Page 7 of Taking What's Ours

With those words I know she’s giving in. “Then we’ll get your dog.”

“That means I’ll have to see Elliott.”

“I’ll be right by your side.”

“Won’t this cause problems with your family?”

“I’m already the black sheep.”

She grins. “You said you were a wolf.”

“I am. They just haven’t seen that side of me.”

“Tell me this isn’t crazy, Dylan.”

“This isn’t crazy, Elaina. This is as real as it gets.”

She meets my eyes with her beautiful ones. “All right.”

I feel the tightness in my chest ease, like bands of steel unraveling, and I take a deep breath and smile. “All right.”

CHAPTER TWO

Elaina—

“Look, my room’s got two beds. If you don’t mind us both staying there tonight…” Dylan trails off, letting the offer hang between us as he picks his credit card off the tray the waitress returned to our table.

I study the man. He’s very attractive in a rugged sort of way. “How old are you, Dylan?”

The corner of his mouth lifts. “Thirty-five. Why?”

“No reason.” I take in the city lights, avoiding his eyes, and ask the all-important question. “Are you married?”

“No, ma’am.”

I meet his gorgeous brown eyes. “Girlfriend?”

“Nope.”

“So, if I join you in Durango, there won’t be some jealous woman waiting to scratch my eyes out?”

He chuckles. “I’d never let that happen. And no, there’s no woman.”

I tilt my head. “I find that hard to believe.”

“Sometimes things don’t work out.”

His words hit home. “I suppose that’s true.”

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean…”

“It’s okay.”

He stands and holds his hand out to me. “You ready?”

Am I ready? Not at all, but my life seems to have spun out of control. And right now, I just need to get through the night. I need a shoulder to lean on and Dylan is offering one, and I’m grateful. I slip my hand in his and follow him to the elevator.

We ride it down to his floor and he leads me down the hall to his room. All I can think of is how this wasn’t how I pictured this day ending. Right now, I thought I’d be carried over the threshold into our honeymoon suite. But here I am walking into the room of a man I only met a few hours ago. Yet, I’m relaxed with him. Perhaps—if I’m being honest—I never was with Elliott. How odd that is. Perhaps because he’s my husband’s brother—God, it’s weird to say that word. Husband. At this moment, the last thing Elliott feels like is my husband.

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