Page 1 of Secret Obsession

1

Hawk

Saturdaymorningswereusuallyfor sleeping in, curled next to some chick I picked up at a bar, and railed until we both passed out…fully satiated on the carnal pleasure of a no strings attached fuck with a random stranger.

But this morning was different.

I yawned as I shuffled across the parking lot, groggy from my sleepless night, but at least I taught that prick a lesson he’d never forget. Even if it took half the night to track him down and the other half to deliver my personal brand of justice.

That was the last time Bob would skim money off the top. Actually, it was probably the first time too. But I never let anyone get away with screwing me over, no matter how minor the wrongdoing. I had a reputation to uphold.

My knuckles were still sore from the number of times my fist pounded his ugly face. I shook off the pain and entered the animal shelter. Rest would come later once I got back to my condo in Manhattan. But at this moment, I needed to do my volunteer shift.

My sanity depended on it.

Or maybe it was my humanity.

At the reception desk, Simone was typing at record speed. She was always there during my regular Sunday morning shifts too. It was rare for a volunteer to commit to two days a week. I respected her dedication to the cause.

Not all animal lovers were good people, though. I was a testament to that fact. But I suspected she was…until she entered the courtroom. From what I heard, she had a reputation for being brilliant and ruthless.

“Morning,” I mumbled as I walked past the desk with barely a glance in her direction.

Her fingers sprinted on the keys. “Hawk! What are you doing here?”

I slowed my pace but kept moving forward. “Switched my shift.”

She glanced up. “Why?”

I had somewhere to be. And fucking dreading my monthly visit to the prison. “Busy tomorrow.”

“This is a first. Very unusual for you. What’s so important? And did you notify the volunteer committee? Who’ll take your time slot tomorrow?”

Damn lawyers. I stopped in my tracks and threw her an icy stare that usually sent people cowering. I liked her, but not enough to allow her to cross-examine me.

Simone stopped typing, her hands hovering over the keyboard. She gulped but quickly hid her nervousness by plastering on a practiced smile.

I shot her another scowl. “Taken care of.”

She avoided eye contact, and her fingers flew back into action across the keyboard. “Good. Have fun back there. You’ll be working with Lila today.”

What the hell did that mean? I always did my shifts solo. I needed to be surrounded by pups, not people. I specifically told the committee to switch me to Saturday. So, shouldn’t the regular Saturday shift be switched to Sunday?

I blamed my lack of sleep for my stupid assumption that I’d be the only one here. But I’d find a way to dodge the other volunteer. It was a big shelter.

I marched into the dog kennel, steeling myself for torturous small talk but, to my luck, found no one, except for the dogs.

I glanced at the husky in the second cage as she lay curled on the cement floor, her bushy tail covering her face. On my next step, her head snapped up, and piercing blue eyes met mine.

Leaping to her paws, the husky pointed her muzzle upward and howled an ear-splitting racket to alert the others of my presence. Or was she telling me to come over and pet her? Her warbles echoed off the cement slab.

“Hey, Cami.”

A chorus of happy yips from nearly twenty dogs drowned out my words. It was almost deafening, but I didn’t mind because the welcoming barks surrounded me like a hug and chased away the stresses of the last few days.

This was my happy place.

And the best part. No human in sight. “Hi, bubbas. Uncle Hawk is here.”

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