Page 77 of Wanted

“Where’s he sleeping tonight?”

“I’ll put him in a kennel so he can be nice and comfortable. The cover over the top will make him feel like he’s in a den, and hopefully, the meds will put him right to sleep.”

Frankie crouches down to scratch around Elvis’s ears. “Sleep good, puppy.”

“Stop calling all my dogs puppies. You’re going to confuse them.”

She peers up at me from the floor, the position sending ideas to my cock I have to fight to ignore. “All dogs are puppies. I’m surprised you haven’t given up on this argument yet.”

“You’re nuts, you know that?”

“I think you like it.”

“Keep telling yourself that.”

But the smile on my face as I settle Elvis for the night proves her right. Not that I’m ready to admit the truth.

Frankie’s still waiting when I return.

“You hungry?” I ask as we walk tiredly up the stairs.

Frankie stifles a yawn. “I stink. I can’t eat until I clean up. Who knows how many dogs have peed in that mud I fell in.”

“You probably don’t want to think about that.” I grimace.

“I think I need to get cleaned up. What about you?”

“I didn’t take as big of a dive into the mess as you clearly did, but Elvis was far from clean.” I pinch my tee away from my chest. “This is disgusting. I might need to burn it.”

“Please don’t burn mine.” She wraps her arms tight around herself. “I like this jacket very much.”

The jacket in question is one of mine she’s borrowed since she came here. Much like my tee shirt she sleeps in night after night.

I wonder if I have any other items of clothing she can borrow. There’s no denying I enjoy seeing her in my stuff.

“Your clothes are safe from me. After you.” I sweep my hand in a gesture for her to precede me up the stairs, and I try not to stare at her ass.

Okay, so I stare a little. I’m only a man after all.

And she has a fine ass. A perfect upside-down heart.

“Tonight has been ridiculous.” She laughs at the top of the landing. With the twist of her hand, she throws open the door to the bathroom.

I realize then that while I’ll be naked in the shower in my en suite, she’ll be naked on the other side of the wall.

Fuck.

I don’t stand a chance. There’s no way I won’t jerk off knowing she’s wet and naked at the same time. My willpower is only so strong, and I’ve been fighting my attraction to her since she got here, along with a steady stream of erections. The kiss broke through my walls, and despite building them back up in the interim, they’re rubble at my feet right now.

“Yeah,” I rasp, lost for an intelligible response.

The storm rages outside. A boom of thunder shakes the house. The windows rattle, and the wind howls before we’re plunged into complete darkness. Lightning flashes through the windows, offering temporary light before extinguishing.

Over the wind, the sound of our heavy breaths fill the space between us. My hands curl into fists. The anxiety I’ve known most of my life slithers insidiously through me. A steady beat thrums in my head, nagging me to count each pulse. A warning – I’m not safe until I do.

One. Two.

Three. Four.

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