Faded Perfection (Beautifully Flawed Book 2)

by Cassandra Giovanni

  West nodded as one of the puppies attempted to climb up the front of his legs. He put his hands around its waist and lifted it onto his chest where he rubbed its back. His lip ring pulled into his mouth before he continued, “Yeah.” My mouth began to form the word how, but he cut me off. “Client confidentiality.”

  My mouth slacked. “Jesse has a tattoo?”

  West rubbed his palm over the scruff of his chin. “Or two.”

  “Or two?”

  He winked at me and then looked down at the puppy still in my lap, who apparently fell back asleep as I pet him. “I think you have a new friend.”

  “What’s his name?” I asked as the puppy’s little eyes fluttered with tiny black lashes.

  “I’ve been calling him Cuddles for obvious reasons,” West replied as I ran my fingers over the soft fur. “What would you call him?”

  I let my eyes rise slowly. “Bagel.”

  “Bagel?” he repeated, his chest shaking with a chuckle. “That’s interesting.”

  “Bagel the beagle.” I narrowed my eyes at him before lifting the puppy up and looking in his sleepy eyes. “Wouldn’t you like to be called Bagel?” The puppy’s tail wagged, and his eyes perked up. I looked over him at West. “See, he likes it.”

  “I think he likes you,” he said, and his eyes drifted back down to the other two puppies playing– one was pulling the other around by its ears. “Be nice you two!”

  Bagel cuddled closer to me, his eyes seeming to narrow on his siblings.

  “Beagles howl,” I said with a sigh.

  “Not all of them,” West replied as he reached over and separated them. “Besides, you can work on training him.”

  My eyes widened. “You tricked me! You and Jesse together– you planned this!”

  “No,” West said before biting over his lip ring, so it was entirely in his mouth. “It’s a coincidence that I happen to volunteer at a shelter, and these three came in last week…and that Jesse mentioned you love beagles.”

  “And you asked me here to?”

  “Help me out…and maybe fall in love–” his eyes locked on mine and he coughed looking away; “with the puppies.”

  “Well, your plan worked,” I said as I looked down at the dog. “What do you think Bagel? Do you want to come home with me and keep all my neighbors up at night?”

  West leaned forward, scratching Bagel under the chin. “We’ll get you trained so you won’t wake up the whole complex.”

  “We’ll?” I asked, raising an eyebrow.

  “These two certainly need it,” West replied looking at the other two, now in reverse roles. The smaller of the two was now dragging the bigger one around on its back by its ears. “Especially if they’re going to be coming to the shop on a regular basis.”

  “Maybe one of them should be Bagel, and the other CC– for cream cheese,” I said as I stood, Bagel still in my arms.

  West stood, then leaned down, so Bagel was within licking distance of him. “No, I think he likes that name, don’t you little guy?”

  Bagel licked West’s chin, and he laughed as he stood, wiping off the slobber. “I was thinking Sadie and Walter.”

  “Those names aren’t fun.”

  “They kind of are because they’re awful,” West said, wrinkling his nose. I nodded my agreement, and he gave me a soft nudge with his elbow, signaling with his chin out the door. “We need to get some chores done, fill out the adoption paperwork and then we can bring these three out shopping.”

  “What about lunch? And how are all five of us going to fit in your car?” I asked as I put Bagel down and he immediately tried to climb back up my leg, whining.

  “Good point,” West replied as he shut the door behind us. The three puppies came up to the gate and looked up at us; foreheads pulled back by the weight of their ears. “Clean, paperwork, lunch, pick up your mommy mobile and get the puppy crew.”

  I rolled my eyes. “A Honda Civic SI is not a mommy mobile.”

  “Soccer Mom car?” West suggested as he looked down at me from the corner of his eyes. I stuck my tongue out, and his shoulders rose as he laughed. “No, that’s right– puppy mobile.”

  “I guess so, especially if we’re all going to be going to training classes on a regular basis,” I replied, chewing the inside of my lip as I looked over at him. The smile on his lips made my heart beat stagger.

