“Hey Beth,” I laughed hugging her back.
“Can you guys unload that? I want to show Brandy the adorable puppies that just came available for adoption.” Beth finger-waved and I could have sworn Joe’s entire face turned bright red before he quickly turned to go unload the bed of the truck. Beth’s eyes scrunched down in confusion or maybe a little hurt before her face brightened, and she pulled me along behind her.
“These little guys are absolutely adorable.” She chattered away as we walked into the room she was talking about. Almost instantly I was surrounded by little balls of fluff.
“Oh my God. What kind of dogs are these?” I bent picking up one that was brown and white fluffiness.
“They’re called pompoo’s. They’re a cross between Pomeranians and miniature poodles.” I cuddled the little furball to my chest. Her nose came up to my cheek, and she licked my face.
The rest of the puppies got overly excited and started jumping on me until I was nearly knocked on my ass by the cuteness alone. “Did you say they were available for adoption?” I asked Beth who had scooped one of them up and was rubbing its belly.
“They just turned eight weeks old, so I can adopt them now. Did you want to keep her?” she asked but I shook my head.
“I can’t have dogs in my apartment,” I pouted.
“Really? These little guys don’t get very big probably no bigger than Missy.” I shuddered at the name of Delia’s devil cat. I had scars on my legs still from that damn cat. Beth saw my reaction and giggled. “Sorry, I forgot you have a long history with that particular animal.”
“I’ll have nightmares about that damn cat forever,” I groaned.
“Missy is sweet.” Pete’s voice startled me. He wrapped his arms around me from behind startling the cute little puppy who yipped at him. “Aww but not as sweet as her,” he cooed at the puppy that was now crawling up my shoulder to get to his face and lick him. Pete and I laughed. He picked her up out of my arms and held the barking puppy up over his face. “You are too stinking cute, but I kind of wanted a big dog.”
“We have some Alaskan husky puppies over in the next kennel,” Beth grinned. Pete continued to play with the adorable little thing.
“You should adopt her,” He grinned his panty melting smile. I’d only been half lying when I said the apartment wouldn’t let me have a dog. I could, I’d just never been responsible for another life before. Pete must have seen the uncertainty on my face because he held the adorable little puppy up in front of my face. “Pwease Brandy? You will love me.” He mimicked the puppy. It was adorable and caused me to melt.
“Okay.” I could feel my cheeks heating as he handed me the little ball of fur and we followed Beth out the door.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Pete
Walking into the room and seeing Brandy with those dogs did something to me. She was gorgeous but when she was so happy and carefree there was something so beautiful about her. I missed that Brandy the one that didn’t have the haunted eyes. The one that didn’t jump at every shadow. I wished I could put that smile on her face every day.
The little puppies were cute, but they weren’t for me. I needed a big dog. I hadn’t lied about wanting to come adopt. I’d been thinking about it for a while and had been meaning to come down and adopt one. When Bethy had called and said she had a couple litters of puppies that were ready for adoption I’d jumped at the chance to get first pick, and a reason to see Brandy again after the way we left things the other night. Coach had announced our next fights, so we had all started a training regimen that was taking time away from our personal lives.
I saw the one as soon as Bethy opened the door and motioned us inside. It was pure white with big blue eyes almost the color of Brandy’s and floppy ears. She bounded over to us her tongue hanging out of her mouth and drool dripping on my Nike running shoe. “Aren’t you the cutest thing ever?” I bent over to lift her up, and she barked at me happily. Brandy giggled as the little pompoo wiggled in her arms trying to get to the much bigger puppy in mine. “She’s the one.”
“She’s adorable. I knew she would go quickly.” Bethy grinned scratching her under the chin. “C’mon, let’s go do some paperwork.” She spun around on her heel and stumbled into Joe’s arms. He looked terrified by the contact and quickly righted her. Red crawled up his neck as he took off back the way we’d come. I chuckled to myself because the guy was in such deep shit. Kyle would skewer him. Bethy looked hurt and confused by the sudden reaction, so I patted her back.
