Is she fucking serious?
He debated, then when the full force of her jade eyes nailed him, he bolted from the bathroom and carefully opened the fridge with his mouth. He gently gripped one of the cans of Coke, trying not to puncture the can, and bumped the door shut with his ass. Then he trotted back to the bathroom where she stood with her head exposed, watching him in awe and disbelief.
He waited for her to reach for the can and he gently placed it in her palm.
“Thank you,” she whispered.
He sat, wagging his tail. No problem, babe. Anything else you want? Sandwich? Chips? Wedding ring? A good, hard fucking?
She slid to the shower floor, leaning against the wall. He worried she’d fainted, but she stared at him, deep in thought. She popped the tab on the can and took several long swigs, then let out a loud belch.
He laughed, which he knew to her sounded like a snort.
“You think that’s funny?”
He couldn’t help it. He nodded. Maybe it would make it easier for her to wrap her mind around the truth later.
“You’re not a normal dog, are you?”
He shook his head. Babe, you have no fucking idea.
She set the can on the floor and stood, finishing her shower. She dried and dressed, and he watched her every move. He’d do whatever she wanted. Anything she wanted.
Now he had to figure out how to tell her the truth.
She walked to the front door and grabbed her purse, then turned. “Don’t chew. Don’t have an accident. Do you have to go to the bathroom?”
He shook his head.
“Okay. I’ll be back in about two hours.” She stopped, laughing. “Jesus, I need a life. I’m talking to a dog like he understands me.”
He watched from the front window as she drove off. Five minutes later, Jeremy drove into the complex. Ivan shifted back and raced to the bathroom, grabbing a towel from the floor. He returned to the front door and opened it, waving.
Jeremy walked up with a pair of shorts and a T-shirt in his hand, tossing them at Ivan before he even reached the stoop.
“Here you go, brainiac. Jesus, I can’t believe you.”
Ivan caught the clothes and put them on, returning the towel to the bathroom. “No time for that now. You can kill me later. We need to go.”
They made it to the park in less than twenty minutes with Jeremy driving. “Where’s your clothes?” Jeremy asked.
“Off the trail.” They got out of the truck, and Jeremy followed him at an easy, loping pace. Ivan found them still hidden where he’d left them in the brush. He breathed a sigh of relief. “Thanks, man. I owe you.”
Jeremy smirked. “Yeah, well, I’ll hold you to it.” His face grew serious. “Really?” he asked. “You’re sure she’s your mate?”
Ivan looked down. “I can’t explain how she’s different. You know how normally a woman hits you between the balls when you want her? This one hit me straight between the lungs and eyes. I can’t think about anyone but her, man. It’s killing me not to be at her place, smelling her.”
“Well, good luck. Should I drop by to check on you?”
“I’ll call.”
“Any idea how to tell her?”
“I think so.”
Ivan made it back well before she did. He parked in a guest spot and prayed no one had broken into her condo while he was gone. Fortunately, they hadn’t. He put his cell in silent mode before taking it inside. He locked the front door behind him and stripped, looking for a place to hide his things.
The condo wasn’t large. Where wouldn’t she find them? He looked at her bed and inspiration struck. He lifted the mattress and jammed everything into the middle of the bed on top of the box spring, smoothing the sheet and cover after.
He shifted back and waited, pacing the condo, sniffing every square inch of it, looking for anything with even a trace of her sweet scent. Or a sign that she had been with a man recently, even though she’d said she was alone.
My mate.
He greeted her at the door when she returned not quite two hours after her departure, and he fought the urge to shift and help her unload her groceries.
“Hey, boy. Did you miss me?”
He softly woofed. She carried a huge bag of…groan…dog food. At least it was a top-shelf brand, very expensive, human-grade homeopathic food.
She’d spent some bucks. That relieved him and made him feel guilty that she spent that much on him when he wouldn’t be using it for long if he got his way.
Lindsey set the bag on the floor and knelt beside him, hugging him, burying her face against his neck and inhaling. “The girl at the store said it’s the best food, none of that Chinese chemical crap to make you sick.”
She looked into his eyes again. “I should put a found ad in the paper, but I don’t want to. I kept worrying about you while I was gone.”
Join the club, babe. You have nooo clue.
She nuzzled his nose and went back to her car for more bags. She’d bought two collars, not sure how large she needed. She looked at him as she held them up.
“I wasn’t sure what size you’d be,” she said.
And a leash.
A little BDSM? Hmm…
He tried to quiet his anxious cock at the thought. She could lead him anywhere she wanted. Of course it wasn’t kinky to her in this context. He was the perv.
Only one of the collars fit, a large choker. She slipped it over his head. “I should get you to the vet.”
He whined. Baby, these balls are staying put.
“A big boy like you afraid of the vet?”
He whined again.
“I promise I won’t have you neutered as long as you promise not to go running off and screwing around. Or don’t go peeing on stuff.”
He softly woofed, trying not to laugh. No worries on either count.
She’d also gone to Publix and spent a few bucks. She’d bought him a huge T-bone steak.
“You want it raw?”
He woofed.
She put it on a plate and set it on the floor for him. “That’s a thank-you. There’s three more.”
Hot damn, that’s more like it. He tore into it.
That night, Lindsey curled on the couch to watch TV and patted the cushion. He eagerly jumped up next to her, resting his head in her lap with a content sigh.
She stroked his head as he closed his eyes and inhaled her scent.
My mate.
When she started yawning around ten, he remained hopeful as she stood and walked to the bedroom. He waited for a cue, and his heart leapt when she stopped at the bedroom door and turned to look at him.
“Well? Come on, big boy. I don’t want to sleep alone.”
He knew she couldn’t possibly mean it the way he wanted, but he scrambled off the couch and raced past her into the bedroom. He leapt, landing squarely in the middle of the mattress.
She laughed and turned off the lights, stripping before sliding into bed. “Slide over, bed hog.”
He did, waiting until she settled to snuggle against her. She rolled over and threw her arm around his broad chest. “I still need to name you.”
Husband’s always a good one.
Lindsey wasn’t sure if she’d sleep, but she did, almost immediately. He didn’t smell like any dog she’d ever had. He reminded her of…
Of a man.
No, she wasn’t so desperate for loving, despite a three-year dry streak in her love life, to contemplate bestiality. Between his freaky intelligence and imposing physical presence, she couldn’t help it.
She loved him.
She dreamed, deeply, of a large man with the dog’s grey eyes and black hair peppered with silver. But he was young, maybe a little older than her, broad shouldered and handsome.