Page 22 of The Seduction

The veterinarian in Braddock gave Moses a thorough examination and pronounced him healthy, though underweight. He’d never seen the puppy before and had no idea where he’d come from. “I’m sure I can find a home for him,” he told them. “He’s a little cutie. Chihuahuas are always popular.”

Bliss took the towel-wrapped bundle of puppy back into her arms and murmured something about “we’ll see.” So much for the “no pets” policy, Granger grumbled to himself, but he didn’t really mind. Moses hadn’t even barked once. He was the most endearing perky-eared thing.

They found a Target that was still open. Bliss bought a dog bed, some puppy chow, and the most absurd dog toys Granger had ever seen. Since it was midnight by the time they were done, and they were all exhausted, they checked into a motel for the night.

This one only had one room and it was about one quarter of the size of the suite back at the Bittersweet Inn.

Bliss set up the brand new dog bed in between the two double beds, then settled the still-sleeping Moses into it. She straightened up, stretching her arms overhead with a yawn, and suddenly the room seemed tiny. How was he supposed to maintain his professional distance when their sleeping quarters kept getting smaller and more intimate?

Before awkwardness could set in, Granger said, “I claim the bed by the exit. That’s the bodyguard bed.”

“Fair enough. Need the bathroom before I take a quick shower?”

“Sure, I’ll just brush my teeth real quick.” He picked up the bag of supplies they’d bought at Target.

“You never brush your teeth quickly. You’re the slowest and most methodical tooth brusher I’ve ever seen.” She yawned again and settled onto the bed, resting her back against the headboard, knees bent up. “Wake me up when you’re done.”

Ignoring her teasing, Granger did his business in the bathroom. There was nothing wrong with thorough dental care. It amused him that she’d noticed his meticulous habits enough to tease him about them. It made him feel…seen.

While Bliss took her turn in the bathroom, Granger stripped down to his underwear, slid into the double bed closest to the exit, and rolled over so his back was to the room.

When he heard her soft footfalls reenter the room, he opened his eyes a crack.Don’t turn over.But he didn’t have to, because he caught her reflection in the glass of a framed landscape on the wall. She wore a t-shirt and panties and her legs were so long and slim and shapely that he nearly swallowed his tongue. And that was just a reflection!

Damn.

He didn’t sleep much. Back in Lake Bittersweet, they both closed their respective bedroom doors for the night. He slept soundly that way, in his usual dead-to-the-world manner. But with her right there in the bed next to him, just a couple feet away, her slim form buried under blankets, his awareness of her kept him wide awake.

She seemed to be sleeping just fine. If anything, the room was too hot for her, because in the middle of the night she kicked the covers off her body and let her bare legs sprawl with abandon across the bed.

He slid out of his bed and crept to the thermostat to lower the heat. How the hell was he supposed to sleep like this? He was just a man, after all.

Fuck. He got back into bed and did some scrolling on his phone to distract himself. He dove into a long article on a breakthrough in fusion energy. Surely all that technical language would put him to sleep.

But no. Because she was muttering in her sleep now, her body shifting back and forth. “It can’t be him. My God,” he thought he heard her say. And then, “I was recording the whole time.”

Recording? Recording what? That seemed like a weird thing to dream about.

Then she bolted straight up in bed. “Are you fucking kidding me?!” she gasped.

Granger almost wanted to laugh. Bliss used much saltier language in her sleep than when awake. He wondered if this was a normal, every night kind of thing. After a few moments sitting upright, she swung her legs off the side of the bed and walked to the bathroom. There was enough ambient light in the room that she didn’t trip over anything, though he was on guard to jump to her rescue if needed.

He heard the toilet flush, then she came back out. After his first glimpse of her silhouette, he squeezed his eyes shut so as not to alert her that he was awake. It might make her uncomfortable, he figured. She pulled the covers over her and a moment later she was breathing deeply again.

While he was left with the image of her exiting the bathroom, pulling up the edge of her t-shirt to blot something on her face, revealing long taut muscles and sweet tempting curves.

Fuck.

Maybe it was time for him to move on. So far there had been zero sign of a threat to Bliss. His work for Kirk was done. And now Kendra was so suspicious of him that he had little chance of meeting with Alvin. The hell with it. He should go back to Boston and get on with his life. Tomorrow he’d pin down Bliss on whether she really needed a fake bodyguard, and for how long.

After all, she had a guard dog now.

But when they got back to Lake Bittersweet the next day, they got news that changed everything.

Mrs. Wegman snagged them as they headed for the elevator. “Bliss, someone called for you on our landline while you were out.” She peered at the armful of puppy nestled against Bliss’ coat. “My goodness, who’s this?”

“We found an abandoned puppy last night, but don’t worry, he’s been to the vet and gotten a bath. I checked the hotel policy and small dogs are allowed, right?”

“Yes, although we do require a deposit.” She eyed him uneasily. “He isn’t potty-trained yet, is he? I’m afraid that might be a problem.”

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