Page 73 of The Lair

It shouldn’t surpriseme that Travis spends another night sleeping in the hotel room next to mine. And when he knocks at my door on Christmas morning and offers to drive me to his farmhouse, I have to make a conscious effort to suppress last night’s memories.

If anything happened to you…

He probably meant it in aI don’t want to look for a replacement because you’re such an amazing waitress and accountant, so it would be a pain in my ass if you leftkind of way, and I should get over it.

Easier said than done.

On our drive, my head fills with all sorts of anxiety-inducing thoughts, such as how the hell I’m going to tell Jada and Paul that I’m moving in with my boss. And why.

“I forgot to ask you,” Travis says after not uttering a single word during most of our drive to his house. “I’ve got two dogs. Is that gonna be a problem?”

“Not at all. I love dogs. What kinds of dogs do you have?”

“Both are Great Danes.” He peels his eyes from the empty road for a second and gives me a quick perusal. “They’re not much shorter than you when they’re on all fours.”

The wordson all foursshouldn’t leave Travis’s mouth ever again.

“Oh” is the brilliant response I give him, too focused on the heat climbing up my neck, all the way to my cheeks.Stop. Am I fourteen?But because that’s not a socially acceptable answer, I add, “I hope they like me.”

“They will,” he says with so much confidence, it eases some of my nerves, but not enough that my heartbeat doesn’t pick up when he pulls into a dirt road.

A couple of turns later, the trees give way to a massive farmhouse with a barn, and my palms start sweating.

“This is the place,” he announces.

His house looks modern, as if it had been renovated recently, and sits by the edge of Bannport Lake. On the horizon and across the water, acres of green land and rolling hills extend as far as the eye can see. It feels like being inside a painting.

No sooner has Travis parked his truck by the barn than I hear the barks.

My boss kills the engine and says, “Let me get out first and make sure the dogs aren’t too excited.”

Because they’ll probably tackle me to the ground, I’m sure he wants to say. I wouldn’t be opposed to such a sweet death.

Turning in my seat, I watch as two ginormous dogs come running toward Travis, now standing behind the car with his hands on his hips. He gestures with his hand, and both dogs slow their pace. They sit down a few feet away from their owner, tongues hanging from those cute faces, waiting for a new order.

I won’t lie—that was one of the hottest things I’ve ever seen. Travis oozes authority and confidence on a normal day, but seeing him in his element, on his property, interacting with his dogs, is something else entirely.

When did it get so hot in here?

His knuckles tapping on my window bring me back to reality. “You can come out now.”

I open the door slowly, careful not to startle the massive dogs. And when my feet hit the gravelly ground, I take in the most majestic creatures I’ve ever seen. Both have short black fur, but the one on the right has a bit of white on their snout, which is adorable.

“Oh my god. Aren’t you some cute giants?” I look at my boss, whose eyes are already on me. “What are their names? How old are they? Are they boys or girls? Sorry, too many questions.”

Is that a hint of a smile?

“Both are boys—brothers. They belonged to a friend of my uncle’s, but he passed away three years ago, and I took them in. This one—” He points to the one with the all-black fur. “—is Buddy. His brother is Cooper. They’re both five.”

My heart swells. “Can I pet them?”

His eyes stay on me for a second too long before he says, “Come here.”

I move slowly, trying not to startle them, until I’m standing with Travis. Buddy and Cooper look between their owner and me, probably questioning who I am and what I’m doing at their house. But their tongues are still hanging from their mouths, so they can’t be too annoyed. I hope.

Travis puts a hand on the small of my back and guides me forward. “Let them sniff you. Not many people come by, aside from my uncle and a couple of friends, so they aren’t used to company. But they’re good boys.”

He drops his hand, and I try not to feel too upset about it.

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