Page 137 of Sharing Shane

“I’m not kidding,” she told the dog and crammed another handful of stuffing into the bird. “You’ll have to sleep on the floor like a...” She paused, frowning. “I was going to say like a dog, but you are a dog.”

The dog merely licked his chops and eyed the turkey, clearly calculating how far he’d have to jump to gain access to the countertop.

“I don’t think he knows he’s a dog,” Shane said, smiling when she jumped. The dog never took his eyes off the turkey. “He doesn’t act like one, anyway.”

“What do you mean?” she asked as he crossed the room to greet her with a kiss. “He knows he’s a dog.”

He kissed her again, inhaling the scent of peaches and Veronica and whatever was already simmering on the stove. “He sleeps on the bed, tries to climb in the shower with me every morning, and sticks his tongue in every wine glass he finds.”

She giggled. “So? Dogs do that.”

“Uh-huh. And I don’t know if you noticed, but he’s a shit watchdog. He’s so focused on the turkey he didn’t even hear me come in.”

“Sure, he did. But he knew it was you, and he’s hungry.”

“Right.” He eyed the dog. The vet thought he had some Great Dane in him, and Shane thought she was probably right. “Are we sticking with George for his name?”

“You don’t think he looks like a George?” Veronica asked, her head tilted to the side. Her hair was longer now, and she’d pulled it back into a cute little tail that bounced when she moved.

He reached out to tug it. “I think he looks ridiculous.”

She elbowed him in the ribs. “Stop that. You’ll give him a complex.”

He looked at George again, who hadn’t stopped staring at the bird. “Right. You need help with this?”

“In a minute. How was your date?”

“It was good. We hit a comedy club downtown.”

She resumed stuffing the bird. “It was fun?”

“Yeah. You’d like it. We’ll go sometime.”

“Okay. And how’s Wyatt?”

“He’s good. He says he’s been missing you.”

She glanced up, a look of confusion in her pretty hazel eyes. “I see him all the time.”

“Not that kind of missing you,” he replied and cocked an eyebrow.

“Oh.” Her cheeks turned pink, and her teeth came out to nibble on her lower lip. “That kind of missing.”

“Yeah.” Unable to resist, he slipped an arm around her and leaned down to nuzzle into her neck. “What do you think?”

“I wouldn’t be opposed to that,” she said, tilting her head to give him better access. “Maybe this time I’ll try taking you both on.”

He growled against her neck. “Now you’re just teasing me,” he told her, loving the way her breasts jiggled against his arm when she laughed. “I told him we’d talk about it later.”

She jerked back, alarmed. “Not at dinner, right? Because I’m already going to have enough trouble keeping Delia in line.”

He chuckled. “No, not at dinner, and not today.”

“Okay.” She smiled up at him, her cheeks rosy and her eyes bright. “By the way, George slept on your side of the bed last night. You might have to fight him for it tonight.”

“You’re not supposed to let him do that,” he reminded her and glared at the dog. George kept staring at the turkey.

“Hey, he started out at the foot of the bed, but after I was asleep, he migrated up.” She shoved the last little bit of stuffing in the turkey and nudged Shane aside to walk to the sink. “He’s a pretty good cuddler, but he pokes me with his feet and he snores.”