“Sorry to interrupt,” she whispered when she got close to us. “We just wanted to say thank you for looking after Sheena, didn’t we, girl?” she cooed to her daughter, who waved and grinned at me like her shit didn’t stink.
I couldn’t resist, though, so I winked and tickled her stomach. “You’re welcome, stinky girl. But I wouldn’t mention toothbrushes to Zuri anytime soon.”
“Dave told me about the toothbrush,” Tabby winced. “Does it really make a sound like magic when the timer’s up?”
“Yup, and seeing as how there was a lot of cleaning to be done, we kept hearing it until he was finished scrubbing.” I gestured with my thumb to her husband.
“Huh. Well, if you find out where to buy them, could you get two more, please?”
Taking his daughter from her, DB tucked Sheena’s head under his chin and let out a sigh. “That’s a good idea. Sheena’s going to need one soon, and Olivia will love it, too.”
Blinking at him, Tabby tilted her head to the side. “Why would Sheena and Olivia love them?”
DB stopped and frowned at her. “Because that’s who you’re—” he stopped and groaned when it hit him. “You’re buying it for you, aren’t you?”
“Damn right, doggy. And Jose would love one, too.” Then, thinking about it, she said to me, “Maybe get four then, if you find them. Unless you’d like one, too?” she asked DB, making me smile.
“I’ll survive without one,” he deadpanned, kissing the top of his daughter’s head.
Rolling her eyes at him, Tabby turned back to me. “How’s Zuri?”
Checking my watch, I chuckled when I saw the time. “About to have some entertainment.”
And then I filled them in on why, enjoying it when DB laughed but panicking slightly when Tabby told me I was nuts.
I was slightly later than normal getting home, but the package I’d collected had been twenty-five minutes away from the precinct. Then it was a thirty-three minute drive back to Zuri’s house on the other side of town, which had been made longer by the rambunctious passenger in my truck.
Getting out, I let him into the enclosed yard at the back. “Behave and enjoy yourself. Remember the instructions, when I call you, you come running in and sit in front of her.”
Not answering, the key player in my plan turned and ran off to have a look around. I wish I had that much energy.
Opening the front door, I came to a halt when I saw the walls of brown boxes. “Uh…”
“You had some deliveries,” Zuri shouted from deeper in the house. “I didn’t open them because I knew they weren’t for me. The last thing I ordered was what I thought was one of those long carpets for the hallway, and it turned out to be bath mat sized.”
Well, shit, there went the first part of the plan.
Adapt, Garrett.
“Why don’t you help me open them?” I called back. “Can you bring a knife or pair of scissors, please?”
I could use the Leatherman in my pocket, but I was smarter than that.
I was still staring at them when her head poked out from behind one of the boxes, almost scaring the shit out of me as she held the scissors out. “What did you get?”
Winking at her, I gestured at her to do the honors. “That defeats the fun of opening them, so you’ll just have to wait and see.”
Lifting one of the boxes down for her, I waited as she cut the tape and then pulled the sides open. Of course there were packaging noodles, of fucking course. I get that they did a good job protecting stuff, but I don’t know one person who was happy when they opened a package with them in there. Why? Well, they went fucking everywhere. Even when you put them in a bag before you put them in the trash can, they find a way out of it, and then you’re stuck finding them in your grass and yard for weeks. Fuckers!
Moving them aside carefully, she reached in and pulled out a metal stand with two bowls in it.
“This would’ve been awesome a week ago so I didn’t pull the stitches, but I can still use it. Wait, is it for us?”
Us. I fucking loved that. I was also slightly concerned that she’d eat out of a raised dog bowl.
“Keep going,” I urged, pointing at the next box.
By the time she was done, she was surrounded by empty boxes that’d been piled on top of each other again, the bowls on the stand, a big fluffy bed, squeaky toys, soft toys, dog treats, dog food, dog vitamins, a leash and matching collar, and sprays of all kinds in case he peed in the house.
