Page 63 of Hit Me With Your Best Shot

“Stop! You love it,” she says smugly, her eyes sparkling with delight. “And don’t worry, he’ll start loving you, too.”

I glance back at the screen, where Gio continues to stare at me with an intensity that could melt steel—or summon demons. I can’t decide which.

“I don’t want him to love me,” I whisper, not wanting the dog to hear me.

“Too late,” she says with a soft laugh, scratching the dog’s bony back. “You’re part of the family now. Gio adopts people whether they like it or not.”

Her laugh is so…cute.

So fucking adorable and delightful and contagious I find myself joining in, the tension from earlier fading completely. For a moment, it’s just us, trading jabs and laughter like we’ve been doing this forever.

“Admit it; you’re just jealous Gio is better looking than you.”

I gape at her, utterly aghast. “Icannotbelieve you just said that.”

“You’re so dramatic,” she says, wiping her eyes. “It’s like you’ve never seen a Chinese Crested before.”

“I’ve seen pictures. They burned my eyes.”

Austin scowls. “You are officially uninvited to our house.”

“I was never planning to visit!” I volley back, though we both know that’s not true.I am totally planning on visiting…

She smirks, tilting her head like she’s daring me to take it back. “We’ll see about that.”

The thought of stepping into her house and coming face-to-face with that dog sends a shiver down my spine—but not enough to keep me from wanting to see her again.

In person.

Somehow, her ridiculous humor, paired with her obvious affection for her creepy little pet, only makes her more endearing.

Funny – check.

Sexy – check.

Has her own career – check.

Quirky in all the best ways – check, checkity, check, check.

I lean back into the couch, staring at her through the screen as she scratches The Other Gio behind his mangy ears, her laughter softening into a smile that’s way too distracting for my own good. My thoughts start to stray, and before I can stop myself, a horrifying scenario pops into my head:Shit. What if we get to the point where we’re having sex and The Other Gio is on the bed?

The image is so vivid, sodisturbingI actually grimace.

My shoulders shudder involuntarily, and Austin catches it immediately.

“What was that?” she asks, narrowing her eyes suspiciously. “What’s going on in that overactive brain of yours?”

She already knows me so well.

“Nothing,” I say quickly, shaking my head. “Absolutely nothing.”

Her brow furrows, and she leans closer to the camera, like she’s trying to read my mind through the screen.

“Liar. What are you thinking about?”

You.

Me.

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