Page 57 of Inked Adonis

I kneel down in front of Rufus, meeting his eyes. “Where is she, boy? Take me to her.”

Maybe I expect some Lassie bullshit moment where the mutt actually proves himself good for something beyond destroying perfectly fine suits.

But he just cocks his head to the side and whines.

“Fuck.” I pat the dog on the head and grab my phone to call… “Fuck,” I growl again, pocketing my phone.

Myles already suggested I should let Nova go. He might’ve even been right, though I’ll tuck that option away and explore it never. I’m sure as hell not going to call him and hand him the satisfaction of an “I told you so” on a silver fucking platter.

Rufus whines and nudges my hand, but I’m busy calculating the odds of Nova somehow spider-manning her way up thirty stories of polished stone without being spotted or splattering herself on the pavement below. My stomach clenches at the thought.

Frustrated with my lack of attention, the dog bounds away. He circles around his crate once and again, his tail thumping against the carpet. Then he stands outside the closed door and gives a soft, excitedwoof.

I stride over to open the damn thing just so I can think in peace, but when I lean down?—

“You’ve got to be fucking kidding me,” I sigh, spotting the curve of an ass I know intimately tucked into the back of the crate.

Napping in a dog crate might be the most on-brand thing Nova Pierce has done since I met her. It’s also proof she could never be working with Katerina or the Andropov Group. Kat would sooner be found in a coffin.

“Nova.”

She stirs, stretching like a cat in a patch of sunlight. Her back arches in a way that has me contemplating joining her in that overpriced cage. It would be tight, but I have some ideas about making it work.

“Told you this was the best crate money can buy,” I drawl.

Her eyes fly open and she bolts upright, cracking her head against the wooden roof with a satisfying thunk.

“Ow!” She rubs her skull, peering up at me through the half-open door. A blush spreads across her cheeks. “What are the chances of you walking away and forgetting you found me in here?”

“If you were unhappy with your accommodations, Nova, you could have discussed it with me.”

She sighs like I’m the unreasonable one in this situation. “I’ll take that as ‘no chance in hell.’”

“Smart girl.” I extend my hand. To my surprise, she actually takes it, letting me pull her to her feet. “Care to explain why you were napping in a dog crate?”

“I was looking for a change of scenery. Captivity makes people do crazy things.”

“Three days in and you’re already trading beds with the dog. Should I order you a collar while we’re at it?”

Her eyes flash to mine, flaming hot. “Since you treat the dog better than you treat me, I figured it was worth a shot. At least he gets to see the sun four times per day on his walks.”

“There is a balcony.”

She whirls toward the windows like she’s never noticed the wall-to-wall view of Chicago’s skyline before. “Oh, wow, you’re right. How did I miss that? Who needs freedom when you’ve so generously provided a five-by-eight patch of concrete? You’re a true humanitarian, Samuil Litvinov.”

I bite back a smirk. That sharp tongue of hers does things to me it probably shouldn’t.

I snap my fingers. “Fine. Let’s go.”

“What?”

“Let it not be said that Samuil Litvinov isn’t flexible. Grab your coat.”

Her forehead wrinkles with suspicion. “Is this some sort of trick?”

“Yes, it’s the heinously evil trick of keeping you warm while we’re out walking the dog.”

“I… I get to walk Rufus?”

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