Page 25 of Training His Pet

He raised his eyebrow. “Yes,” he answered after a long pause.

“How long were you married?” she continued.

“Long enough. I was deployed for most of it.”

Erika was no stranger to that situation. “Is that what happened? She didn’t like being an army wife?”

“No.” He stepped toward the back door leading out into a yard. “After I left for my last deployment, she sent me a letter saying she was pregnant. We were going to have a baby.” His fingers gripped the water bottle tighter, forcing the water up toward the cap. “I was gone a year. Missed the birth of the baby, so I couldn’t wait to get home.”

A sense of dread washed over Erika. Her heart kicked hard. She knew this scenario—had seen it play out before.

“When I got home, I knew right away. I could see it. The baby wasn’t mine. She admitted it right away, I’ll give her that. She didn’t try to pretend once I suspected.” His gaze drifted away from Erika, and he let out a breath.

Her instinct wanted her to go to him, but he pushed the back door open and stepped halfway onto the back porch.

“I’m gonna go call Corbin and see what’s happening back home. Stay in this cabin.” He pointed a finger at her. “I mean it, Erika. If I have to find you again, you will find out exactly what punishment feels like.”

Why did that feel more like a promise than a threat?

Chapter Nine

Dax hung up the phoneafter the fourth attempt to get his brother on the line. Maybe leaving Chicago had been a bad choice. What if his brother was in trouble? What if the Persuccios would use him to get to Erika?

His first instinct had been to save her, protect her from the danger she had gone out seeking. He hadn’t known her, until the night before he’d never even laid eyes on her. And yet, he didn’t think too hard when it came to deciding to get her away from the city where the Persuccios could find her easily.

And then she got him all twisted up and talking about Sarah. He hadn’t told anyone about his wife’s infidelity since it happened. Five years ago, he’d fallen in love with a son only to have him ripped out of his heart a week later when she came clean. She hadn’t tried to save their marriage; she wanted the real father in her life. Maybe it was the time of year; this was the month, damn near the day his heart had been shredded. His reaction to Erika could simply be his way of avoiding the memories. Giving him something to focus on.

His phone buzzed, and he grabbed it.

“Corbin. You okay?” His shoulders tightened.

“Yeah, man. I’m fine. I was in the shower when you called a million times,” Corbin laughed.

“Sorry. I’ve been up for a while now; didn’t realize what time it was.” Dax glanced back at the door then stepped off the porch. “What’s going on there, what’s the deal?”

Corbin sighed. “Well, Joey’s being irrational. He gets like this sometimes, fixates on something stupid. He’ll calm down in a few days. Think you can keep that girl out of Chicago that long?”

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