Page 12 of Hazard

Her breath hitched a little, and she looked down with admiration. “Can I pet him?”

“Yes, but not while he’s eating, and let me introduce you to him before you touch him. If you’re up for it, we can take him outside sometime and throw his K-O-N-G.”

“Why are you spelling it?”

“Because he’ll go crazy, and I don’t want him distracted while he’s eating.”

“So, what’s a K?—”

“Don’t say it,” Skull said quickly. Bones stopped eating and looked at her like he was telling her he was no dummy.

She laughed in delight, and the soft vibration slipped sinuously through Hazard. “I wasn’t going to say it,” she admonished. “I heard you. Anyway, what is it?”

The genuine look on her face made his heart stutter-beat. Damn, if she kept that up, he was going to go under way too easily, and way, way too fast.

His dick contradicted him right away. It said there wouldn’t be anything fast about him. He would want her slow, oh so slowly. It’s a good thing he didn’t often listen to his dick, especially when it came to these kinds of situations. His dick was a goddamned troublemaker and way too persuasive. That was for sure.

But he wasn’t going to be led around by his dick. He called the shots…mostly. Even if he was getting hard all over again. But that was his dick…being a dick.

“It’s a toy. I stuff it with various treats that he has to manipulate to get at. It’s stimulating red rubber that bounces, and pretty much looks like a small snowman. The one I have is on a tether so I can add tension when he pulls.”

“What’s his favorite treat?”

“P-e-a-n-u-t b-u-t-t-e-r.”

She laughed again as Bones pricked his ears and looked at each of them expectantly. “I don’t think you’re fooling him by spelling it out.”

“That wouldn’t surprise me,” Hazard said. “Bones is smart as hell.”

She looked at him then for the first time since the great cupcake war, capturing his gaze in the vice grip of those arresting eyes, and searching deep, past all those barriers he thought he’d erected. For a moment, she held him suspended, all the possibilities of what it would be like to explore this beautiful creature. What kind of depth would he find there if he had the courage to delve deep enough and she allowed him in?

Then her gaze shuttered, and she swallowed hard, looking away, focusing again on Skull. He convinced himself it was for the best. Their relationship, if they even allowed it, could go absolutely nowhere.

“His coloring is beautiful,” she whispered, then cleared her throat. “Is that common?”

“No. Bones is a gray sable. They’re rare.” By this time, Bones had finished his food and had wandered over to Skull to sit down next to him. His fur was lighter at the base, gradually darkening to an iron gray at the tips. He had a pronounced black mask that covered his muzzle, eyes, and ears, blending into the gray at his neck. “Malinoises are a fixed breed when it comes to their pedigree, but the Navy doesn’t much care about coat color or whether or not their masks fit the breed standard. We only care about their courage under fire, their compact size, and lightning speed, giving us a tactical advantage over the enemy.”

“Yeah, our fur missile is what we call him. He can run thirty miles an hour, and his bite packs seventy pounds of pressure. So ‘snatch and grab’ applies directly to Bones.” Hazard’s chest got a little tight. “Bones has saved us countless times, and although Skull is his primary handler, the whole team has a bond with him. He never hesitates when we jump from any airborne vehicle or even rappel down the side of a mountain. He earns everything he gets, especially his K-O-N-G.”

Skull nodded, swiping his big hand over the dog’s head. “He’s amazing, our MPC, CAD MWD. Multi-Purpose Canine, Combat Assault Dog, Military Working Dog. Whatever the acronym or title, he’s focused, fierce, and effective.”

“Everyone should be so lucky to have such a member on their team.”

“Is that what people think about you, Leigh?” Skull asked.

“What?”

“Focused, fierce, and effective?”

“Oh, I see. Damn straight. I won my cupcake,” she said decisively, then bit into it. With a soft groan that got Mr. Dick’s attention, and rolled through him like thunder, she closed her eyes, savoring the mouthful. When she opened her eyes, she turned to him. “Want a bite?”

She had no frigging idea, and his mouth went dry. As the cool air of the Mess Hall feathered over his heated skin, a stunning realization hit him like a sucker punch to the gut. Never had a woman affected him on such a primitive, I-need-to-get-inside-you-now level as difficult, inconvenient, annoying, sexy, and irresistible Leigh Waterford. He’d been a fool because she’d had that effect on him from day one, and he wasn’t so sure that it wasn’t a matter of the right time and opportunity before they acted on their mutual attraction.

Unable to back down from her offer, he reached out and clasped her hand, then leaned forward and without breaking eye contact with her, he sunk his teeth into the delicious chocolate cake and white frosting.

She watched him with a longing fascination, her gaze forcefully on his mouth. There was no mistaking the mutual desire that flared to life in her striking eyes, igniting the electric chemistry between them from the sparks that were floating invisibly around them. He almost groaned when she slicked her tongue over her bottom lip, a rush of adrenaline shooting through his veins and a heady mixture of awareness and delicious anticipation curling low in his gut, giving Mr. Dick all the fuel he needed to spring to life. She wanted to kiss him, the kind of kiss that included open mouths, mating tongues, and wandering hands over warm, smooth flesh.

Her breath hitched, then her face changed. Startled was an understatement. Snatching the cake away, she snapped, “Don’t eat it all.” He wasn’t the only one on edge here.

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