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“A little. You’re a dog person, aren’t you?”
“Did Lizzy mention I want to work with animals?”
“She did.” Dominic nods. “But I could tell right away from how you were with Shelby.”
“Really?” I whisper, eager to hear more and yet also keen not to seem eager.
“Some people will say, ‘I’m good with dogs.’ As if every dog is the same. They’ll kneel down, do the baby talk, and squeeze the poor thing’s head without ever looking at the animal. I saw that sort of person in my military days all the time, and they never lasted long.
“And then there are those who imagine what it would be like to be the dog as much as they can. To….”
“To have this giant hand squeezing your head, and you don’t even know this person. You’ve given them no sign you’re okay with it. But it doesn’t matter to them. You’re just there to….”
“To affirm that they’re the dog person they claim to be,” Dominic finishes, his words coming in a rush.
My cheeks are getting warm. I nod quickly, aware I’m failing at my don’t-seem-eager challenge.
“Yeah,” I say. “That’s it. That’s how I feel.”
“Me too,” he smirked again, almost a smile. “What are your plans now that you’re home?”
“I need to look for work. I want to start saving for college.”
“How about you come work for me?” he says it quickly, then flinches as if he wishes he could take the words back. “We’ve got a lot to do right now with our regular shelter duties and the puppy farm stuff. But you don’t have to….”
“I don’t want any handouts,” I say, hoping my voice sounds as firm as I want it to be.
“It wouldn’t be a handout,” he says firmly, looking at me with the attention I’ve always wanted from him. “I need people who care about dogs, understand them, and are willing to do the work. Don’t worry. I’ll fire you if I need to.”
“You’d fire me?” I say, laughing as I pour the coffee. “Would you be mean about it?”
His smirk widens, and I wonder if this is what flirting feels like.
“It depends if you kicked up a fuss or not,” he says, and then his smirk falters, his gaze moving across the room to the doorway.
I follow his gaze, finding Lizzy standing there, sleepy-eyed, as she looks from her dad and then back to me.
We haven’t done anything wrong. We were just talking.
But even so, I feel like Lizzy has caught us doing something bad.
CHAPTER FOUR
Dominic
We sit in the living room together, Shelby curled in a ball at my side. I can’t stop thinking about the crushing feeling which slammed into me when Lizzy walked into the kitchen.
It was the sensation of being stared at by a hundred people. It was the feeling of making my worst mistake over and over for a live studio audience.
Shame like I’ve never felt, drenching me like gasoline and then setting me on fire.
And for what? For talking?
But it felt like more than talking, especially when we bonded over our shared love of dogs and our attitude toward them.
When I watched her with Shelby, I knew she was going to make an incredible mother one day.
Then I thought…what if she does, but with somebody else’s baby?
And the rage hit me, making it difficult not to roar, to pound my chest like an uncaged beast.
Now, Elizabeth smiles, both hands wrapped around her coffee. “I hope you said yes.”
I’m sure I can feel Danni beaming from the other chair, but I’m doing my best not to look at her. The last time I did, I almost leaped across the room and became savage on her thick juicy legs…so much curvier tucked beneath her full ass, as if she’s trying to drive me feral.
“I told him I didn’t want a handout,” she says. “But obviously, I’d love the job.”
“It’s yours,” I say, glancing at her briefly, trying to keep my gaze on her face.
But even that isn’t safe. She’s too beautiful, her cheeks touched with a shade of red, her lips begging for me to kiss them.
“Thank you,” she replies. “I won’t let you down, I promise.”
“I know you won’t,” I tell her, struggling to keep my voice steady.
I’m not just talking about the shelter. I’m thinking of our future children, a marriage, a life together.
I’m thinking of all the amazing things we could do, the people we could become…together, always supporting each other.
“I can second that,” Elizabeth says, causing that crushing feeling to return.
My daughter’s right there, and I still can’t stop the thoughts from swirling.
“Danni’s great with dogs. Better than me, that’s for sure. No wonder you never got one.”
“I never got one because I wanted to focus on the shelter,” I tell her firmly. “And I knew it would make it easier to bring them home. Plus, before that, my military work kept me too busy.”
