Page 18 of Thirst in the Mountains

He shakes his head. “I’m not working until night time. I want to take you out. On a date.”

I can’t help but smile.

“I want to meet this dog that’s causing so much trouble,” he says with a sexy grin. “And, I’d love to show you around.”

“Okay,” I say, smiling shyly. “I’d like that.”

He grins like I’ve just made his day…

And then he kisses me again.

CHAPTERSIX

Emmanuel

Icheck my reflection in the rearview mirror as I park in front of Lucy’s townhouse in the morning. My eyes are a little bloodshot since I slept less than an hour last night. I followed her home after her shift, and although I promised her that I wouldn’t stay out here all night, I did stay parked at the end of her street with her townhouse in view until the sun came up.

I wanted to make damn sure that bastard didn’t return. If he would have, I wouldn’t have just let him off with another warning. I would have taken his life for threatening my girl.

Once Santino started his shift, I got him to come over and replace me. I had just enough time to go home, sleep for an hour, shower, get dressed, and come back.

I take a deep breath and step out of my truck, nodding to the cop car parked four houses down. Santino nods back, starts the car, and then turns around, disappearing down the street.

I can’t believe I get to go out with this angel. Gratitude fills my bones as I look up at her townhouse, remembering how damn good she felt in my arms. I can still taste her sexy mouth. It’s still making me all tingly inside.

Her dog starts barking in the window as I walk up to the door, fixing my flannel shirt. It’s a beautiful spring day—sunny and crisp. It’s the perfect day for a hike up Silvergray Mountain. It’s not too hot and it’s too early in the season for mosquitos—the perfect combination.

I smile when I hear her voice behind the door. “That’s enough, Cutter,” Lucy says. “Please stop. He’s our friend.”

Friend… Hopefully, I’ll be more than that by the end of the day.

I suck in a breath when she opens the door, looking more gorgeous than ever. Her face is all flushed from holding her dog back and her hair is a little disheveled. She’s looking like she just got… Well, let’s just say I hope I’m lucky enough to see her looking like this again…

“Good morning,” she says in a breathless tone as she struggles to hold her huge Rottweiler back. Cutter’s front legs are off the ground as he tries to get to me. I like this dog already. He’s doing his job protecting our girl.

“Cutter!” she shouts, trying with all her might to pull him back. “Stop!”

Cutter is growling as he glares at me. I stare back at him, not showing any fear.

“You can let him go,” I say.

She blows a strand of hair out of her face. “Are you sure?”

“Yeah,” I say, nodding. If this girl is going to be in my life, me and this dog are going to have to get used to one another. We might as well face each other now.

She lets him go and he scrambles right up to me, the black fur on his back sticking up like a mohawk.

He sniffs my legs, looking like he’s trying to decide whether to back down or maul my face off. I just keep my hands on my hips and stare down at him, my breathing calm, my body still. We’re like two alphas sniffing each other down, trying to decide who is at the very top of the pecking order.

Meanwhile, Lucy is watching all of this with a nervous look on her face. I know she wants us to get along. I want it too.

That’s why I brought a secret weapon. A few of them in fact.

When Cutter steps back and growls at me, I pull it out.

His ears go back and his eyes widen when he smells it.

On the way here, I stopped at the bakery to get us some fresh sandwiches and snacks for our hike. They were selling some homemade dog treats, so I cleaned them out, buying the entire display.

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