by Odette Stone
I cleared my throat. “Uh, we’re not dating.”
Her eyes went back to Jackson’s face. “Oh. Interesting.”
She turned around. “I'm going to give it a few shots. Assuming that she hasn’t been immunized for anything. I'm also going to prescribe some nutritiously dense food to help put some weight on. Don’t restrict quantity. Let her decide how much she wants to eat. I think as soon as she has some food, she will perk right up.”
“Thanks,” I said. I moved next to Jackson and put my hand on the dog’s head. “Can we give it a bath?”
“I would highly recommend it,” she laughed. “Please use pet shampoo. We have some special shampoo that is gentle on dog skin. Doesn’t seem to have fleas or bites of any kind, so no need to use anything else.”
“You're just the cutest little thing I have ever seen,” I cooed into the dog’s face. It stared up into my eyes and then licked my nose. “We are going to take such good care of you.”
Jackson rubbed the back of his neck. “This dog doesn’t know it yet, but it just checked into a 5-star hotel with room service.”
The vet laughed. “We have an assortment of leashes and collars and other dog paraphernalia in our store. You might want to take a look on your way out.”
***
While Jackson cuddled the dog like a baby in his arms, I rushed around like a mad person in the store. I bought a dog bed, shampoo, squeaky toys, chew ropes and even a frisbee. I bought three collars, an assortment of leashes, dog food, dog treats, food bowls and a book entitled, “How to be the best dog owner in the world”. By the time I had paid for everything I could have bought a few coffee makers with built-in grinders.
While I waited for the receptionist to bag everything up, I heard the vet speak in a low voice to Jackson. I looked over. She stared up at him and then she wrote something on the back of a card and tucked it in his shirt pocket. Jackson said something and then I was ready to go.
Jackson swung into the truck beside me and looked over at us. “Well, no one can accuse you of doing anything half assed.”
I leaned forward, my lips on the dog’s ear. “That’s Jackson. He’s super nice. You're going to love him.”
The dog whimpered and I could feel her tail wag against my leg.
Jackson gave a snort and started backing up the truck.
“So, what else did the vet say?” I asked as I cuddled my face on top of the dog’s head.
“What do you mean?”
“She wrote something on a card and gave it to you. Any other tips for our baby here?”
Pause. “It was nothing.”
I looked over at him. “Well it was something because she wrote something on a card and handed it to you.”
“She gave me her number.”
“Like for house calls?”
“Uh, I think for other things.”
My mouth dropped open and I stared at him in amazement. “Did you ask her for her number?”
“I did not.”
“That’s just rude,” I cried. “She’s at her place of employment.”
I spoke into the dog’s ear. “Your vet is a shameless opportunist.”
Jackson laughed. I looked up at him because I was physically unable to not look at him when he did. He was so unbelievably beautiful when he laughed. And I realized with a shock of jealousy that ripped through my body that he had every right to call the vet. The thought literally made me want to hit something.
I worked to keep the jealousy out of my voice and said in a sweet voice. “Well she is very pretty. Are you going to call her?”
“Why are you so intent on setting me up?”
“I'm not.”
“Sure seems like it.”
I leaned forward and spoke into the dog’s ear. “Don’t listen to Jackson, he’s a very bad man.”
He laughed again. “Tell your dog there that I'm not going to call the vet.”
“Oh?” I said airily, “Not hot enough for you?” Unable to ignore how my heart gave a squeeze that he wasn’t interested.
“Nah. I just like to do the chasing.”
Chapter 25
We let the dog wander around the loft, sniffing and smelling things. I also put a handful of food into the bowl which it downed ravenously. At Jackson’s advice we decided for the first night, we would just give it a little bit of food every hour, so that it didn’t gorge itself and barf it up. We also did the same for water.
The dog had a sweet personality and after it sniffed everything, it just awkwardly hopped up on the couch beside me and lay it’s head on my lap. I lavished all the care I had in me on this stinky little dog. I was already in love. Jackson sat across from us, and just watched us.
