by Tawny Weber
And her heart said, for once, to give it a chance.
But that was the scariest thing in the world to do.
CHAPTER 9
WRUNG DRY, EXHAUSTED AND exhilarated all at the same time, Percy forced himself to roll off Andrea’s body so he didn’t crush her. His heart still pounded at a machine-gun pace and he was pretty sure he’d caught a glimpse of heaven.
“Babe,” he breathed. He intended to say more, but his brain function hadn’t kicked in yet. Four times. In half as many hours. Not bad for thirty-two, he thought. Not that he deserved any credit. No, that all went to Andrea.
“You’re incredible,” he said, his fingers tangled in her hair.
Propping herself up on one elbow, Andrea smiled down at him, her face barely visible in the room lit only by the full moon.
“You’re not so bad yourself,” she teased. “I’d give you five stars for imagination, another five for execution and four for endurance.”
“Hey, only four?”
“Well, we only did it four times,” she protested with a giggle. “And the last three might not have happened if Medusa hadn’t passed out from exhaustion in the other room. She’s not used to so much upheaval.”
Percy grinned. Clearly, he hadn’t exhausted her enough. He’d have to do something about that. His body whimpered. He’d do something about it later.
Before he could decide how much later, Andrea’s gaze shifted. She stiffened, pulled away from him and grabbed the nearest piece of clothing, which happened to be his jeans, and held it against her nude body.
“What?” he asked, looking around to see what had triggered her shyness. Did his friend Kyle have a camera setup in this place he didn’t know about?
“Medusa,” she whispered. “She’s watching us.”
Percy squinted. He couldn’t see anything. Jackknifing into a sitting position, he grabbed the remote off a low table and aimed it at the overhead lights. The ceiling fan came on, too. Leaving the fan on to stir the air, he hit the button twice to dim the glow. Enough light to see by, not so much it’d ruin the mood.
Then he saw what had bothered Andrea. And wished he was wearing pants himself.
The dog stood in the doorway, glaring at them. Her hair swayed around her as if it were alive. The animal’s ribs were draped in speckled skin. She had that supermodel look of elegant starvation.
“Are you sure that’s a dog? Why the hell did you shave it?”
“She’s not shaved. She’s a hairless breed.”
“She has hair all over her head. Sort of. How’s that hairless? Maybe if you comb out those dreads, you can cover her naked body with all that hair,” he noted, seeing that the twisted strands reached the dog’s shoulders.
With a tsking sound, Andrea yanked her dress over her head. Trying not to grin, Percy tucked her panties under the pillow. Sure, he couldn’t see anything. But knowing she was running across the room commando was its own special thrill.
“Where are you going?” he asked.
“I want to call and check with the salon again. Just to make sure everything’s okay. Then, I don’t know about you, but I’m starving. I need to wash Medusa’s bowl and give her her meds, and then I’ll see if there’s anything here for dinner.”
Dinner. Percy lay back, his arms crossed behind his head, and grinned. Yeah, refueling sounded good to him.
A romantic dinner for two, maybe?
He wondered if Andrea would be willing to go out without her panties.
Enjoying the idea, Percy forced himself into a half-sitting position. Taking that as some kind of signal, the dog pranced over and pounced. Putting those reflexes he was so proud of to good use, Percy quickly grabbed a pillow and held it in front of his stuff just before the dog landed on his lap.
“Hey,” he protested. “Don’t you have somewhere else to be?”
The dog gave him a long, adoring look. Then she sniffed his chest, placed both tiny paws on his shoulder and stood. Wincing, he adjusted the pillow. She didn’t weigh much, but still…
Then she started licking his face.
Percy snorted with laughter. He’d had women chase him before, but this was ridiculous.
“Nope,” he said, gingerly lifting the dog away and setting her on the floor next to him. “I’m a one-woman man now, and I’m spoken for. Besides, sweetheart, you’re really not my type.”
As if she was considering his words, the dog tilted her head to one side and gave him a long, assessing look.
Eyeing her, and with unfamiliar shyness, still holding the pillow in front of his manly parts, Percy got to his feet to retrieve his jeans.
“Quit watching,” he muttered to the dog when she started panting as he pulled on his pants. She ignored him.
He quickly yanked on his shirt but didn’t bother with shoes or socks. It was only fair since Andrea didn’t have panties.
“I’ll make dinner,” he heard himself offer as he entered the kitchen. Andrea, at the counter measuring out a teaspoon of some vile-looking oil, gave him a shocked look.
“What, I know how to cook,” he said in mock indignation.
“You do?”
“I do. Nothing fancy, but enough to make you ask for seconds.”
Crouching down and gesturing the dog over to her, Andrea gave him an arch look. “We’re talking about food, right?”
“For now.” He laughed then poked his head into the freezer. “Aha.”
He pulled out a pair of chicken breasts. “It’s a start. We’re probably going to come up short on the veggies, but we’ll double up on dessert to make up for it.”
Andrea’s giggle was sweet. He watched her give the little dog praise for taking her medicine like a good girl. She didn’t seem like a food snob. Still… “You’re not a lettuce pretender, are you?” he asked.
