Page 126 of Awakened by Sin

“And you don’t have a dining table or something to sit on?”

“All I need is a desk and bed. Everything else is unnecessary.”

“Spoken like a true workaholic.”

“And proud of it. I can make us sandwiches or call for takeout.”

“A sandwich is fine.” It sounded amazing, actually. She was starving.

She leaned against the counter and watched Marcus pull out the fixings for sandwiches. He poured pretzels into a bowl and slid them across the counter to her. Amused, she took one and munched.

“Since you’re my new landlord, I guess I should run this by you,” she hedged.

He glanced at her as he arranged bread on a cutting board. “You’re not going to pay me rent, so you can’t call me your landlord.”

“What am I supposed to call you?”

“A friend.”

Friend. She silently tested the word and liked it. “Okay, friend, I want to get a dog.”

Marcus carefully smeared mayo on bread. “A dog?”

“There was this dog at the event today. No one will adopt her. She’s a wreck. She needs a second chance, and I want to give it to her.”

Marcus carefully placed thin slices of turkey on top of the bread. “What breed?”

She crossed her arms. “What kind of dog do you think I’d pick?”

“A Pomeranian?”

She smacked his arm. “Seriously?”

“It’s not?”

“No, she’s a pit bull.”

He shook his head. “If the dog has been abused—”

“Beau was abused, but he’s one of the best things that happened to Lyla. Even Gavin loves him. Besides, you can’t judge from the outside, and everyone deserves a second chance.”Like me, she thought.

“I should’ve known you’d choose a breed no one would imagine you with. Always doing the unexpected.”

He spent an inordinate amount of time choosing the right pickles. She had to admit, the sandwich he was building looked delicious.

“Is that a yes?”

“You can do whatever you want,” Marcus said as he slapped a slice of provolone on top of a stack of turkey.

“You’ll let me take over your house? What if I end up staying here longer than a month or two?”

Marcus slid her sandwich over and took a bite of his own. “Fine with me.”

“What about when you want to get away from the hotels and need somewhere to go?”

“Then I’ll come here.”

“What if our sex turns to shit before Gavin and Angel kill all the Black Vipers?”

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