Page 46 of Tempt Me

Indigo leans down to pet the two dogs. “That’s because we never taught them to do anything. We just let them run around.”

“I only wanted a dog to play with.”

Indigo nods and settles on the porch swing. “You can take Grumpy when you move in with Hunter. She won’t be staying at that condo, will she?”

“Why would you want me to take your dog?”

“You know Grumpy and Sleepy are bonded and won’t do well apart. In fact, Sleepy will probably tear your new house apart if you keep him from his brother.”

When I consider my dog feeling shitty, I suggest, “In that case, maybe Sleepy should stay here with Grumpy.”

“Okay,” he says without a second thought. “I’ll keep them both.”

I smile at Indigo’s quick reply. “I’m going to miss my dog.”

“No, you won’t. You’ll always be around. Sleepy will barely notice the difference.”

Eyeballing him and wondering if I just got played, I mutter, “I ought to shove you in the mud for stealing my dog.”

“Yeah, but you won’t. Gotta put on a respectable mask for your rich girlfriend.”

I look away from his smirking face to the line of black SUVs heading up the road.

“What is this?” I ask Indigo.

“Kovak Syndicate,” he says and nudges my foot with his. “You aren’t awake if that was a real question.”

My brain catches onto the personalized front plates on the SUVs. Before I can ask why they’re here, I decide I really am still half asleep.

After the SUVs pull past the front farmhouses and down the road, I leave Indigo and start walking. Sleepy lifts his head and considers following me. I see him struggling, but in the end, he tends to cling to Grumpy. Indigo isn’t wrong about how the dogs won’t do well apart.

The SUVs are parked in front of Carys’s house when I stroll up to them. The security stands next to their vehicles. The men don’t acknowledge my arrival.

In the living room of Pork Chop and Carys’s homey one-story rambler, Hunter receives kisses on her bruised face from three-year-old Jacinda and Hector. The kids see me and smile.

“Hello, Snack,” Jacinda says with such confidence.

As usual, I don’t correct the kids when they fuck up my name. Carys snickers nearby as Natasha fans her. Hunter flashes me a warm smile in response to the kids flubbing my name.

“We kiss Hunter’s boo-boos,” Hector explains to me. “You have boo-boos?”

“No, I’m good,” I lie.

“Tatínek have boo-boos,” Jacinda says and smiles at Bear who appears next to me.

My club brother grins at the kids. I didn’t think Bear had it in him to be a mellow family man, but he’s gotten the hang of the dad routine. Doesn’t even mind when the kids speak to him in Czech.

After Hunter is sufficiently cuddled, Hector and Jacinda go search for their friends. Siobhan joins Hunter and Carys on the couch, before tugging Natasha into the mix.

With her gaze locked on me, Hunter wiggles free from the girl pile on the couch. “I’ll be back.”

“But we just crammed all our asses on the couch,” Siobhan whines and reaches for Hunter.

“Yeah, why exactly are you all on my couch?” Carys asks. “I’ve got chairs. One of your asses could spread out there.”

Hunter ignores the sisters griping at each other and kisses me. I enjoy the sweet flavor of her lips and assume she’s been drinking lemonade.

“You sleep deep,” she says when our lips tug apart.

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