  “At least two times a week, friend,” he said with a smirk as he grabbed bowls from a shelf. His shirt lifted in the back, showing that his face wasn’t the only dimpled part of his body. As he turned my face flushed and my eyes shot back up to his.

  Friends, I reminded myself. That didn’t mean I couldn’t stare, right?

  He bit his lip, wiggling his eyebrows and I took the bowls he held out to me as he chuckled.

  He didn’t seem to mind my wandering eyes, and I certainly didn’t mind his.

  Chapter 44

  “Are you sure it’s okay that they do that?” I asked, nodding to the puppies three in a row dragging one another by their ears.

  West laughed as he leaned back on the couch, tapping on my shoulder as he did. “Relax, Mommy. They’ll be fine.”

  I bit my lip and sat back, sinking into the cushions to avoid the warmth of his arm behind me. My whole body was warm enough as it was from the five hours I spent laughing with him– I didn’t need a reminder of the physical attraction too. We sat in silence for a moment, and it wasn’t awkward. This was too easy. I glanced over at West to find him smirking at something on the wall. My eyes followed his to my Yamaha guitar. It was one of the only reminders I kept of Adam. I couldn’t stand to leave it in the case, so the day I moved in I also bought a wall hook for it, but I hadn’t touched it since.

  “You play?” West asked as he nodded at it.

  My chest tightened. “A bit.”

  West’s eyebrows wiggled at me, and I rolled my eyes as I stood, stepping over the tumbling puppies and took it off the wall.

  “What kind of music do you like?” I asked as I sat on the couch again, bringing my legs up under me and crossing them as I put the guitar in my lap. I stared at him with wide eyes. “Tool? Deftones?”

  “Eagles.”

  I looked down at the guitar and took a deep breath before I began to strum. The lyrics flowed from my lips as my fingers moved over the strings. I hadn’t played for so long that the pressing of the strings bit into my fingers, but I kept playing because it felt so good. The tightness in my chest from the thought of Adam eased away as I realized I enjoyed playing, and I enjoyed being around West. It was nice not have him expect me to be a certain way. He hadn’t known me as I child, and I could do and say things that felt like me– the me I was now. When the song ended, I looked up to find West leaning forward, arms pressed against his knees and fingers entwined. He shook his head, jaw slightly slack.

  “You’re beautiful– I mean your voice– it’s beautiful. I mean well, you are too.” He sat back pushing his fingers into his temples. “I’m sorry if I crossed a friendship line there by saying that–” his eyes rose up to mine, and his cheeks flushed; “it’s just…you are.”

  I bit my lip to keep from smiling. My face was as hot as his. “You’re not too bad yourself.”

  Bobby’s words echoed in my head–Tell him.

  “It’s good to have a friend,” I finally said as our eyes locked on each other. It was kind of liking telling him — at least I was drawing a line with my words. My heart, on the other hand, was hammering in my chest. He wasn’t hard on the eyes at all– especially with those eyes and tattoos–plus the smile and personality. A cry from Bagel broke my wandering gaze, and I shot up from the couch. West stopped me, putting a hand on my arm and sending tingles through my body.

  “Easy,” he said, and he nodded to Bagel now biting Walter’s hind leg.

  “I guess this is going to take some getting used to,” I said as I sat back down and I meant more than just the dogs playing. I took a deep breath as I pulled the guitar back into my lap.
I began to strum again to distract myself and then started singing more to myself than anything– Foreigner.

  West chuckled to himself, and I glanced up to see him leaning back shaking his head, eyes locked on me. “I guess so.”

  I played two more songs, carefully watching my fingers as they glided over the strings before looking back up to see West with a pile of puppies sleeping on him. I laughed as I stood and placed the guitar back on its hook before carefully extracting Bagel from the sleeping pile. I laid back on the couch, putting him on my chest. His eyes blinked slowly at me before he gave me a single kiss on the chin and fell back to sleep. My own eyes began to get heavy as I pet him, and my gaze flickered over to West. His head rested on top of Sadie as she sat on his chest and over his shoulder. I grabbed my cell phone from the coffee table, careful not to move enough to wake Bagel and snapped the picture before closing my own eyes. I sank into a deep, dreamless sleep– but instead of being the damming darkness I knew for the past eight months it was warm and comforting–like West.