“Well, are you going to name your dog?”
I pursed my lips. “It needs a good name. Something that suits it. How about Mia?”
Jackson winced.
“What?” I asked.
“Ex-girlfriend.”
I rolled my eyes. “How about Mandy?”
“Uh, Maddie might kill us.”
I giggled. “Good point.”
He studied the dog. “She looks like a Chloe.”
I gasped. “I love that name.” I looked down at the dog. “Is your name Chloe?”
Two black eyes looked up at me and a tail wagged.
Jackson had a lazy smile on his face. “Chloe and Emily.”
I stroked the dog’s head. “Thank you.”
“For what?”
“For giving me the best gift anyone has ever given me. I have never gotten something I loved so much from anyone.”
He cleared his throat. “We should give her a bath. I can smell her from here.”
“I’ve never given a dog a bath before,” I said with wide eyes. “Maybe I should YouTube it and see how it is done?”
He laughed and rubbed his eye. “I think we can handle it. Do we have a bathtub that has a shower hose?”
I nodded. “Your bathroom.”
“That figures,” he said dryly as he stood up. “Come on Chloe. Let’s go.”
As if she knew her own name, the dog got up on shaky legs and followed behind Jackson.
***
“We should have YouTube this,” Jackson said through gritted teeth. He was completely drenched and so was I. The only one who didn’t seem to be getting any wetter or cleaner was Chloe, who apparently hated getting a bath.
She kicked an incredible amount of water out of the tub drenching us both. Then she jumped out of the tub, causing Jackson to chase after her. She managed to outrun him and simultaneously shake water everywhere. Jackson slipped and slid after her, trying but never quite getting her in his arms. I laughed until my sides hurt. When he finally captured her in his arms, they were both panting. While he carried her back, Chloe just repeatedly licked his face.
“That was like a greased pig chase,” he said, looking back at the puddles of water that trailed down the hall. After that, Jackson decided to wisely shut the bathroom door.
“Okay, time to get serious,” Jackson said. He took off his wet shirt and wet socks and stepped into the tub, jeans and all. He pulled the scrambling Chloe onto his lap and wrapped his arms around her. She instantly calmed.
I sat there on my haunches stunned. His body was a thing of beauty. All corded muscles and broad everything. And the way he tenderly cuddled Chloe to his perfect chest took my breath away.
He looked at me. “You're going to have to do the washing.”
“Okay,” I said blinking with nerves. I squeezed some shampoo onto Chloe and started to massage it into her fur. I alternated between using the water hose and massaging her body. My fingers, more than once, accidentally brushed over Jackson’s warm bare stomach that was nothing but smooth skin and rippling muscle. As I touched him, my insides clenched in weird ways.
He seemed completely oblivious to my hand brushing against him. He just shifted her to the left or the right so that I could get my hand in between him and Chloe. As I washed her belly all
I could think about was how his hard, corded stomach felt against the back of my hand. The guy radiated heat. How was it possible that someone could be this muscular? He had muscles on his muscles. Even though I finished washing Chloe’s belly I was having trouble pulling my hand away. So I just repeated the circular motion of my hand against her, so that I could drag the back of my hand against his abs again and again. I seemed physically unable to stop touching him. I concentrated to keep my breath even. My heart pounded in my chest. I couldn’t stop. I told myself to stop but my hand kept brushing against him again and again.
“Emily,” he said, his voice low.
My eyes slid to his face. His eyes burned hot. I swallowed. He reached out and wrapped one huge hand around the back of my neck. Slowly, he tugged me closer to him. With wide eyes, I stared up at him. My lips parted.
And then his eyes went to the door and he dropped his hand, a second before the door swung open.
“What the hell?” Matt sounded confused as he stood looking at Jackson sitting in the tub, holding Chloe, who was doing her best to look like the most pitiful and bedraggled dog in the world. I crouched on the outside of the tub, soaked, heart racing and probably looking like I was about to sexually combust.
