Page 60 of Average Joe

“Just passed us?”

“No. Why?”

“Seen that car before. Parked across the way from you and also two houses down. Just wondering who it belongs to.”

“People park on these side streets and walk to the bus stop around the corner all the time.” She waved my comment off like I talked nonsense.

Maybe I did.

I let my suspicions drop. Marley had worried enough the past few days.

She lifted the helmet in my direction. “Thanks for the ride.”

“You had fun.” I tucked my own helmet under my arm and snagged hers from her fingers.

“I did.” Shoving her hands into her back pockets, she rocked back on her heels, fighting a grin, then nodded toward her house. “I should head in. Got a lot of work to catch up on.”

No surprise—we had a good time, and she wanted to bolt. Fine. I’d let her go. Baby steps and all. But first… “Got a minute? I have something for you.”

“My key?” she asked with too much enthusiasm.

Ignoring the jab, I led her inside where Ginger sprung from her perch on the couch and danced on her back legs at my feet, her front paws boxing at the air.

“Hey, girl.” I scooped the fuzzball up and kissed her nose, heading for the back door. “Need to potty?” I gave her another kiss before opening the slider and setting her free to do her business.

I turned to find Marley biting back another grin.

“What?”

“You,” she said, then cleared her throat. “With her.” Waving her hand between Ginger and me, she rasped, “It’s too much.”

“I don’t understand.”

“Well. You’re”—she gestured up and down the length of my body—“huge, scary, and kinda intimidating, but then you baby talk to the ugliest creature I’ve ever laid eyes on. Seriously, it’s freaking hot.”

Yeah. Marley was into me, and she loved Ginger despite pretending otherwise.

Still, that insult to my pup would not go unpunished. The name-calling was only a poke at me, but I loved poking back. “Last time I’m gonna say this,” I warned. “Ginger is not ugly. She’s gorgeous. She’s got nobody else in the world but me.” I moved closer, pulled by that invisible force between us. “I’m gonna kiss the hell outta that little ragamuffin for the rest of our lives. Call her ugly again, and I’ll throw you over my knee and spank all that nasty name-calling right outta your pretty ass.”

If her cheeks had been hot before, they’d gone molten.

Marley’s mouth dropped open, then snapped shut, her brows pinching. I’d caught her off guard. No doubt I’d be in the doghouse when she collected her wits.

Until then, I stalked closer, my blood pumping something fierce.

Marley backed away, her eyes going wide when her butt hit the dishwasher. I made my move before her demon tongue caught up with the rage exploding in those fiery eyes.

Hip to hip, I pinned that little firecracker where she stood and bent low, forcing her to lean back and arch her neck, our lips dangerously close. “Don’t worry, neighbor. I’m not into kinky shit. Won’t spank you unless you ask for a good hard smack.”

Marley’s lips parted on a gasp, or maybe a pant.

For fun, I slid my palm down her hip, then around to rest on her tight ass, giving her a firm squeeze. “Please be nice to my dog. She’s had a rough life, and I need to make sure the rest of her years are nothing but love and cuddles.”

I pressed my lips to her forehead, hoping to soothe the wrinkles that’d formed between her brows.

My cock was rock hard. Marley was primed for either a good fight or a good fuck, her chest rising and falling, her skin a delicious heat beneath my touch, but that wasn’t the reason I’d brought her inside.

Okay. Lie. But I had another agenda.

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