  My mouth watered as the smell drifted over me– garlic, basil, and tomatoes as if I fell asleep in an Italian heaven. My eyes opened, and I leaned up, stretching to find all the puppies and West were gone. I glanced over the top of the couch to see West humming to himself as he leaned back against the counter next to the stove, a steaming pot next to him. His gaze lifted. “I know you’re probably sick of me by now, but I figured I would cook us dinner and then leave you alone.”

  I was far from tired of his company, and I didn’t mind at all. I stood and made my way into the kitchen, but as I came around the corner of the column between the two my foot slipped on something wet. I tried to grab for support, but the column was round and just as slippery as the wet hardwoods. I came down in a heap–sprawled out in a puddle of puppy pee. West walked forward, arms out as he tried to hide a smirk.

  “It’s not funny,” I replied, my tone harsh but there was a smile forming on my lips as I glanced at the puppies looking anywhere but at me; as if they knew it was their fault.

  West gave me a hand up. “It kind of is.”

  My mouth dropped open, and I huffed, crossing my arms as I narrowed my eyes at him. “You should’ve been paying attention to them.”

  He threw his hands up, still smiling. “Well, sorry! I was busy making dinner while you got some beauty sleep.”

  The word beauty reminded me he slipped up and went utterly red when he called me beautiful. I bit my lip as he walked back into the kitchen, his jeans perfectly fitting over his ass.

  You’re covered in puppy pee!

  I looked down at my soaked jeans and felt the warmth of it sinking through my thin cotton t-shirt. “Fine, well, how long until dinner’s done?”

  West leaned down, popping open the oven and my eyes went to his ass again. Followed by them drifting up to where his t-shirt wasn’t covering his back dimples anymore.

  I needed a shower. A cold one.

  “Ten minutes,” he replied, glancing over at me. “Not sure if that’s enough time for a chick to take a shower.”

  I rolled my eyes. “You don’t know me that well.”

  As I walked away, I heard him say, “Yet.”

  I inhaled through my nose and out my mouth before continuing up the stairs. When I came down less than ten minutes later, West was on the back porch, where he set out our food and was pouring glasses of wine.

  “I hope you don’t mind I popped this open,” West said as I came outside. His gaze wandered over me quickly before he coughed and sat down. It wasn’t like there was much for him to look at with me in yoga pants and a baggy t-shirt that hung off one shoulder, but he still seemed unnerved by it.

  “Not at all,” I replied, sitting down across from him. I lifted my glass, and he followed suit. “To this.”

  I didn’t say to friendship. I wasn’t sure what this was, or what this was going to be, but I did know I didn’t feel like I was in that hole with Bobby. West’s chuckle warmed me.

  “To this,” he repeated.

  We ate in silence for a moment, and then my gaze drifted up to him. He gave me a light smile before taking a sip of the wine. I grabbed a piece of bread, debating what I was going to say.

  “It’s nice not being alone for once,” I finally said.

  West tipped his head. “Are you alone a lot?”

  “Single, determined woman– alone is kind of what I do well– besides working,” I replied as I took another sip of wine. “Did Jesse mention why he set me up with Maggie as a photographer?”

  West’s lips slipped downward as he shook his head. “I figured it was just because you’re good. I did think it was odd because it seems like you already work a lot and he’d know that, being your boss and all.”

  “He’s also kind of my friend,” I replied, pushing my ravioli around my plate before looking up again. West leaned forward, eyes intent on me. It was time to tell him. I needed to be honest because I was obviously attracted to him and it seemed like he was attracted to me. I bit the inside of my cheek before finding the words. “He watches out for me. A few months ago I broke up with my boyfriend, and I kind of lost everything because of it and things that happened before that. I guess Jesse thought I needed some friends and meeting Maggie would help with that.”

  West’s lips parted, but he seemed at a loss for words. “You can’t not have friends– you’re so–“

  “Nice, but driven and being driven tends to drive people away. In college I drove away all my friends by the end…except…” My voice faded, and I swallowed, glancing out at the dimly lit yard.

