs.”
“I’m sure,” I say.
“Duchess is nesting with her pups in a separate area.” Lexie bypasses the building and leads me to a smaller structure next to it. She opens the door. “Come on in.”
A puppy nursery greets me. The puppies are so tiny, and they’re snuggled against their mother, a gorgeous blue merle with one blue eye and one brown eye.
“Hey, Duchess,” Lexie says in a soft voice. It’s easy to tell how much she cares for the animals.
Duchess wags her tail.
“Carly, could you mix up the formula?” Lexie points to a canister on a counter and a jug of distilled water.
I nod. “Sure thing.”
I read the directions on the formula and mix it into the small bottle.
Lexie brings me the tiny pup and I tuck him into the crook of my arm. He’s a soft and warm little blob and I can’t help but smile.
Lexie gives his tiny ear a small scratch. “He doesn’t have a name yet, but do you see the slight deformity on his bottom lip?”
I nudge his lips apart gently. “Oh, yeah. Poor baby.”
“He does much better with the bottle. It’s best if you sit in that chair next to Duchess while you feed him. She doesn’t like him to be too far away from her.”
I take a seat and nudge the small nipple against his lips. He sucks eagerly at the formula.
“I’ll check out Duchess and the other pups. Give them a once-over and make sure everything’s good.”
I nod, the small pup so warm in my arms.
He finishes the formula in record time, and I place him back against Duchess.
Once Lexie finishes with her exams, she turns to me. “I think you can call it a day.”
I rise. “Okay. Are you sure? It’s only”—I glance at my watch—“oh! It’s five already.”
“I know. Days fly by around here. I need to get home and shower, I’m going out tonight.”
“Oh?” I glance at her left hand. No ring.
“Yeah, in fact…” She smiles. “Why don’t you come along? It’s ladies’ night at the Dusty Rose.”
God, the Dusty Rose.
I haven’t been there since…
