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“I do. I always wanted one, but with my lifestyle, it doesn’t seem fair.”
“Surely you have…handlers who can take care of one for you while you’re away.”
“I suppose.” She stroked Freddy’s furry cheek, some of the joy in her expression dimming. I hated that I’d done that to her, even for a moment. “It’s just hard. I wouldn’t want my puppy or my kid to be raised by people who wouldn’t love them like I would.”
“So you deny yourself entirely.”
She shot me a look under her thick tangled lashes. “I’m good at that.”
“That stops while you’re with me.” I brushed a hand over her hair and she leaned into my palm, giggling as Freddy punctuated the comment with a long lick of her hand.
She continued to stroke the dog and lean into me, seemingly content. She clearly enjoyed affectionate touches—and I was beginning to think she hadn’t experienced nearly enough of them.
“On average, how much do you travel?” I asked.
Not that it mattered to me one way or the another, since this was just a one-night deal. But the idea of her never sleeping in the same bed two nights running seemed wrong. A woman like the one cavorting on the floor in front of me seemed made to own a dog with a goofy smile and a big tongue lolling out of his mouth. She should be able to run in the park and dance in the rain without having to look over her shoulder for the paparazzi.
Nor should she have to “borrow” a car to go joyriding just to evade her life.
And now I was being like Freddy, sticking my nose where I shouldn’t.
She jerked a shoulder and let her forehead drop to Freddy’s soft neck. “It’s easier to count the days I’m home,” she said quietly.
“Where is home exactly?”
“Brooklyn. I have a townhouse. But my aunt lives in Kensington Square, so I took a ride up north.”
I lifted a brow. “Not a penthouse in Manhattan? You surprise me, Rulebreaker.”
“When I’m on my own, I don’t want to be surrounded by glitz. I want something real. I want to look out the window at the Brooklyn Bridge and watch little kids making snowmen. I don’t want to be surrounded by nightclubs and famous people and faux everything.” She rose and sighed as my dog laid his head against her thigh, his devotion obvious. “Can I keep him?”
If I can keep you.
I didn’t know where the thought came from, and I sure as hell intended to send it right back into the ether. I wasn’t a romantic—or at least I hadn’t been until I’d decided to play hero and rescue a gorgeous, inexplicable brunette from her not-quite-a-wreck.
“How do you feel about joint custody?” I stepped closer and caught my fingers in her curls, pulling lightly. “He’s gotten used to me.”
The corner of her mouth lifted. “I can see how that could happen.”
Another step forward brought my chest flush with hers, though we weren’t as close as we could have been, thanks to the canine interloper between us. “He likes my bed.”
“Does he now?” She licked her lips. “Again, I have to say I can see why.”
“Don’t say that before—” A playful tug on her hair led to it tipping precariously on her head. I blinked and reached up to slide my hand through it, absorbing her wince as I drew the mass of dark curls away to reveal a sleek fall of platinum blond.
What the hell?
I stared at the wig in my fist then looked back at her, nearly swallowing my tongue at the full effect. White-blond hair dipped over one bluer than blue eye and pale pink lips curved into a pout worthy of any pinup calendar.
Fucking A, she was glorious.
I wasn’t surprised she graced teenagers’ walls all over the country. What truly surprised me was that she hadn’t taken over the world.
“Sorry.” Her grimace intensified. “I should’ve told you, but I’ve always wanted to be a brunette.”
“So commit to it. Dye your hair, don’t put on this fake crap.” Deliberately emphasizing the wordfake, I tossed the hair on the table by the door.
Freddy watched the wig fly through the air and immediately rushed over to the table to seize his prize. He trotted away with it in his mouth, causing me to swear and turn to follow.