“Do I pretend to be salad?” she asked with a frown as she straightened, tugging her fingers through her hair, trying to comb out the tangles. Tangles put there by his lovemaking, he realized with a grin.
“No. Are you one of those gals who pretends to be willing to eat anything, but in reality, will only nibble on lettuce leaves and the occasional tomato wedge?”
Andrea’s eyes widened and she gave a knowing nod. “Ah, my sisters are salad pretenders. They claim their svelte figures are gifts of nature, when the reality is that they live on undressed romaine and two hours of cardio a day.”
“And you?”
“Do I look like a starved workout fanatic?” she asked, stepping back and holding her arms wide. His gaze traveled over her body, his mouth watering a little at the sight of her unbound breasts cupped by the vivid fabric. The skirt was loose and full, but he knew what was beneath it.
And, thinking of the tiny scrap of pink lace hidden in the living room, what wasn’t.
“You look perfect,” he said honestly. “You’ve got curves where a man likes curves, lots of smooth silky skin and a way of walking that gives a guy ideas.”
Her smile was an appealing mixture of sassy and sweet. “What kind of ideas?”
Feeling much better about having dinner in the condo and all the dessert possibilities, Percy slowly approached Andrea, cupping her hips with both hands and slowly pulling her against the hard, welcoming length of his body.
“My first idea had to do with your mouth,” he told her, trailing his index finger over the full cushion of her bottom lip. “I thought we’d start with a little kissing, maybe some nibbles.”
Under his finger, Andrea’s mouth curved in a laugh. “Nibbles, hmm?”
“What? You don’t do nibbles?”
“I don’t know. How, exactly, do you define nibbles?”
“It’s more a ‘show’ than a ‘tell’ kind of definition,” he said quietly, his body hardening against the softness of he
rs. He shifted his hips just a bit to keep her in the loop on how happy his body was to feel hers.
“I’m a big fan of learning,” she said, her words a husky whisper as she pressed closer to his erection, shifting her thigh to rub against him.
Through with the teasing, Percy got down to defining. His mouth slid over hers. Soft and wet, with just enough pressure to make her sigh. His tongue swept over the fullness, then he gently bit, offering tiny nibbling kisses as he sucked her lower lip into his mouth.
Her whimpering cry of pleasure went straight to his dick. Clearly, fifteen minutes was plenty of rest time, since his body was raring to go again.
But just when he thought she’d be willing to enjoy a little tabletop nookie, a sound intruded.
Low. Angry. A rumbling.
Percy tried to ignore it.
But Andrea apparently couldn’t. She gave a regretful little moan, then with an ego-gratifying show of reluctance, pulled her mouth from his.
“I think she’s jealous,” Andrea said with a laugh as she studied the dog.
Percy gave the mutt a worried look. He was afraid Andrea was right. And he’d dealt with enough jealous females before to know he should be wary. Especially with this one.
“I’ll cook dinner,” he said again. He’d never cooked for a woman before. He’d never needed to. But as dorky as it sounded, he wanted to woo Andrea. “You go, take the dog and relax or something.”
Mostly just take the dog. It was intimidating him.
“Do you think your friend would mind if I washed up?” Andrea asked, stepping out of his arms and running her fingers through her tangled hair. “I’d love to be a little more presentable before we eat.”
“Sure. Check the guest room. He usually keeps stuff for company in there. You might even want to relax in the shower for a little while. After the day you’ve had, you deserve it.”
Andrea paused in the doorway and gave him a teasing sort of look. With her hair tumbled in tangled curls over her shoulders and her lips still swollen from his kisses, she was pretty much the most tempting sight Percy had ever seen.
“Since you’re making dinner, I’ll provide dessert,” she promised. The look she gave him made it pretty clear that dessert would include a side of naked.
CHAPTER 10
PERFECT.
Percy leaned against the counter, grinning and wondering if there was any chocolate sauce in the apartment. Nothing like mixing chocolate with naked.
Enjoying the fantasy, he popped the chicken into the microwave to defrost and started scouring the pantry. He came across a bag of shortbread cookies. Grabbing a handful, he turned to see the dog. Staring. Again.
Percy glanced at his cookies. No chocolate. He broke off a piece and tossed it across the room. Medusa caught it midair and gulped it down as if she was starving. He tossed her another.
“You like that?” he asked.
The dog pranced over, did a twirly sort of dance that sent her dreadlocks flying in a circle. Then she ran her chilly little tongue over the top of his bare foot, as if in thanks.
He couldn’t help it. It might be the weirdest-looking thing to ever be called a dog, but it was kinda cute. He grinned and, after a quick glance to make sure they were still alone, he bent down to rub his hand over the dog’s head.
Okay, then. She looked happy enough to him.
Munching on cookies, and yes, sharing a tiny piece now and then, Percy started pulling together a meal. Pasta, jarred sauce and chicken. Good enough. He found a bottle of wine in the rack and opened it, setting it on the counter to breathe.
“That, you don’t get,” he told the dog.
She just fluttered her lashes at him as if to say she’d have some if she wanted.
Percy rolled his eyes, but before he could comment, his cell phone rang. Glancing at the display, he growled a little.
Finally.