“We have a dog,” I said, as I looked up at Matt from my knees.
He frowned. “I fucking hate dogs.”
My mouth dropped open. “What?”
“God, it stinks in here. Dogs stink. And they’re messy,” he looked disgusted.
“Chloe is different,” I said, indignant on her behalf.
Matt gave Chloe a dirty look. “So you just went out and bought a dog?”
“No. She’s a homeless dog. That we took in.”
“She is probably riddled with disease. No,” he said with finality.
My mouth dropped open. “Matt.”
“She’s going back to wherever she came from,” he said. “Was there any Thai left over?”
“She isn’t,” I said, doing nothing to disguise the stubborn tone in my voice.
Matt rubbed his forehead. “I can’t even deal with this. You have no idea what kind of day I had. Is there any food?”
“In the fridge.”
“Can you help me heat it up?”
I turned back to Chloe. “I can help you later. I'm not finished here.”
Matt stood there for a long moment and then the door slammed shut behind him.
I licked my lips, avoiding looking at Jackson.
We finished bathing Chloe but this time, I made sure I didn’t touch Jackson. I wrapped Chloe in a big fluffy white towel while Jackson stood up in the tub. His wet jeans clung to his legs. Water streamed off his chest. Our eyes met as he stepped over the edge of the tub.
I swallowed hard. I cuddled Chloe to my chest. “I'll clean your bathroom.”
“You want to talk about it?”
My lips parted but I refused to look up at him. “About what?”
“About the fact that I can’t seem to keep my hands off you and you don’t seem to mind one bit?”
I licked my lips, unable to meet his eyes. “You mean your pity kisses?”
He stepped a bit closer to me. I stared into Chloe’s wet face unable to look up.
“What’s a pity kiss?” his voice was calm but he wasn’t impressed.
I was a coward and refused to look at him. “Just that when I tell you a sad story about me, you kiss me to make me feel better.”
“Is that what you think I'm doing?”
My breath was erratic. “Jackson.”
“Let me know when you're ready to talk about it.”
My whole body trembled. I was wet and cold, but that wasn’t what was making me shake like a leaf. “I should go change.”
I turned and fumbled with the door, and escaped to my bedroom. I rubbed Chloe with the towel until she wasn’t dripping anymore. My mind raced. What had he meant when he said that he couldn’t keep his hands off of me? Was he actually trying to tell me that he wanted to kiss me?
I buried my face into Chloe’s wet body, as I remembered how his stomach had felt against the back of my hand. I had practically molested him while he bathed my dog.
Those were pity kisses. I looked at the ceiling. I had no idea what to think. This whole situation felt insane. I questioned why so many women were running head first towards the man. Didn’t any of them see how truly terrifying he was?
I needed to go downstairs and deal with Matt and his crabby mood. Why did he hate dogs so much? He just needed to see how cute Chloe was and he would instantly change his mind. I changed into dry clothes and wrapped a new, dry towel around Chloe before I carefully carried her down the stairs.
Chapter 26
I tucked Chloe onto the couch, with a blanket to cover her damp body. Matt scowled at the island while he ate left over Thai food.
“How are you?” I walked into the kitchen.
He ignored me, reading something on his phone.
“Chloe is a really cute dog. You are going to fall in love with her,” I turned on the espresso machine.
Nothing. I looked over my shoulder at him. “Matt?”
He looked up at me with disgust on his face. “You need to get rid of her.”
I crossed my arms. “No.”
“Emily, this isn’t up for discussion.” He turned on his lawyer voice for this discussion. I hated his lawyer voice. It sounded arrogant and know-it-all.
I held my ground. “I agree. The idea of sending her to a shelter isn’t up for discussion.”
His eyes widened. “You’re kidding me.”
“No.”
“Well, I don’t want to live with a dog.”
“Matt, you haven’t even given her a chance. She’s such a sweetheart.”