“He’s just scared of what your brother will do if he finds out he likes you.” Brandy elbowed me in the ribs and shot me a scathing look.
“Stop it,” she scolded me under her breath. Beth turned bright red which caused my grin to grow even further. Hmmm, it appeared the attraction was mutual. I filed that away for later because I had a feeling when that match lit it was going to explode and burn everything left in its wake.
“C’mon, let’s go get the paperwork done and drop these guys off at the vet.” Bethy quickly changed the subject turning around and marching down the hall. Brandy glared at me. Shrugging, I followed her quick pace to catch up with Bethy.
After we finished with the paperwork and all the necessary shots and things for the dogs, we met Joe back at the truck. He scowled at me before getting in the truck and slamming the door. Joe was usually calm and collected, so I had a feeling he would be a demon in the ring when we went for training. I felt sorry for whoever he was paired up with.
“Can you drop me off at the office, so I can grab my car please?” Joe grunted in what I thought was affirmation at Brandy’s request. I’d gotten used to his grunts and could decipher them relatively easily. “I need to go to the pet store. I have no idea what to do with a puppy. What she may need,” Brandy shrugged.
“I’ll go with you. I need to pick some things up for her too,” I grinned patting the sleeping puppy on the head.
“Have you thought about a name for her yet?” Brandy reached over scratching her behind the ears.
“I’m thinking Sapphire.”
Brandy’s eyes lit up at the name and I grinned. “That is the perfect name for her,” she agreed.
“What about you? Any names picked out?” Brandy shook her head, thinking carefully.
“Coco, maybe?” She seemed uncertain, but I thought it fit the little brown and white furball perfectly.
“I like it.”
“Thank you.” I looked over into the rearview mirror and watched as Joe rolled his eyes. I couldn’t wait to see him in my position I was going to give him the hardest time.
“Later man.” I bumped fists with Joe as we made our way to Brandy’s car. I followed behind her watching her ass as she made her way to the car and deposited Coco carefully in the back seat. The two pups curled up next to each other like they were old friends and I couldn’t help the chuckle that escaped. “Looks like they like each other.”
Brandy looked happy by the news, happier than I think I’d ever seen her. I opened the door for her to get behind the wheel before making my way to the other side of the car. I felt an odd sensation on the back of my neck like I was being watched. Looking around, I didn’t see anyone, so I shook off the sensation and got in the car.
“Everything all right?” Brandy asked looking confused. I didn’t know if she’d had the same weird feeling I did, but I definitely didn’t want to scare her. I nodded still distracted. I couldn’t shake the uneasy feeling the whole way to the pet store.
Chapter Twenty-Six
Brandy
I had no idea what I was thinking getting a dog. I never should have let Pete talk me into it. It had been days and I wasn’t getting any sleep. The bags under my eyes had bags under them from listening to her howl and cry all night from her bed.
I’d bought a book that said puppies were a lot like babies and you needed to set boundaries straight away, so I kept her in her bed in the living room. I was about to lose my mind days later, but I decided to
call Pete first. Maybe I should just let her sleep with me? I mean honestly, what could it hurt. I dragged my tired ass to the living room and picked up my little ball of fluff. “C’mon Coco, you’re sleeping with me. I can’t keep falling asleep during client sessions.”
***
I woke up in the middle of the night to a barking dog, and I was instantly on alert. This wasn’t her normal annoying bark. She growled like I’d never heard before. Grabbing my phone, I hovered my finger over the emergency call button as I snuggled deeper under the covers pulling the furious ball of fluff with me. I heard a crash from somewhere in the house and that was all it took for me to make the call. The operator picked up on the first ring. “9-1-1 what’s your emergency?”
“There’s someone in my house,” I whispered so whoever it was couldn’t hear me.
“Where are you?” she asked.
“I’m in my bedroom. My dog woke me up and then I heard something crash in the other room. Can you send someone please?” I knew I was rambling but the terror I was feeling caused me to keep going. Visions of every horrible scene my mother made me watch as a teen came flooding back and I started to hyperventilate.
