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The respectable distance he leaves between us lowers my guard a smidge. “It’s fine.” I turn back to my car, rouse Ghost with a scratch beneath her chin, and grab her popup water dish and special mat.
“Didn’t look fine. Looked like he was making you uncomfortable.”
Moving to my left, I place the mat on the ground and fill the dish at my feet. “You mean like you’re doing right now?”
His automatic step forward puts him within punching distance. “I’m not—”
Sensing a threat, Ghost releases a low growl from her perch on my driver’s seat.
“You might want to take a step back.”
He retreats a hasty step, hands still held in place, and speaks to me without tearing his eyes away from my dog. “Is he under your control?”
“Do you want to find out?” I fold my arms over my chest and bite my lip to withhold a smirk. Ghost is the biggest baby, but she doesn’t like threatening men in my space.
He inches back farther. “No, no, I do not.” Catching a rock, he stumbles a step and curses. “Fuck.”
Ghost’s growls increase.
“I don’t think she likes your language.”
“That thing is a she-demon?”
I lean against the side of my car in enjoyment. “I think now’s a good time to warn you I forgot her leash.”
His eyes snap to mine. The spark of fear is amusing, but the entire package of rich browns and long lashes hitch
my breath. I decide to play nice.
Without losing eye contact, I reach into my car and tap her on the nose twice. Ghost hops down onto the special mat and gives an exaggerated stretch. Her tail nubbin wiggles excitedly with her booty, and she trots to her water dish.
The exaggerated scrape of gravel reveals the man moved back another step, and I chuckle beneath my breath as I prepare her food.
I drop the second bowl next to the first, attach her lead, and straighten. Dusting my hands on my hips, I find the man leaning against his own vehicle with his attention pinned on my dog.
“You’re fucking with me.”
I extend the hand loosely holding her leash. “You want to test that?” A shake of my wrist bounces the rope, and Ghosts turns her nose to me. “Take her for a walk and see for yourself.”
Our staring match sends a trill of intrigue through me. My tongue touches my suddenly dry lips. His gaze drops to the action for half a second before he seems to come to a decision. An overstressed gait brings him within touching distance, and he extends his arm.
I drop the lead attached to my dog into his palm with a flourish.
He seems frozen. “You’re trusting a stranger with your dog?”
“You mean I’m trusting my dog with a stranger.” I prop my foot on the open door and rock my hips. “You’re assuming you’ll get very far if you try anything.”
His face appears to lose a shade. Pursing his lips, he makes a whistling noise. “Come on, pup. Let’s go for a walk.”
Ghost obliviously keeps her face buried in her food. His ineffective tug has her raising her snout for a hefty sniff, only to return back to her bowl.
“She’s stubborn.”
I shrug. “She’s also deaf.”
He creases his brows as if she’s a puzzle to figure out. It appears my challenge to walk her has buried deep, and he’s not about to throw in the towel.
With cautious steps, he circles to the front of Ghost and drops to a crouch. Keeping a respectable distance, he waves his hand near her face. I have to give the guy points for not pissing himself and running, considering she already growled at him.
