Page 19 of Paw or Less


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The interview was a plea from Rhiannon for donations to the various charities she supported.

Philanthropy cannot be achieved by one person.That was the tagline the magazine had used.

It was clear to Mars that he would have to step up his game if he wanted Rhiannon to take him seriously.

He might be a billionaire, but that would not impress her at all. Mars realized, with shame, that he had done no philanthropic work.

In fact, the shelter project was the first philanthropic act he had ever invested in.

His father had drilled the business practices into his head from the minute he was old enough to help out at the office.

But Mars's father had never taught him the importance of helping the communities around them.

Instead, his father had ensured that his son was kept separate from the poor at all times.

That was all about to change.

SEVEN

RHIANNON

The dream was humid and sweaty, and breathless. In it, Rhiannon’s heart thudded unsteadily in her chest. Her blood pounded through her body, deafening and painful. Her pulse pounded in her ears, at her wrists, in her throat.

She couldn’t move because the heat kept her trapped in her clothing. Couldn’t move because her heavy blood kept her anchored down.

Rhiannon knew she was overthinking things. She knew she could move. She could breathe through the heat.

But at that moment, in that dream, she did not want to.

It was the same dream she had been having every night for a week.

A dream where the sun shone bright, brittle, and wet above Oklahoma City. In it, she wore a thin, white cotton dress.

But the city was so humid that sweat trailed down her body, making the dress stick to her skin.

In the dream, she lifted a hand to her forehead, shielding her face from the sun. Ahead of her was Mars, walking away from her.

The images in the dream spasmed and shifted. Sometimes Mars was himself, in human form. At other times, he was a giant black bear.

Then things spasmed once more, and he was human again, walking up to her. His eyes followed the curves of her form. And then he smiled.

And underneath that smile, she felt naked.

In the dream and outside of it, her nipples hardened, tightening. Arousal pooled between her thighs. And her sweat made her body slick.

In the dream, Mars reached for her, his hands slipping around her waist.

And then Rhiannon woke up.

* * *

He hadn’t calledher in a week.

She supposed it was a win for her. It meant that Mars had taken her seriously and was keeping his distance.

He had seemed so persistent in getting her to agree to a second date. But she had made it very clear that she did not want to create a conflict of interest with the shelter project.

Maybe he had realized how important it was to her. Maybe he was ensuring that he did not compromise things for her. She had, after all, said that the shelter project was the only thing that mattered to her.

Source: www.allfreenovel.com
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