“Ma’am? I need you to calm down. Help is on the way. Take deep breaths they’ll be there soon. Stay with me okay?”
“Okay,” my voice was weak even to my own ears.
“What’s your name?”
“B-Brandy,” I stuttered.
“Brandy, it’s gonna be all right. The police are less than a minute away.” I heard another crash and a male grunt before my bedroom door flew open and I couldn’t help the scream that bubbled its way out of me.
“Brandy! Are you all right?” A familiar male voice called out to me from the door and I breathed a sigh of relief.
“Billy? What happened?” I peeked out from under the blanket and saw him standing there breathing heavily. The operator was calling to me from the other end of the phone line.
“My neighbor is here now. I’m okay but can you still send the police?” I said into the phone.
“The police should be pulling up now. Do you want me to stay on the phone?”
“No, I’ll be okay,” I answered and hung up the phone. “What happened?”
“I heard a noise you know our walls are pretty thin and when I came over there was someone in your house. I couldn’t see them. It was dark, and they were covered head to toe in dark clothing. I went to tackle them but at the last second, they moved away and made a beeline for the door. I was too worried about you to follow.” It made sense but Coco was still growling like the threat was still there. I chalked it up to adrenaline and made sure to keep her in my arms, so she didn’t attack anyone. Billy stepped close and she nipped at him growling angrily.
“Coco, stop that. He saved us,” I scolded her.
“It’s okay. I think she’s probably still a little shook up,” Billy smiled nervously.
My apartment was a wreck. The police officers stood on the side of where the door used to be. By the chagrined look on Billy’s face, I’d say that he was the reason for the mess.
“Sir, can you step outside please?” one of the officers asked Billy, and he nodded squeezing my arm before following the officer outside by the squad car.
“Do I have permission to come inside, ma’am?” The other officer nodded to the empty doorway.
“Yes, of course,” I sighed wondering where the hell I was going to stay until this place got fixed. I was numb. I didn’t want to think about the violation of my personal space or how that’d made me feel. I was blissfully numb. I was probably in shock.
“What happened here?” the officer asked and I relayed my entire experience back to him all the way to the end where Billy showed up in my bedroom looking like he’d just tackled a polar bear. “Do you have somewhere to stay for the next couple days while we process the scene and fix the door?”
Pete’s worried face flashed behind my eyes and I felt like an asshole for not thinking to call him sooner, but he would just freak out and I didn’t want him to get in trouble for driving to my apartment in a frantic need to protect me when there was nothing to protect me from.
“I’ll text my boyfriend and take an Uber to his place,” I shrugged.
“That’s not necessary. This doesn’t look like a robbery. It could be personal. Do you know of anyone who would want to scare you or hurt you?” My blood ran cold. Even with all the random notes taped to my door and the hang up phone calls I’d been getting from that Tennessee number that hadn’t even crossed my mind. “We’ll give you a lift just to be on the safe side.”
“You’re leaving?” Billy looked confused. “You’re more than welcome to stay at my place.” My reaction was probably a little too quick. My head started shaking before he ever finished the offer. The hurt expression didn’t go unnoticed, but it did have me taking a step back. Coco took that moment to start growling and barking again and I shushed her as best as I could. She was really starting to worry me.
“I’m gonna stay with a friend for a couple of days.” I had no idea why I’d lied, but something just felt off to me and if he was harboring some kind of feelings for me, I didn’t want to hurt him unnecessarily.
I had no idea how I hadn’t realized sooner that my phone was no longer in my hand or the fact that I was still in a pair of tiny sleep shorts and a ratty tank top that I usually slept in. “Can I go pack a bag and grab my phone?” I asked the officer. He nodded and I picked my way past the wreckage that used to be my living room. What the hell was I gonna tell Pete? He’ll never leave my side if he thinks that this wasn’t just a random robbery. A little white lie never hurt, right?
