He grimaced and let out a little growl. “I’m really, really sorry about that. I thought you were a fan…”
I wrinkled my nose. “A fan of what?”
He fiddled with his ball cap and sighed before answering, “Of mine.”
Great, not only was this guy a total douche, but he also had delusions of grandeur. A lot of the dog walkers I’d met were trying to make ends meet while they waited for their big role, but at least none of them had ever acted as though they expected everyone to know who they were.
I needed to get Duke away from this guy immediately. Kneeling again, I held out my hand to the Frenchie I’d come to love during my time playing with him and called, “Come here, boy.”
Duke’s tail wagged as he looked between the two of us and stayed put. I was reaching into my pocket for a doggie treat to help lure him over to my side when the guy added, “I’m Adrian Clarke.”
Looking up, I stared blankly at him for a few seconds while I waited for him to say something else, but nothing came. It wasn’t like it mattered, though. Jen was strict about Duke, and I knew the cursing wouldn’t be okay with her. When hot guy continued to stare at me like I was some kind of anomaly, I waved the homemade goodie I always saved for the end of playtime, which caused Duke to jump up. When he barked twice and pulled on the leash, Mr. Hot-But-Crazy took a step in my direction so Duke could get close enough to snag the treat from between my fingers.
“Crap,” I muttered, wondering if I could move fast enough to unclip Duke’s leash, pick him up, and make a mad dash for the exit before the hottie caught on to what I was doing. Unfortunately for me, he looked way too fit for that to be a possibility.
“Listen,” he said, drawing my attention. “Duke isn’t Jen’s dog. He’s mine.”
When what he’d just said finally registered in my brain, my escape planning came to a sudden halt. I’d been playing with Duke for about a year now, after one of his walkers recommended me to Jen. At no point during all that time had she ever mentioned that Duke wasn’t her dog. Tilting my head back to meet his bright blue eyes, I asked, “You’re Duke’s owner?”3AdrianEither her acting skills were in a league of their own or the gorgeous girl genuinely didn’t recognize me and my name didn’t seem to ring any bells for her either. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d met a woman who didn’t see my stardom before she saw me. Thinking about the flare of attraction I’d seen in her blue eyes when she’d first looked up at me, I realized it had had nothing to do with me being a celebrity. She’d been interested in me as a man, and that had nothing to do with the fact I was famous. Yeah, it was refreshing, but more than that was the relief I felt. She wasn’t a starstruck nutjob trying to obtain locks of my hair for a love spell, and that was priceless.
She’d felt the chemistry between us, same as me. Now that I understood that she didn’t even know who I was, my never-date-a-fan policy no longer applied. Considering how the past five minutes had gone, she probably wouldn’t give me the time of day, but I was more than up for the challenge. Step one was smoothing over the misunderstanding, and how protective she’d been of Duke gave me the perfect in.
Crouching down to pet Duke’s back, I confirmed, “Yes, Casey. I am.”
“Crap,” she muttered, her teeth biting into her plump lower lip. “If you know my name, that must mean you’re really his owner.”
I grinned and nodded. “He’s been mine since he cuddled into the palm of my hand when I went to see his litter at the breeder’s. I’d planned on getting one of his sisters, but they were more interested in playing than getting to know me. But Duke took one look at me and decided we were family. He was too damn cute to tell him he was wrong, so he’s the one I took home.”
Her eyes softened for a moment before she narrowed them and asked, “And that would make Jen your…?”
“Assistant,” I answered with a grin, knowing damn well the question came more from her concern about Jen’s place in my life than any lingering doubt about my connection to Duke.
Her plump lips formed a perfect circle as she exclaimed, “Oh.”
“That was her on the phone,” I added. “She got your text and called to clue me in on who you were.”
She squeezed her eyes shut and groaned, “Which means I just called my boss an obnoxious asshole.”