“I know some of it’s for a dog, but what’s the rest for? Are you getting a service K9?”
Winking at her, I skirted around where she was sitting, stroking the bed, and walked over to the backdoor.
“Close your eyes.”
Not arguing, she covered them with both hands, and I opened the door.
I didn’t have to shout or whistle to get his attention because the oaf came bounding in, almost knocking me over.
Gently grabbing the collar Alex had put on him, I got his focus on Zuri and whispered, “Go get her.”
And that’s what he did. He went shooting across the floor and skidded to a stop in front of her. I’m not even sure he breathed as he leaned in and started licking her frantically, making my stomach twist again. I mean, I’m fairly certain he licked his balls with that tongue, and he was only an inch away from her mouth.
“Uh, Garrett? I don’t know if this means that you want to take our relationship to a new place, but would you brush your teeth?”
Closing the door with a bang, I strolled across the room again. “Lower your hands, pretty girl.”
Dropping them back to her lap, Zuri blinked rapidly and froze when she came face to face with her surprise. “You got a bear?”
“How the hell did you get a bear from that? He’s a freakin’ dog.”
Gently holding him around the neck, Zuri inspected him while he wagged his ass and tail.
“Wow, he’s so pretty,” she breathed, carefully moving her hand near his face and freezing when he licked it. “Hey, baby. Did you kiss me? Thank you.”
Then, just to show off, the dog sat down and scratched her leg with his paw like he was stroking her.
“Who’s a clever boy?”
Me!
“He’s yours, pretty girl. Alex named him Clyde, but you can—”
“I want to keep Clyde,” she interrupted, laughing when he barked. “Why are his paws so big?”
“Because he’s a Great Dane.”
Blinking at me, she shrugged. “I don’t know what that means. I know they come in different breeds, colors, and sizes, but I don’t know enough about the breeds to know what’s what.”
Scratching the back of my neck, I winced. “It means he’s going to grow a little bit more.”
Like another sixty pounds or so. If she paid attention to my brother’s dog, she’d have known this tidbit of information by now, especially seeing as how he was Clyde’s father.
Clyde, the asshole, leaned in and rested his head under her chin, totally stealing the thunder from me.
“That’s so cool. I’ll have to look online how to look after him, but he’s just the sweetest baby ever.”
Admittedly, he was. He was a rare color mix of blue-grey with white paws and a white patch around his eye and on the end of his tail. He also had one blue eye and one brown one.
“Clyde’s been taking lessons on how to be a protection dog for you. He only has another two weeks until he graduates, so he has to do these last two with you and the school together.” I told her, squatting down beside her and reaching out to put a hand on her arm.
I was two inches away from my destination when he growled at me. “Don’t you fucking dare. I can take you back!”
“Isn’t that dangerous for him?”
Still glaring at the dog, I replied, “No, Alex is a great guy who loved the puppies. In fact, he’s been helping train Clyde for—”
“No, I meant being a guard dog. What if someone breaks in and hurts him?”
Frow
ning, I tried to think of the rationale behind what she’d just said, but I couldn’t get it. “Baby, he’s there to help if you if someone breaks in and hurts you.”
Holding Clyde with both arms around his neck, she shook her head. “No, I don’t want to risk it. He’s only a baby, and when he’s grown up, dogs are meant to be protected and cherished.”
And this was where I could see that she’d never had a pet at all. Anyone else would understand how smart dogs were to begin with, and with training, that smartness just increased.
Grabbing up one of the packets of treats, I opened it to tempt the shithead away from her. Sure enough, he was a sucker for whatever the hell was in the bag, so he came straight over and nudged me with his nose to hurry up.
“Cool it, man, you’ll get your treat,” I huffed as I pulled one out and tossed it to him.
Catching it mid-air, he went over to the bed and lay down to chew on it, leaving me with a silently fuming woman. Fuck my life.
