Page 20 of Relinquish

Close friend. Vet. She. I didn’t hear anything else after he mentioned his close friend. “You seem to know a lot about this kind of thing for not having pets. How’d you meet the vet?”

I’m not jealous. I promise. Damn it. Yes, I am. Please, don’t start making out when we get there. I don’t think I can stomach seeing them together. I’d need to fortify myself with an enormous shot of tequila.

“Through a friend.” One side of his mouth lifts into a grin. “Why? Are you jealous?”

“No,” I sputter. Heat creeps up my face. How embarrassing. Surely, there’s no way he knows how much time I waste in the day fantasizing about his hands caressing my bare skin or the intoxicating taste of his mouth covering mine. I shiver and turn to stare out the window.

Cade chuckles. “I’m sorry. I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to tease you. Of course, you aren’t jealous. Our relationship is strictly as co-workers and nothing else.”

What would he do if I corrected him? He might not think about me like that, but I can’t make that same statement. Flashes of silk sheets, spray cans of whipped topping, and tongues sliding all over each other crowd into my mind.

Lord, it’s fucking hot in here. I twist the knob of the air conditioner to high. The loud whoosh of the air greets my ears.

“Our stop is at the next exit. I met Sarah Taylor through one of my best friends, Tyrone Hance. They’ve been dating since college. He’s doing his residency in pediatric medicine. He’s brilliant but grew up with nothing. He worked his butt off to get scholarships for school, grants, who knows what else, to get where he is now. They’re planning a spring wedding.” He shakes his head. “Children probably aren’t too far into the future.”

Now I feel like a giant jealous idiot. “Sounds like a great match. One is a doctor, and the other is a vet.” A soft snore comes from the backseat. I twist to see Sam curled up in the seat with his head tucked into his stomach.

“They are.” Cade frowns. “Not that her parents have felt the same. They have a lot of money and didn’t approve of Tyrone. Sarah finally put her foot down and told them that if they wanted to keep a relationship with her, they had to accept him as her future husband. They weren’t overjoyed, but they’ve stopped trying to sabotage the relationship.”

That sounds so familiar to my story. I stare out the window. When we pull up in front of the shelter, I slowly exhale and brace my shoulders. She sounds like a wonderful person. Stop worrying whether she’ll like you or not.

As I step out of the vehicle, I scoop Sam into my arms. A loud boom startles me, and Sam uses his hind legs to try and jump away. Crap. My arms strain as I hold onto him. Cade rushes around the front of the pickup and grabs Sam’s middle, causing the dog to growl.

“Sam, easy.” Cade’s voice is low and calming.

Sam’s hind legs jab into my gut again, and I struggle to hold him. “Sam, calm down.” I glance in all directions. “What was that?”

“It sounded like a shotgun. There’s a shooting range near here.”

“Sam, calm down.” Sam’s muscles relax, and he sags against me. “There you go, boy.” I tilt my head and study Cade. “How do you know a shotgun from any other type of weapon?”

“No reason. It could have been something else.” He pauses. “I know I said I wouldn’t intervene, but–”

“Then don’t.” I grab the door and yank it open. “He’s scared. That’s all.” I’m not about to tell him I’m a little afraid I’m going to hit Sam’s sore spot and get a mouthful of teeth dug into my flesh. The bruising from his legs shoving into me is going to be bad enough. But fuck if I’m going to tell him I can’t handle this dog.

Chapter Eleven

Cade

I pick up a picture frame from Sarah’s desk. The encased photo is one of Tyrone and Sarah sitting on Stella’s front porch with goofy grins pasted on their faces. I set it back down and glance over at the two women.

Sam is resting at Lola’s feet with his head on her shoe. He’d run back and forth, whining when we arrived in the waiting room. His excitement at smelling the other animals had eased his nervousness over the gunshot. I’m not pleased about any of this. Sam is too big for her and will only get bigger. Not to mention, he appears to have trauma issues.

Takes one to know one, buddy. I shake my head. It doesn’t matter. If she wants the damn dog, she’ll get the damned dog. All I can do is pray she doesn’t get hurt.

Lola and Sarah are discussing the procedure for adoption. I’ve caught bits and pieces of their conversation as they bounce information back and forth. Babies and animals. The great equalizers.

When we’d first arrived, Lola had prattled on about how it was my idea to get Sam vaccinated and tested, to which Sarah sang my praises in between sharing a couple of embarrassing stories of our past. Thankfully, she left out the ones of how we met and my brief foray into self-pity upon my return from the military.

I’m not sure how Lola’s weaving her way into my inner circle. Letting people get close is not my thing. I pace in front of the line of licenses posted on the wall.

My back aches from tension. I should have taken her to a different shelter or ignored the whole dog thing altogether. She’s capable of taking an animal to the vet on her own. She doesn’t need a wounded anti-hero to ride in on his stallion to ruin the day.

Lola bends down and pats Sam on the head. A strand of her hair flutters over her cheek, and my heart thuds in my chest. Damn it. She takes my breath away. It’s not only her beauty. It’s the entire package. Physically, there’s no denying she makes parts of my body hum that I thought were dead and buried–along with my team.

But that’s not it. She’s getting to me, and I can’t afford that. Get your head out of the clouds.

Is she with Trenton or not? I’ve been too afraid of the answer to ask. Fuck. The only way she’d be interested in you is if she thinks you’re a stray that needs fixing. Sadly, that’s not too far off the mark. Damn it. I’m not broken. I don’t need to be fixed, and I don’t need or want a woman.

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