Page 68 of Dirty Grovel

I close the door as far as I can without actually shutting it. Then I walk over to Bear and scratch his head until his eyes lift.

“Come on, little tyke. Time for a pee break.”

With a small yap, the pup jumps to his feet and follows me out of Jesse’s cottage. After he’s done peeing, he starts ambling around on the grass, looking up at the moon as though he thinks he can catch it.

“Silly goof,” I chuckle.

I twist to the side at the sound of a tree branch crack. It sounds like someone’s just around the corner.

But it’s too soon for Jesse to make an appearance.

I snap my fingers and gesture for Bear to come to me. The puppy is too busy talking to the moon to pay any attention. I’m about to go to him when I catch the big shadow peeking around the cottage.

My heart jumps.

The man turns the corner.

There’s a scream lodged in the back of my throat?—

And then I catch sight of him.

“Oleg!” I cry.

“Sutton,” he murmurs.

Then at the same time, we both ask, “What are you doing here?”

He smirks; I laugh. “You first.”

“I noticed that Jesse’s lights were still on,” he explains. “She and Teo are usually in bed by ten at the latest. I just wanted to come down here and check that everything was okay.”

My heart does a pathetic tremble. It’s annoying that he can so easily impress me with his thoughtful little gestures. Maybe because that’s not the image he markets for himself.

“Everything’s okay,” I assure him. “Jesse’s on a date and she needed me to babysit Teo.” Bear gives a timid bark, as though to remind us he’s there. “And Bear, of course.”

Bear runs up to Oleg and starts nipping at his ankles. Oleg kneels in front of the little dog and starts playing with him, pushing him down on the grass so that he can rub his belly.

It’s sickeningly adorable and I have to look away so that my knees don’t give way beneath me.

“Jesse’s on a date, huh?” he says, looking at Bear but talking to me. “Good for her.”

I nod. “She deserves it.”

“Does she happen to be on a date with Ryan?” he asks, arching an eyebrow as he picks Bear up and cradles him in his arms like a child.

“Yes,” I gawk. “How did you know?”

“They’ve been friends for ages,” he says. “But that shy bastard hasn’t made a move yet. I think the timing was always wrong.”

“Hopefully, tonight, the timing is perfect.”

Bear has fallen asleep in Oleg’s arms. I don’t blame him; I could definitely fall asleep in those arms, too.

“Let me put him in his crate,” Oleg says, stepping into the house. When he reemerges, he glances awkwardly at me. “You’re gonna hang around here?”

I raise my eyebrows. “I can’t shirk my babysitting duties.”

“Right.” He nods distractedly, looking over towards the gate where Jesse will emerge from when she arrives. “Right.”

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