“It is my final decision,” he dismissed.
“You always want your own way.”
He looked up at me. “If my way is the right way, yeah.”
“You never listen to what I want.”
“Yes I do.”
“No you don’t,” I yelled. I never yelled. I never raised my voice.
He looked at me in shock.
“Well listen up, Matt,” my tone was sarcasm laced with hurt, “I want Chloe. And I'm keeping Chloe. If you think it is okay to make veto decisions in this relationship, than I can too. And this is my final decision. I'm keeping the dog.”
He stood up and yelled. “Like hell you are.”
“I'm keeping the dog,” I yelled back.
“You are going to get rid of it. This is just one of your stupid impulsive moves. Dogs are a big commitment. You don’t have it in you to commit to a dog.”
My mouth gaped open. My chest rose and fell in anger. “Marriage is a commitment.”
“That’s different.”
“No it isn’t,” I said in disbelief.
“Dogs are too much work. They take up too much of your time.”
“I'm keeping the dog.”
He pointed his finger at me. “You are being incredibly selfish. And immature.”
My eyes filled with tears. “I'm keeping the dog. I love that dog.”
“You’re supposed to love me,” he bellowed. “I'm the only one you are supposed to love.”
I stared at him. When it came down to it, Matt needed to be the only one that was loved. He couldn’t share. And now he couldn’t stand to watch me love a dog.
“I can love more than one person, Matt,” my voice whispered.
He picked up his plate and threw it at me. I ducked and the plate exploded against the brick wall behind me, spraying me with food and shards of glass. I ducked my head under my arms. A wine glass sailed towards me, shattering beside me on the granite counter.
“Leave,” a voice spoke from behind Matt.
I looked up. There behind Matt, towered Jackson. He looked dangerous with his corded neck, flared nostrils and green eyes that were mean slits. Jackson was gone and a big fucking badass navy SEAL stood in my kitchen. He looked like he was ready to rip
Matt’s head off.
Matt took a step back. His voice sounded unsteady. “This is none of your concern.”
“Get the fuck out.”
Matt looked behind me, giving me a death look before he grabbed his phone and keys. He kicked the dog bed on his way out, causing it to sail across the room. He slammed open the door and then was gone.
I huddled into myself.
The wine drip down onto the floor, breaking the silence that deafened the room. I was in so much shock, I couldn’t even move. Had Matt really just thrown his dinner at my head? Why had the idea of a dog made him so angry?
My eyes lifted to Jackson. He stood and stared at me. He still looked fierce. He walked towards me. I couldn’t help it, I flinched when he lifted his hand to my chin.
“I'm not going to hurt you,” he said in a voice that was so gentle, it almost made me weep. He tilted my face. “You’ve been cut.”
I blinked. Nothing was making sense. It felt like my brain was frozen. Unable to process what had just happened. I reached up and touched my forehead, wincing. My fingertips had blood on them.
“Come here,” he said, steering me to the island. He lifted me to sit up onto the counter top. I watched as he ran a clean tea towel under the water and then he was gently dabbing at my face. Only 5 hours earlier, in this exact spot he had kissed me. Now he was tending my wounds from my fiancé’s violence.
“Has he ever been like that before?” he asked in a very calm voice.
“No.”
Green eyes stared into mine. “I think this is just a scratch. It won’t even scar.”
I just worked at breathing. Nothing in my life was making sense anymore. I licked my lips. “I should clean up.”
He put one huge hand on my knee.
Our eyes met.
“Emily.”
I covered my eyes with one hand and started to cry. “I’m not ready.”
That made no sense but those are the words that came out of my mouth. I felt him lift a huge hand to cup my cheek tenderly. “Try and get some sleep, okay?”
I felt so sad. So tired and sad. Nothing made sense anymore. “Okay.”
I picked up Chloe’s bed from where Matt had kicked it and then I called Chloe. She stretched, jumped off the couch and followed me upstairs.