“Baby, he’s safe, I promise, and this training means he’ll be even safer, and so will you. It’s like when I started doing my training for Ground Force duties and operations. Mom almost had a heart attack at the thought of me going into a situation where I could be killed or stand on an IED, but my training made it easier to avoid them and protect myself and the others with me. That’s what the training does for Clyde.”
Looking between us, she sighed. “Okay, but I don’t want him getting hurt.”
“Look at the size of his teeth,” I snorted, wincing slightly at the cracking noise as they crunched through the treat. “I doubt he’ll get hurt.”
Satisfied with that, Zuri did something that took me by surprise. Leaning over, she pressed a soft kiss to the corner of my mouth. “Thank you so much for getting me Clyde. I was already blown away by the intricate beauty of my jellyfish, but I’ve always wanted a dog of my own and couldn’t have one. I can’t believe he’s mine.”
Wait until I told Mrs. O’Jones about this. She said it was maybe too much, but I’d totally scored.
Taking the opportunity to kiss her back but stopping when I remembered where his mouth had been, I kissed the top of her head instead. “You’re welcome, pretty girl. And he’s definitely yours. You’ve even got a certificate in amongst the shit in my car that proves it.”
Squealing, she clapped her hands together and bounced on her knees. “I’m so freaking excited. I need to find the perfect place to put all of his stuff. Do the bowls go wherever he is in the house? How would we move them to wherever he is when I go back to work? What about the bed? Shouldn’t he have one in every room? There’s tinned food, but wouldn’t fresh be better for him? Does he have enough toys? What about—”
Unable to hold back, I decided I didn’t care that she’d be licked all over by a dog, I could wash my mouth later, and shut her up by kissing her. Immediately she melted into me, and I’d just flicked her top lip with the tip of my tongue when a cold, wet nose pressed against our cheeks, and hot, mostly unpleasant, breaths were panted right against our faces.
Wiping frantically at my face, I pulled away from her and pointed with my other hand at him. “No cock blocking, or you’re getting your nuts cut off.”
And, just to prove he was a little skeeze, he whined at Zuri like he was looking for protection, earning me a glare from her.
Game on.
Later that night, it was time to wash Zuri’s hair again. I was pretty sure I should hate doing it, but that was far from how I actually felt as I ran my fingers through the soft, long, black strands.
The first time I’d done it, I’d ended up drenched because I kept angling the showerhead wrong and getting myself with it, so now I wore a pair of cut off old grey sweats and no t-shirt.
And tonight I was changing where I stood while I did it and standing pressed up against her back, but not because I didn’t want to get wet. No, because I was changing shit up between us, even washing her hair.
With my crotch pressed lightly against her ass, I leaned over her back and massaged the shampoo into her scalp, smiling when she groaned.
“Feels that good, huh?”
“You have no idea,” she sighed, her voice audible over the sound of the water.
Slowly, I dragged my fingers through the length of the strands, something that made goosebumps pop up over my arms. Was I really getting turned on by her hair? Fuck yes, I was.
I could have asked her to lift the showerhead she was holding for me, but instead, I leaned over her, being careful of her stitches, and took it out of her hand, loving how she shuddered. The good news was, there was still conditioner to go, and I wanted to see how far I could go with her like this.
It might sound like a dirty trick, but I wanted her badly. I hadn’t been in the right place mentally or physically when I’d first met her to do anything other than being friends, but once I was settled here and I had my future in place, I’d made a plan to gauge to see if she felt any interest in me other than friendship.
Every time I ‘accidentally’ brushed my hand over hers, she’d take a gasping breath in. When I brushed my body against hers when I leaned in for something, she’d shudder. Then there were the times I’d catch her staring at my mouth.
Somehow, even with all of the touching, heck, even with the pecks on the lips and hints I’d dropped, it’d never clicked for her that we could be more than friends. Now, she knew, especially after that kiss, and I wasn’t going to back away unless she said no.
Passing the showerhead down to her, I leaned over again, only just holding back the groan when my dick slotted perfectly in the crevice between her two butt cheeks and picked up the conditioner.