“You were supposed to stay at the office until closing,” he said to Jolene in lieu of a greeting.
“You texted to say you weren’t bringing in the dog, so I went home. I’m allowed to go home, you know.”
“Right. But we close at five. I called earlier. A lot earlier. You weren’t there.”
Percy opened the fridge, looking for something to turn into a side dish. Kyle had emptied the fridge of perishables, so the pickings were slim.
“You’re supposed to be on a plane,” Jolene argued. “What difference does it make where I’m at if you’re poking your toes into sand?”
Now, there was a euphemism. Percy snickered. Then, grabbing a bag of frozen green beans and a sealed package of bacon, he put a pot under the faucet to fill with water.
“My toes haven’t seen the sand yet, thanks to you. This last-minute job made me miss the plane.”
“You’re not on vacation? No relaxation, no fruity drinks with umbrellas? Oh, Percy, I’m sorry. I made sure to get travel insurance, just in case. It was a little extra expense, but at least it’s paid off. Do you want me to rebook the flight? When do you want to leave?”
Percy rolled his eyes. If Jolene were to be believed, he was as self-sufficient as a five-year-old and just as capable of taking care of himself.
“I’m fine. I don’t know when I want to leave, so let’s hold off on rebooking.” Until he convinced Andrea to go with him, at least. “I have some other work for you to do, though. I need all the info you can get on the dog. What breeders are in the area, other groomers, especially one called Diamonds and Doggies. Besides money, what is this dog’s draw and why would someone want it? Get me a background check on the Days, too, both of them. Go deep. I want to know their financials, why their marriage busted, where they are this weekend. Get me everything.”
“Sure thing. I’ll have it to you by tomorrow,” she promised. Which was three times as fast as she’d usually pull it together. She clearly wanted Percy on vacation. “So what’s the deal? Where’s the dog? Did you retrieve it?”
“I’ve got it. But I’m not turning it over to Day until I know what’s going on.”
“If you have the dog, you really should return it. That’s what you’re being paid for.”
“Someone snatched the dog and tied the groomer to a chair. Something is going on and I’m not handing the dog over until I know what that something is.”
Cutting short Jolene’s horrified exclamations, he told her he’d check in the next morning. It took another three minutes to assure her that he was taking proper care of himself. And of the dog.
Speaking of… Percy almost tripped as the tiny thing ran under and between his feet. Round and round it went, as if desperate for him to give it some attention.
“I’ve gotta get this cooked,” he told her. “Chill.”
She gave him an offended look, but chill she did. Curling into a ball of skin and fur by the refrigerator, she gave him another of those long, heartfelt looks, then went to sleep.
So other than being really, really smart, what made this dog so important that someone would break the law for it? Grumbling, Percy sautéed bacon to add to the green beans. All the while, his brain raced, considering and eliminating possibilities.
By the time Andrea came in, the table was ready. And Percy had a plan.
“Hungry?” Percy asked, not bothering to tone down what he was hungry for. Hey, she wasn’t wearing panties. And he was damn near starving.
* * *
ANDREA STOPPED SHORT IN THE doorway, her breath catching at the look on his face. Talk about hunger. Her heart fluttered, dropping into a stomach already tight with desire. The entire time she’d been in the shower, all she’d been able to think about was Percy.
About kissing him. About tasting him. About drawing his body deep into hers, over and over again. Just the fantasy of it had gotten her hot and wet. Which was a problem, given
that she had no idea where her underpants were.
At Percy’s question, Medusa woke. Seeing Andrea, she gave a little yip and ran over for a hug. Laughing despite the fact that she was falling for the dog as much as the man—both out of her league—she swept the little body up for a hug. Medusa tilted that sweet head to one side and gave Andrea a look that said trust. And love.
Andrea’s eyes filled, emotion clogging her throat. Here she’d been, totally focused on her wants and desires and issues. But she was supposed to be protecting the dog. They had to figure out why someone had kidnapped her and if she was still in danger.
The sooner they found out, the sooner everyone could get back to their regular lives. And the sooner she could see if Percy was going to be a part of hers.
She gently set the dog on the floor.
“Can we talk?” she asked Percy as she straightened, her smile closer to a grimace than a grin. The lust coiling low in her belly gave up the fight against the tension battling there for supremacy.
“Sure. Want to talk and eat?” he suggested, indicating the dining room. Medusa was totally on board with that, prancing around Andrea’s feet before heading toward the dining room and back as if to say, Hurry up.
Andrea’s smile softened, becoming easier and genuine as she watched the dog. She glanced at Percy, noticing that he was watching, too. Her heart sighed. Instead of bafflement or disdain, his look was pure affection.
“Thanks so much for putting dinner together,” she said, trying to distract herself from falling too deeply for him. Not yet. Not until she was sure. “I’d offer to get groceries and make breakfast, but that creep has my wallet.”
If that wasn’t the perfect segue, she didn’t know what was. Andrea stepped into the formal dining room and stopped short.
“Oh, my…”
Eyes wide, she took in the scene.
Candles of varying colors flickered on the sideboard. The table was set with gleaming white china, sparkling crystal and a pretty red free-form glass bowl in the center.