Page 30 of Housebroke

“Oh, well that’s not necessary.”

He cocked his head to the side. “Hazel. I want to take you to dinner.”

“Uh, I don’t really have ‘going out to dinner’ clothes with me. Since the dogs and I are on the move a lot, I only keep the minimum with me. Most of my stuff is stored with a friend.”

“Okay, so we’ll go shopping. How’s that?”

She winced at the thought of spending money but gave him a weak smile. “Sure.”

They headed back to the house. Once there, Hazel unleashed the dogs and put them out back. Typically, they’d run around, but they all crawled under the shady palms and passed out. Obviously, all the fresh ocean air and frolic had done them in, and all they wanted to do was sleep. Which would be great when she went out tonight, because she doubted they’d even miss her.

The dogs roused themselves long enough for her to feed them, then they wandered the yard while she went upstairs to get ready.

She took a shower and dried her hair, then dug into her kit for makeup, which she rarely wore. She settled for a bit of mascara, some brow touch-up, and lip stain, hoping that was good enough.

Maybe she should have asked Linc where they were going. She hoped it wasn’t anywhere too fancy. She didn’t have the budget for an upscale dress and shoes. Right now all she owned were a couple of sundresses, and even those were old, and as for shoes, she only had flip-flops and tennis shoes.

Her life wasn’t glamorous enough to need anything more than that.

She chose one of the sundresses and her nicest pair of flip-flops—the ones that had a touch of bling, which wasn’t saying much, but it was all she had.

When she came downstairs, Linc was holding Lilith, whispering to her as he petted her softly. Lilith leaned her tiny body against him like he was the best person she’d ever known. Her little eyes were partially closed, and Hazel could see—and feel—the bond that had formed between the two of them.

Her pulse rate kicked up when she got a good look at him.

“You shaved.” Her fingers curled into her palm to keep from reaching up to swipe her hand over his smooth jaw.

“Figured I should since we’re going out.”

She wondered how that smooth jaw would feel rubbing against her inner thighs.

Down, girl.

He wore dark slacks and a black button-down shirt, not seeming to care at all that Lilith was going to leave hairs on the shirt. Then again, all the dogs currently surrounded him, and Hazel knew from experience that their fur was like a magnet to clothes—especially dark clothes.

Still, Linc bent and petted all of them, and picked Gordon up to give him extra cuddles.

She couldn’t help but sigh. She was a sucker for a guy who loved dogs.

He set Gordon down and smiled at her. “You look really pretty.”

“I’m sure I’m not dressed appropriately, but like I mentioned, I don’t exactly have ‘going out’ clothes. I was kind of hoping we could stop along the way and I could pick up something more appropriate.”

“If you’d like, but you look nice.”

“Thanks. But I’d feel better in something more suitable to—where are we going?”

“I thought it would be fun to eat a little upscale tonight.”

Oh, crap. Upscale meant a nice dress and heels. “Uh, sure. That sounds great.”

She settled the dogs with their toys and blankets and water bowls, though it appeared as if their day by the water had done its job, and they all curled up together in a ball of floof, surprising her as she and Linc walked out the door.

“They weren’t even nervous that I was leaving,” she said as he shut the front door behind him.

“That’s a good thing, right? Raising confident and secure dogs?”

“Of course.” She sometimes forgot that she didn’t want the pups dependent on her. “They’re doing great, aren’t they?”

---