Page 79 of False Confidence

“No, just you and me. We can go to a bar, just like old times.”

“That sounds great,” Jazz replied, her stomach calming a little. Maybe this was what they needed to get back to how things were. Liam was right; everything was going to be just fine.

“Does he look smaller in person, or is it just me?”

“He definitely looks smaller,” Liam agreed. “The shelter said he was smaller than the other puppies in the litter, but he should catch up.”

Bray was sitting on the rug in front of the couch, looking up at them both with an expectant expression. Jazz had expected a little anxiety from the tiny pup, but he didn’t seem fazed in the slightest to have left the only home he’d ever known.

“What do we do with him?” she asked Liam, and he shrugged, looking as uncertain as she did.

“I don’t know. Play with him? Feed him? Love him?”

Jazz clasped her hands and leaned forward, looking Bray in his dark brown eyes. “Do you want some toys?” He tilted his head to the left. “Food?” And the right. “Cuddles?”

“Ruff.”

Well, then. “Alright.” Jazz reached down and picked him up gently with one hand. She settled him on her shoulder and snuggled into Liam, so Bray could sniff both of their faces. He did just that and, apparently happy with what he smelled, licked both of their cheeks.

“Oh my God,” Jazz whispered, trying not to scare him as she smiled at Liam. “I think he likes us.”

Liam was watching Bray with so much love in his eyes that Jazz’s heart skipped a beat. “I think I would die for him,” he said, offering a finger to the puppy. Bray rubbed his head on Liam’s finger and Jazz practically melted.

“Same.” She scratched the top of his head while Bray rubbed his face on Liam’s. “Do you love your daddy?” she cooed, and both Liam and Bray turned to her and scowled. How Bray knew the D word was off limits, she had no idea. She held up her hands. “Sorry. Do you love your papa?” she tried and Bray barked his agreement, spinning around to boop her nose with his.

“Papa it is,” Liam chuckled. “And that makes you mama.”

“I’m not his mom,” Jazz said, but the words were muffled as Bray stepped right in front of her face and sat down on her chest.

“Try telling him that.”

Bray gave her literal puppy dog eyes, and she sighed. “Fine. I’m your mama.”

Liam wound his arm around her shoulders and leaned his head against hers, both of them staring down at Bray. “I think he’s happy to be home. We make a cute little family.”

Bray agreed with a little chirp, then promptly lay his head down and started snoring. Liam picked up his Kindle turning his attention to his book like what he’d just said was no big deal. Family. Jazz looked between both of them, her heart damn near beating out of her chest. Is that was this was? A family she actually felt comfortable in?

Something warm spread through her, but it was no match for the panic that always seemed to be right at her fingertips these days.

Jasmine tightened around his fingers, her teeth sinking down on his shoulder in an attempt to mute her scream as she came. The bite burned, and Liam fucking loved every second of it.

“That’s one,” he said, when her breathing slowed again. “Lose count and we start over.”

“Oh fuck.”

He spun her around and laid her on her back, moving down her body and kissing everywhere he passed. Their record, so far, was five, and they were determined to obliterate it.

It was Monday, and they’d both taken the day off from work since they’d planned to pick Bray up that morning. Liam had the whole week off, at Maggie’s insistence. “Pawternity leave,” she’d called it.

His dad had tried to get Jasmine to take the same, but she’d refused, claiming she had too much to do because of some case they were working on. Liam was pretty sure it had more to do with staying busy, so she could spend a little less time in her head, but at least they had the day together. Not that they needed the time to get used to being puppy parents: Bray had claimed a spot on the arm of the couch and seemed content to sleep for as long as physically possible.

Which was fine with Liam: he had plans to make Jasmine come at least six times, and, once she was nice and relaxed, broach the topic of her panic attack yesterday.

He’d been ready to jump in his car and break every traffic law to get to her when he’d answered the phone and heard her crying, struggling to breathe. But by the time he’d picked her up, she’d seemed fine. A little worn out, maybe, but otherwise just happy to see him. Words couldn’t describe how relieved he’d been to see she was okay, but that hadn’t stopped his worry about why she’d had the panic attack in the first place.

That was a topic for later, though. For now…

He caught her clit in his teeth and she cried out, fisting the blankets. Though he loved to see her struggle against the cuffs when he restrained her, he wanted her to fight against every single orgasm this time.

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