This time, when I stood up again, I didn’t move my hips away. Instead, I kept the position and placement of my dick, poured conditioner into my hands, and then repeated what I’d done with the shampoo.
I preferred doing the conditioner to shampoo on her. With shampoo, when I rubbed it into the length of her hair, it went slightly tangled and knotty, and I always worried about hurting her when my fingers accidentally tugged on it. As soon as conditioner touched her hair, though, the knots seemed to slide out of it, and my fingers breezed through it.
I was doing just that when she started chuckling, the slight movement of her ass almost making me go cross-eyed.
“You always make this sighing noise when you put conditioner on,” she snickered. “It’s kind of cute.”
Gliding my fingers through the next section of hair, I admitted, “That’s because I’m always afraid I’m going to pull your hair out or hurt you when I put shampoo in it. Your conditioner has magical powers and unknots whatever’s tangled, so my fingers go through it like butter.” Well, at least butter that’d been out of the fridge for a while.
“I don’t know why shampoo makes my hair do that, I’ve tried loads, but my hair just seems to rebel. God forbid I don’t put conditioner in it either.”
“I just use body wash.”
“Men, you don’t know how lucky you are,” she sighed dramatically. “And don’t even get me started on waxing, threading, plucking, exfoliating, and all of the other fun things we get to do.”
The solution to it seemed so simple, so I said simply, “So don’t do it.”
It was a good thing she was bent over the edge of the bath with water being sprayed down on her, otherwise, I’m reasonably sure I’d have gotten a kick to the shin at least.
“Why are men so stupid? If you picked up a woman in a club and she had hair that was long enough to be braided under her arms and on her legs, with pubes that could be styled they were that long, and eyebrows that were half an inch thick, would you run or stay? What about if she had a mustache? You’d run, wouldn’t you?”
Would I sound shallow if I said that I’d—for curiosity’s sake—take at least thirty seconds to check out the braiding and styling of the aforementioned body hair before I ran?
I mean, come on. It wasn’t something you saw every day, and if she’d taken the t
ime to style it, then the least I could do before I bailed was compliment her on it.
My response to Zuri was very different from my thoughts, though. “Um…”
Wincing when I realized all the conditioner was out of her hair, I edged around her and turned the water off before putting the showerhead in the bath—a mistake you only made once. Fine, fuck, twice.
Now it was time for the turban towel, another phenomenon I hadn’t known about. Zuri had a towel that you put over the back of her head, the length of it was twisted with her hair inside it, and then I pulled it up and over her head, popping the button on one end through the elastic loop thing on the back of the material on her head. It was hard to explain, especially when you had no clue what the fuck it even did, but I guess if you had long hair, it was pretty cool.
Drying off my hands, I avoided eye contact and moved back to the bedroom where the detangling spray, leave-in conditioner, and some oil gook was. I had no idea how women kept up with it, but I was so grateful for my grooming ritual being so low maintenance. Bathing, soap, shaving, and deodorant.
Sitting with my back against the pillows, I opened my legs and patted the space between them for her to sit down. We usually did it like this with her on the edge of the bed, but this way, she’d have to lean back against me while I did her hair.
As I sprayed, brushed, combed, gooked, and dried her hair, she chewed her thumbnail and watched Clyde act like a hooligan with a sock he’d found.
“You should probably stop him doing that in case he goes for your shoes next,” I mumbled, hoping she’d forgotten about the bathroom incident.
Here was my issue—I didn’t know if she was the kind of woman to hold onto something that’d pissed her off for long. Yes, we’d had arguments in the past, but when I saw her a couple of days later, it was all okay.
What happened in the space of time that I didn’t see her? Did she stab a doll she called Garrett until she felt better? Did she draw pictures of me and then burn them? What did she do?
This time, she patted the bed. “Clyde, come see mommy.”
Just Good Friends (Cheap Thrills Series Book 5) Page 8