Page 9 of Puppy on a Leash

I scoffed. It was instinct, before I’d even processed what he was saying. “Careful, boy. You don’t know what you’re playing with.”

He probably did, but it wasn’t something I was going to voice out loud.

“And why’s that?” Jaime narrowed his eyes.

He still didn’t move away. If anything, he inched closer. I got a whiff of his hair gel. That wasn’t something I ever lingered on, not even now. I shook off the thought.

“You have sixty seconds to start placing an order.” I unclenched my fists as I spoke. “And don’t think I won’t send you packing once the food is here if you’re annoying enough.”

“Why this rush to shower now?”

I frowned. “People shower after coming home from work.”

What, he’d thought I needed a cold shower because of him?

The thought would’ve been laughable if it didn’t make me pause—if it didn’t make my next words catch at the back of my throat.

No, not going there.

“Right.” Jaime grinned as if he knew something I didn’t. “Go shower, then.”

With that, he took a step back. I fumed. I had no idea what the endgame was, but I didnotappreciate him trying to put himself on top. I was not submitting to him, and there was nothing cute about his games.

I really needed to put myself back together by the time I was out of the shower. One intriguing pup was not going to get the upper hand—let alone in my own house.

The problem was, I was new at this, and he knew it. Even if he feigned surprise about my inexperience, as he called it, there was no way he was completely clueless.

Jaime would’ve heard about the handjob between Sergio and me back when I’d just started working as a TA and needed a good kick in the ass. He’d definitely seen the infamous pictures that came out last year, too, and had been around the block enough to know why they had been such a big deal.

Whatever I’d expectedwhen I walked back into the living room, it wasn’t Jaime curled up on the couch, completely engrossed in the book I’d given him. It really messed with my head. At this point, I was starting to suspect running hot and cold was his standard setting. I wondered if he was even awarebefore I reminded myself it wasn’t my problem. Jaime wasn’t, and couldn’t be, my responsibility.

It was stupid to think about it, even when he’d been pushing my buttons earlier.

Still, I didn’t move from the threshold where he’d held me down earlier. I couldn’t have taken longer than ten minutes. It didn’t seem to matter much.

For some unknown reason, I didn’t make him aware of my presence.

His tongue poked out of his mouth while he read. He used his thumb to keep track of where he was on a page, too. I shouldn’t be memorizing these details, but he was a puzzle I wanted to solve even though I knew it wasn’t my place to. He’d always been forbidden.

In a way, he still was.

“I know you’re watching me, just so you know.”

I cocked my head to the side. “Do you?”

Jaime closed the book and placed it on the arm of the couch before he turned around to look at me. Not a hair was out of place from the last time I’d seen him. I was used to subs who ran their hands through their hair at the first sign of anxiety and made a mess out of it.

I didn’t know how I felt about the absence of that familiar tell.

Or why I liked it, why my body itched to lean forward, to stand closer to him.

This was ridiculous.

“You have this way of watching people.” Jaime shrugged. “It’s impossible not to notice.”

Huh.

I ignored whatever way those words made me feel and stalked to my corner of the couch. “Did you order the food?”

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