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Pete
Something was up. She’d called me in the middle of the night saying the police were bringing her over and asked if she and Coco could stay a couple of days. I panicked immediately. Wondering what the hell happened to her apartment, but she gave me some BS story about a random break-in and her neighbor Billy scaring the guy away. When I asked if anything was taken, she’d shook her head remarking that Billy must have caught him before he was able to steal anything. I needed to know what the hell she was hiding.
The next afternoon while she was dealing with clients, I made my way to her apartment and knocked on her neighbor’s door. “What’s up, Pete?” Billy looked confused by my appearance.
“I just wanted to thank you for what you did for my girl last night.” I held my hand out for him to shake, but he just stared at it in confusion.
“Your girl? I thought she said you were just friends.” His brows scrunched together and his nostrils flared. It was a really weird reaction but I brushed it off.
“Nah, we have been seeing each other a little while now. So, again. Thanks for being there when I wasn’t.” I smiled waving at him as I walked back to the waiting car. That strange foreboding feeling washed over me again and I looked around feeling the eyes on the back of my head. The door to Billy’s apartment slammed shut but the twisting in my gut didn’t subside. I shook off the uneasiness and decided to go about the rest of my day. It was probably a stupid paparazzi moron anyway. They weren’t getting a story from me.
***
I set the table for a nice dinner and waited for Brandy. The dogs were sleeping in their beds snoring softly. When Brandy walked in the house, she took a big whiff and groaned at the smell of the food cooking. Walking over I kissed her hello and took the vase of beautiful blue flowers that I’d sent to her at work that afternoon.
“Thank you for the flowers.” She kissed me again.
“They’re almost as beautiful as you.” I grinned when she giggled.
“That was corny.” She rolled her eyes grinning at me. I knew she thought it was sweet, even if she did give me crap about it.
“Dinner’s gonna be ready soon. Why don’t you relax and I’ll get you when it’s done.” I kissed her head and handed her a glass of wine. She looked at me strangely. “What is it?”
“Nothing, you’re just being super sweet tonight that’s all.”
“I’m hurt. Are you saying I’m not normally sweet?” I held a hand over my chest as if hurt by the comment.
“Not at all.” She grabbed a hold of my shirt pulling me closer. “It’s nice. I just hope you’re not doing this because of what happened last night.” She looked away.
“I’m actually hoping that I can get you to stay,” I leaned in close to her.
“Oh, so there is an ulterior motive.” Her lips covered mine, and she opened her mouth giving me permission to deepen the kiss. We stood there making out like teenagers until a familiar yapping broke us apart with a laugh. “Yes Coco, it’s good to see you too.” She bent down to pick her up and Coco licked her cheek. We both chuckled then.
“Go, relax. I promise it won’t be long.” I turned her toward the couch and sat her down. I took Coco back to her bed and washed my hands before I went back to chopping vegetables for the stir-fry.
“Hey, babe? It’s done.” I walked back into the living room fifteen minutes later to see Brandy curled up asleep on the couch. “I didn’t mean for you to get that comfortable,” I chuckled into the empty room. Walking over, I picked her up off the couch and started walking up the stairs to my bedroom. So much for dinner, but if she really was that tired then I didn’t want to wake her up. The night before had been traumatic and I knew she hadn’t gotten much sleep.
Tucking her into bed, I pulled the covers over her and kissed her forehead before making my way back down to clean up the mess and store it for the next day. I guessed finding out what really happened would have to wait for tomorrow, but I had all the time in the world.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Brandy
I woke up the next morning to an empty bed and a growling stomach. It was late probably after nine. I wondered how I got away with sleeping in with a little yappy monster running around the house. Stretching, I remembered relaxing on the couch and then nothing. Damn, that’s why I was so hungry. I’d completely missed the dinner he’d made for me. I don’t know how I’d missed the sound of the shower running until it turned off and a very naked Pete walked out of the en suite wearing nothing but a towel. My breath caught in my throat and Pete turned smiling eyes toward me. “Like what you see, Babe?”
Addicted (Sin City Gym Book 2) Page 8
