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“That’s wonderful, who wants her?”
“An elderly couple. They lost their Labrador to old age a year ago, came in six months ago to fill out an adoption form, and then decided they weren’t ready. They came in again today, took one look at Minky, and fell completely in love. It was mutual, too—Minky looked like she wanted to crawl into the old lady’s lap and stay there forever.”
Lia was still smiling over the news when she went looking for Brand. The smile faded in an instant when she found him amiably chatting with her father. They were both standing outside Trevor’s pen, looking like longtime buddies as they talked and laughed. Her father saw her first and smiled fondly.
“Ah, here she is,” he said, and Lia swallowed down a surge of panic.
Here she is? What did he mean by that? Were they talking about her? Why were they talking about her? And how could Brand be looking at her with so much heat in his eyes with her father standing right there beside him? It was unnerving.
She smiled nervously and her father wrapped an arm around her shoulders and hugged her to his side, dropping a kiss on her head.
“Your mother tells me you’ve been helping Sam out,” her father said, sounding pleased enough about that.
“Yes, until his cast comes off.”
“She’s always been my sweetest girl,” he told Sam proudly, and the younger man’s eyes dropped to her painfully embarrassed face.
Brand, damn him, smiled, and Lia caught the wicked glint in his eyes, even if her father didn’t.
“Is that so?” he asked, his voice perfectly neutral.
“Daisy was a bit of an introvert, always focused on her studies. Daff was . . . is . . .” Her father smiled fondly and shook his head. “Well, I’m sure you’ve met Daff.”
Brand’s smile widened, and he laughed.
“Say no more,” he joked.
“But Lia, never a harsh word to say about anyone, always happy to help out. She’ll take good care of you.”
“Oh, she has definitely been taking very good care of me,” Brand said agreeably, nothing at all lascivious in his voice or in his words, but Lia still stared daggers at him.
“Your mother tells me Daff, Spencer, and Charlie are coming around for a braai later, Lia. Bring Sam.”
“I will.” Lia nodded obediently, even though the last thing she wanted was for her STF to hang out with her family. Her father shook Sam’s hand firmly before taking his leave.
“How was your visit with Trevor today?” Lia asked.
“Great, he sat a little closer than he did yesterday. Showed interest in the treats I brought but wasn’t ready to take them from me.”
“That’s good,” Lia said, even while she was still troubled over what it could mean if Trevor bonded with him and he left.
“So a braai is a barbecue, right?” he asked, and she nodded.
“Brace yourself,” she warned lightly. “You won’t know what to do with all the meat.”
“Sounds fantastic.” He grinned. He cast a furtive look left and then right down the quiet corridor that housed the rehab pens before leaning toward her and whispering, “Time to get back to the cabin for a quickie before we hang out with your parents?”
Lia sucked in a breath as her legs wobbled and her stomach flipped at the words.
“I think that’s doable,” she said, her voice emerging on an embarrassingly husky note.
“I think you’re doable.” He leered comically and she laughed breathlessly before taking his left hand in both of hers and tugging him toward her. He went willingly, and when she stepped into his arms for a quick, stolen kiss, he was the one who hiked in his breath and groaned helplessly.
Lia dashed home for a shower and a quick change of clothing after her and Brand’s afternoon quickie turned into an hours-long sexual odyssey. At the rate they were going, Lia was fairly certain their sexual chemistry would fizzle out in a matter of days. Surely something this hot and potent couldn’t last.
As she stood beneath the shower, she explored her body in wonder. It was the same unremarkable set of arms and legs and breasts as before, and yet she felt like she had never really known what it was capable of. It was ridiculous how sensitive and responsive this body was to Brand’s touch—she was almost dreading the prospect of the cast coming off, because he was already pretty lethal without the use of both hands.
Her phone buzzed while she was dressing, and she picked it up with a dreamy smile, expecting it to be from Brand. But the text wasn’t from him—it was from Daff.
Hey, Spencer tells me Daddy invited Brand (eye-roll emoji). Easier for us to drive him to the farm. Meet you there.
Lia beat back the swell of dissatisfaction at the message, telling herself she had no right to be disappointed that he wouldn’t be with her. It was a short drive and it definitely made more sense for him to go with Daff, Spencer, and Charlie.
