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Oh, God, she wanted to pull him inside and take him to bed, but her protein shake and apple hadn’t been enough for lunch, and she was starving.
She let him nibble at her neck for a moment longer, then shifted away. “Dinner first.”
Even as she said the words, her stomach gave an embarrassingly loud growl.
He swore and stood, lifting her to her feet. “I’m taking you out.”
“I’d like that.”
“Good.” He started to pull her toward his motorcycle, but she resisted.
“Oh, wait. You mean, like, right now? I have to change out of my scrubs. And feed my dog.”
“You have a dog?”
“Matilda. I asked Anna if I could adopt her after the fire.”
Without releasing her hand, he changed directions and went to her door. “How is she?”
“Scared. You know, with all the smoke in the air, it’s probably like a never-ending flashback for her.” It was a little difficult to dig her keys out of her purse one-handed, but she managed it. Donovan took the keys and unlocked the door, holding it open for her to go in first. “I’ve been keeping her in my laundry room with an air purifier running, just hoping to mitigate some of the trauma.”
His expression darkened. “If I ever meet the bastard who tied that sweet baby to a tree and set her on fire, he’d better run. Fast. Because if I catch him, I’ll tie him to a tree and see how he likes it.”
“He deserves it and worse. I just don’t understand how anyone could harm a defenseless animal like that.”
“It takes a special kind of evil.” He stayed by the door as she crossed through her kitchen to the laundry room.
Matilda wagged a tentative greeting, but when she spotted Donovan, she went still like a deer in headlights.
They didn’t know for sure a man had tortured her but assumed as much by the way she cowered whenever a man was near—unless it was Zak. He’d worked with her as she healed, and she adored him. But all other men terrified her, which, dammit, Sasha should’ve considered before she opened the door and let her out.
Except then Matilda did something amazing. Her tail started whipping the air, and she made happy little crying sounds as she crawled toward Donovan.
“Hi, pretty girl.” He knelt and opened his arms to her. The dog threw herself at him, wiggling and whimpering with joy.
“Okay,” Sasha said, stunned. “Wow. She really loves you. She must understand that you saved her.”
“Yeah, well, we’re survivors aren’t we, Mattie? Like recognizes like.” He showered the dog’s muzzle with kisses, and Sasha’s heart melted into a puddle. If she weren’t already falling hard for this man, she would have freefalled right then.
After one last kiss on her scarred nose, he straightened. “Tell you what. You go shower and change, and I’ll run home for Spirit. I’m sure Matilda would enjoy the company.”
Twenty minutes later, she was waiting out on her porch in jeans, boots with short heels, and a black wrap blouse that camouflaged her belly while still giving flirty glimpses of her cleavage. She’d spent way more time standing in front of her closet deciding on an outfit than she normally would, but now she worried she’d gone too casual. Or too flirty?
She heard the growl of his motorcycle before he turned onto her street. She’d expected him to switch to his Jeep since he was bringing Spirit back with him—but nope. Spirit rode behind him with her paws up on his shoulders, wearing a dog-sized helmet and goggles over her eyes. Her ears flapped in the wind while her tongue hung from her mouth in a wide doggie grin of excitement.
“You taught your dog how to ride a motorcycle?”
His eyes sparkled as he took off his helmet. “Well, she is my dog, and this is my primary mode of transportation in the summer. Of course she rides with me.” He climbed off the bike and unstrapped Spirit from her harness. She jumped down and zoomed in happy circles around the yard.
Sasha watched with a grin. “You two are good for each other.”
“Yeah, we are. I’ve even forgiven Zak for manipulating me into taking her.”
“That’s how you ended up with her?” She laughed and shook her head. “Why am I not surprised?”
He whistled for his dog. Spirit streaked over to him in a black-and-white blur, but sat patiently as he removed her helmet and goggles. He ruffled her ears. “All right, girl. Let’s go in and say hi to Matilda. Your mission tonight is to keep her company and make sure she doesn’t get scared.”
Spirit’s whole demeanor changed. She went from bouncy puppy to work mode. If dogs could salute, Sasha had no doubt Spirit would.