  West reached across the table and put his hand over mine. “The tattoo?”

  I bit my lip nodding.

  He squeezed my hand and leaned back, his thumb drawing soft circles over my skin. “What about family? In my experience, they’re kind of hard to drive away.”

  I scoffed, shaking my head as I looked down at our hands. “I see my dad once a week– he comes up on Saturdays, and we spend the day watching TV, having dinner and talking.”

  “That sounds nice–so why do you seem so angry about it?” West’s voice was soft, his words said slowly, as if he was afraid to insult me.

  I fought the urge to stand up and sit in his lap–to be in the warmth his smile sent me– to be wrapped in his natural happiness.

  “My dad comes secretly. My mom and I… I’m not on good terms with her. I guess we were never on good terms but last year on Thanksgiving she crossed a line and I haven’t been able to get passed it,” I said, and my eyes moved up his hand to his arm spiraling with color –waves, koi fish, lotus and cherry blossoms. Mom would die if she saw him. If I was skanky, he was an absolute man-slut.

  Jesse did say he’s a womanizer. And you’re a man-eater.

  “Doesn’t agree with your choices?” West asked as he lifted his wine up to his thin, very kissable lips.

  My chest rose as I nodded.

  “Well, let’s say you’d probably go into shock if you met my family– blue collar, nose in the air, house on the vineyard people. Very un-tattooed.”

  “And how do they take to–” I signaled to his arm and collarbone, my pulse hitching as he winked at me.

  “You haven’t even seen them all,” he replied, and his eyes locked on mine, devious in their twinkle as if he knew I wanted to know where the others were. As if to say it’s only a matter of time.

  I swallowed hard, looking down at my pasta.

  “Let’s just say they got used to it…and my mom tries to think of it as art–my dad tries to think of it as proving I have a high pain tolerance and a talent with my hands.”

  My eyes shot up at that, and he leaned back laughing. My face burned, and my mind raced to places it should definitely not be.

  “Do you now?” I managed to stutter.

  Flirt. You’re such a damn flirt.

  I wasn’t sure if I was chastising him or myself in my head–or worse, neither.

  He reached across the table and flipped my
arm, running his fingertips up to the tattoo he gave me and traced its outline. The tingling started from somewhere other than my arm, and I bit hard on my cheek as he sat back, wiggling his eyebrows.

  “Yeah,” I said as I leaned forward and grabbed my glass of wine. “You’re talented alright.”

  Chapter 45

  I heaved a sigh, pulling the covers down from my face and looked at the foot of my bed to the crate. Bagel sat pressing his nose against the bars, a whimper coming from his lips as his sad puppy eyes stared back at me. I couldn’t resist him, and ended up getting him and cuddling him into my arms. When my phone rang that it was time to wake up I opened my eyes to see Bagel on his back, paws draped over my arms and ears splayed over against the pillow.

  He thinks he’s a human.

  I laughed to myself as I reached over him, careful not to disturb him and grabbed my phone. I swiped my finger across the screen, silencing the alarm and then looked down at the still sleeping puppy. He could probably sleep through anything. I laid back next to him and lifted my phone over us to take a picture. Bagel was adorable. I was a hot mess, but the puppy made the picture. I typed in West’s name and then looked down at Bagel, now awake. “Is it weird for me to send this?”

  Bagel blinked at me before licking my face.

  I laughed, pushing his face away as I replied,”You’re right, we’re just friends so it isn’t.”

  My phone buzzed as I slipped out of bed. I glanced down at the preview to see a picture of West, shirtless, with one puppy on his chest; its head tucked into his shoulder and one laying out frog style against his side. His green eyes were soft with sleep, enhanced by a crooked smile. I bit my lip as I opened the text and the picture enlarged so I could see the whole of his tattooed body beneath the puppies. The full sleeves capped at his shoulders, connected only by the words Sadie’s head obscured, but she didn’t entirely hide his chiseled chest. I rolled my eyes, cheeks flushing before flipping back to the text portion. If he were my boyfriend, that would be my screen saver. The text above the picture read: