I snorted with laughter. “Well, you made that pretty clear the minute you opened your mouth. No man could stand to listen to you for more than thirty seconds.”
“Yeah? And you’re such a joy to listen to? Grunting and only giving one word answers? At least I speak!”
“Nobody asked you to speak. In fact, why don’t you take the amnesia part one step further and become mute as well.”
“You’re an asshole.”
“Fine,” I huffed. “You want the heat up? You can have it up as much as you fucking want.” I cranked it up to high, putting the fan on high as well.
“I didn’t ask for it to be that warm.”
“No, you wanted it warm. You’re gonna be so fucking warm, it’s gonna be like the tropics for you.”
“Why can’t you just meet me half way?”
“Why can’t you just accept that there are other people in the car with you that have no intention of roasting on the rest of the trip into town.”
“Fine, we’ll make it downright glacial in here,” she snapped, twisting the knob so that it was as cold as it could go.
“That’s fine with me, sweetheart. I’m a cold bastard anyway. I don’t mind the cooler temperatures.”
“You know, this is the most you’ve spoken to me the whole time I’ve been with you.”
“Yeah?”
“And now I’m wishing I had duct tape with me.”
“Same here, sweetheart.”
“Oh my God. You were serious?” she asked as we pulled up to the animal shelter. She sat forward, staring out the windshield at the building. It wasn’t much. In fact, I wasn’t even sure if it was a real animal shelter. But up here in the mountains, that was as close as we would get to having a shelter for unwanted pets.
“I never say anything I don’t mean,” I said gruffly.
She glanced over at me, a slight smile on her face. “You’re like this really grumpy guy that deep down has a heart of gold.”
“Just ten minutes ago you were calling me an asshole.”
“Well, you are an asshole, but you’re also kinda sweet.”
It irritated me that she thought that. If only she knew about my past, about all the men I had murdered, all in the name of protecting the Family. I wasn’t a good man. Hell, I wasn’t even a slightly decent human being. Being separated from the Family for over a year now, I could see how that life had destroyed any chance I had at being normal. When I first left the Family—no, when the Family had been decimated, I felt angry, always pissed off that my way of life had been ruined. There was no way to come back from that. I briefly thought about trying to rebuild the organization, but I wouldn’t even know who to gather to keep on my side. And after my talk with Carly, her plea for me to go live the life we should have had, I felt like I owed it not only to her, but to Alessandro and Ricardo to try and live a somewhat normal life.
Well, here I was, a year later, still trying to figure out how to do that. Ciara was the first person I came across that didn’t completely piss me off. Admittedly, she wasn’t my favorite person to be around, but I didn’t hate her either. I was…indifferent to her. Except when she was naked. That was a different story, but even that would fade over time.
I parked the truck and got out, but I didn’t go around to her side this time. She was already hobbling toward the door with gusto.
“Hi, welcome to the Mountainside Animal Shelter. Are you looking for a pet today?”
Ciara smiled. “Do you have any of those cute, little puppies? Maybe something like a lap dog or—“
“No,” I said firmly. “We’re looking for a guard dog, not something that can fit in your purse.”
“Well, I wasn’t planning on putting it in my purse,” she grumbled. “I just really like small dogs.”
“A small dog isn’t going to protect you from a bear.”
“Neither is a large dog,” she snapped.
“It’ll give you enough time to get away.”
She gasped, covering her mouth. “You would get a dog only to sacrifice him to a bear?”
I rolled my eyes. “It’s not like I’m going to draw a bear out and feed the dog to it. The whole point of having the dog is to keep you safe.”
“I had no idea you cared,” she said sarcastically.
“I don’t.” I said, lacing my words with steel. “I just want you to get some fucking sleep so I can too.”
“You’re all heart,” she smirked.
“That’s what they tell me.”
“Well, I’m Jo,” the woman said, holding out her hand to Ciara.
“Ciara. Jo like…”
“Josephine, but I hate that name,” she grimaced.
“I get it. It’s so old-fashioned, but it’s still a beautiful name.”
I sighed heavily. “Can we just pick out the damn dog?”
Ciara glared at me, but Jo just shrugged. We headed back through the shelter, looking at all the dogs. Every one she looked at was all wrong for us. Too small or too docile. We weren’t looking for a cat.
“Oh my gosh! Look at this one! It’s so cute,” she sighed, kneeling down in front of the cage.
“That thing?” I scoffed. “That couldn’t attack a mouse.”
“That’s a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel,” Jo said with a smile. “She’s a real beauty.”
“Why is she here?” Ciara asked as Jo opened the door. Ciara pulled the dog out and started rubbing up against it. “Oh, she’s just so beautiful.”
“She is, but her owner was old and couldn’t handle her for more than a week. It was just too much for her, and she had no one to take the dog. So, she ended up here.”
“And no one’s picked her up yet?”
“Sadly, we don’t get a lot of people coming in here. It’s such a small town.”
“Oh, we’ll find you a home,” Ciara said in a baby voice as the dog licked her face.
“No, we won’t. We need a big dog, a mean dog. You don’t need a fucking lap dog.”
“What’s wrong with her? She’s just so beautiful.”
“Yeah, and beauty isn’t going to keep you safe.”
“But—“
“No, end of story. I’m not bringing that dog into my house!”
Ciara looked absolutely heart-broken, but that was just the way it had to be. I wasn’t running a dog shelter. We needed a specific dog, and that’s all there was to it.
Ciara set the dog back in the cage, both of them whimpering as the door was shut. I kept walking, looking for anything that might work. When I came across a Doberman, my interest piqued. He immediately sat back and growled, his ears perked as if he was ready to fight. It was like he knew I was a threat.
“This one,” I pointed to the cage.
“That one?” Ciara scoffed. “He’s big and growling at you.”
“That’s because he knows I’m dangerous, and that’s what we need.”
“Why is everything with men about danger?”
“Like you would know,” I scoffed.
She stuck her tongue out at me as Jo opened the cage. The dog rushed out, immediately jumping at Ciara.
“Whoa!” She pushed the dog away. “Down, boy. Down!”
But the dog just kept his paws on her chest, trying to lick at her. What was it with dogs and this woman? She attracted them like flies.
“Down!” I said firmly. The dog immediately responded, sitting down on his haunches. I nodded, satisfied with the way he responded. “Why is this dog here?”
“The owners were moving across the country and they couldn’t take him. They hadn’t had him for that long.”
“That’s so sad,” Ciara sighed.
“I know. I hate when people get pets and then give them up just a short time later. It’s so hard on the animals.”
The dog was a red Doberman and his ears hadn’t been pinned like most idiots did to their dogs. He had floppy ears that made him look a little less threatening, but the way he growled at me told me his instincts were spot on.
“Come,” I commanded, patting my leg once. He trotted over to me, sitting down, waiting for his next command. “Ciara, come over here.”
She walked over and squatted down beside me. The dog whimpered slightly, looking at her with these huge brown eyes. The damn dog was already in love with her, which was exactly what I wanted, but I had to be sure that he would defend her. I quickly snatched Ciara’s arm, yanking her toward me. The dog growled, leaping at me and knocking me to the ground. He was on me in an instant, growling at me, ready to bite.
Jo grabbed him by the collar and pulled him off, though it took everything she had to do it. I held my hands out to him, letting him sniff me and really looked him in the eyes. Slowly, I slid my hand around Ciara’s, showing him that I wasn’t going to hurt her. He growled at the action, not liking it one bit, but he didn’t try and attack me again.
“I’m not gonna hurt her,” I said calmly. The dog watched for a few minutes as I ran my hand up and down Ciara’s arm, showing him that I was only being gentle with her. He finally sat back, but I could tell he would be watching me, waiting for me to fuck up with her.
“We’ll take him.”
Joe’s face lit up. “That’s great!”
“Wait, but I really wanted—”
“We’re taking this dog,” I said, glaring at Ciara. She crossed her casted wrist across her chest, frustrated when she couldn’t do what she wanted. She was obviously pissed off at me, but didn’t argue further.
“Fine, but I get to name him.”
I narrowed my eyes at her. “Only if I approve it.”
“Hey, you got to pick the dog. You can at least let me name it!”
I clenched my jaw, trying my best not to fucking yell at her. “We’ll talk about this when we get home.”
She smirked at me, walking up to the front where we had to fill out the paperwork. While I was taking care of that, she was walking around, looking at leashes and collars. When she picked up a pink collar, I threw down the pen and walked over to her, snatching it out of her hand.
“Not a chance in hell.”
“And why not?”
“Because the dog is male.”
“And a male dog can’t wear pink?”
“No man ever wears pink!”
“Oh, and I suppose he has to have a manly name too?”
“As a matter of fact, he does.”
“Well, then we’ll have to compromise.” She picked a black collar off the wall, but it had fucking sparkly shit all over it.
“No.”
“Yes.”
“No.”
“Yes!”
“No!”
“Yes!”
“No!”
“Oh, for the love of God,” Jo shouted. “It’s just a collar! Go with the one with studs. It’s still pretty, but not as sparkly.”
I shot Ciara a glare, and she shot one back, but acquiesced, and picked up the one with studs. After another fifteen more minutes of paperwork, we were finally ready to leave. The dog immediately went to Ciara and allowed her to put the collar on. After she attached the leash, we were just about to head out the door.
“Oh, and I’ll see you soon for the home visit.”
I turned on my heel. “The what?”
“The home visit,” Jo grinned. “It’s required, and written on the paper you signed. We have to make sure the dog is a good fit and is being treated right in his new home.”
It took everything I had not to pull out my gun and shoot her. Ciara must have noticed me itching to pull the gun from the back of my jeans, because she placed her hand on my arm and narrowed her eyes at me.
“Fine. We’ll see you soon.”
18
Ciara
I had to admit, the dog was pretty awesome. The way he attacked Antonio was amazing, and if I ever needed him to do it again, I was pretty sure I could get him to. Antonio tossed the dog bed, food, bowls, and a few toys in the back of the truck. I was about to get up front with the dog when Antonio stopped me.
“The dog sits in the back,” Antonio grumbled as he walked to the front of the truck.
“Why?”
“Because I said so.”
I shot him a nasty look and opened the back door for him. “Sorry, Princess. Looks like you have to sit in the back because Mr. Grumpy said so.”
“We’re not calling the dog Princess.”
I hopped in the front and grinned. “I like the name.”
“He’s a boy.”
“Would you prefer I call him Prince?”
“I would prefer you came up with a name that made him sound scary.”
I sighed. “I suppose Butch would be something you’d like.”
“It’s better than making him sound like he doesn’t have any balls.”
“Well, I like the name.”
“I guess it’s too bad that you didn’t pay for him.”
We drove in silence the rest of the way home. The roads were a lot better now, and hopefully the worst of the winter snowfall had passed. When we got home, I got Princess out of the truck and headed for the door. Once inside, Princess quickly roamed the place, checking out all the best places and sniffing for anything suspicious. When he jumped up on the couch, I knew he had declared it to be his.
“No! Get down,” Antonio snapped.
“Why? If he’s going to be living here, he should be comfortable.”
“That’s what the dog bed is for. Get down.”
The dog didn’t move and I smirked at him. Antonio stalked over to him, but I rushed over, placing myself between him and the dog, knowing exactly how that would turn out.
“Princess, stay,” I said calmly.
The dog settled into the couch, happy with my command.
“We’re not calling the dog Princess.”
“Why don’t we both call the dog and see who he comes to? Then we can decide what name he likes better.”
“Fine.”
“Fine.”
We both walked over to the kitchen, standing about five feet apart. “Come here, Princess,” I called.
“Bruno, come!” Antonio commanded.
The dog sat up, looking at me first and then Antonio. He jumped off the couch, but whimpered, not knowing who to go to.
“Bruno,” Antonio said in a low voice. “Come.”
The dog started for him. Shocked, I looked over, noticing a small piece of bacon in Antonio’s hand. “You’re cheating!”
“Am not.”
“You’re holding bacon! Of course, he’s going to go to you.”
“Guess you should have thought of it then.”
Huffing, I turned back to the dog. “Princess, come here now.”
The dog whimpered again, not sure which way to go. This called for some dirty play. I wasn’t going to let Antonio win. I pretended to stumble and then fell to the ground, crying out when I landed on my arm…well, I didn’t really land on my arm, but I made it look real. The dog rushed to my side, whimpering and licking at my face. Then he sat down right beside me, his face buried against mine. I rubbed his neck. “Oh, you’re such a good boy, Princess.”
Antonio sighed, tossing the bacon on the plate. “Goddamnit, I’m not walking around with a dog named Princess!”
I grinned and sat up, petting the dog as he rolled over, letting me rub his belly. “Oh, you’re such a good boy. Yes, you are. Yes, you are. You’re momma’s good boy.”
That only earned me more licks and some very enthusiastic playtime that lasted damn near an hour. At some point, Antonio left the house, slamming the door behind him. I wasn’t sure where he went, but I didn’t care. At least I had someone around here that liked me now.
By the time lunch came around, I was starving. I poured some food and water in a bowl for Princess and started making sandwiches. It was a little difficult with the cast, but I could manage well enough, just as I had everything else so far. When Princess was done eating, he went and laid down in the corner, sitting in the dog bed Antonio had bough
t for him. He yawned wide and then rested his head and closed his eyes. It wasn’t so bad having a dog.
Just as I was getting everything laid out on the kitchen table, Antonio walked in, hauling more firewood.
“I made sandwiches.”
He grunted, back to his ‘not speaking’ stance. He was just pissed about the dog name, and while I agreed, Princess was not a good name for a male dog, I just couldn’t help it. It riled up Antonio, and I loved to do that. I sat down to eat, minding my own business until Antonio stormed up to me and pulled me out of my chair.
“What—”
Princess was up out of the bed in a flash, shoving himself between us. Antonio’s lips crashed down on mine and his fingers threaded through my hair, holding me to him. It took me a minute to respond, but when I did, I ripped the buttons of his shirt open, ignoring the way they went flying around the room. Princess had made himself scarce as Antonio plunged his tongue into my mouth and kissed me breathless.
My fingers went right for his jeans, undoing the zipper so I could reach what I really wanted. The moment I had his cock in my hands, I was panting hard, stroking him and shoving his jeans further down so I could grab his ass.
Antonio ripped my shirt over my head, his lips going straight for my neck. He yanked my head to the side as he sucked right below my earlobe. A low growl sounded deep in his throat, encouraging me to stroke him faster. He tore his lips from me and pressed his hand to my chest, forcing me back onto the table. Then he was pulling at my jeans. His eyes were dark and predatory as he yanked them from my body, along with my panties and my dignity. I was spread wide for him, watching as he stared at my pussy. He grabbed his cock, stroking it a few times before he stepped forward and rubbed his throbbing length against me.
Moaning, I tried to sit up, but he held me down, his fingers brushing over my nipples as he circled my clit with his cock. I bit my lip, trying my best not to scream out. I wasn’t sure Princess wouldn’t attack him if I did.
“You want my cock?” he growled.
“God, yes.” My hand shot out to hold onto something, knocking my plate off the table, shattering into pieces. Princess got up and ran to the other room, whimpering on the way.
Dead Man's Hand: A Small Town Romance (A Good Run Of Bad Luck Book 1) Page 11