by D. C. Stone
If she could barely get under his skin and be around him after giving him two square meals a day, how did Chris expect him to do well outside with crowds of people around him?
“Sweetheart,” he said, his voice ultra-soft. Her tummy flipped then curled with warmth. “I love that you are championing for Dumb Ass. I love that he has that. What I don’t think you realize is I’m right there with you. He means the world to me and I’m not going to do anything right now that will push him too far.”
“He’s not ready. And do you really need to call him that?” She understood the reasoning behind it, that this team had used laughter to get through their tough jobs, but she had a difficult time getting past the nickname. She needed to find a stronger leg to stand on, but for the life of her, the matter in her brain refused to work to come up with a stronger objection.
“He’s ready.”
They stared at each other for a few seconds, then she huffed. “Fine. But at the first sign…”
He flashed a grin. “Yes, ma’am. I’ll bring him back.”
Samantha looked over at Dwayne. He held a huge grin on his face, his gaze darting between Chris and her. What was that all about? “Can I trust you to keep him to his word?”
Dwayne’s grin spread. “Yeah, I got your back, Doc. I’ll make sure to kick Chris’s ass if he pushes his dog too hard.”
“But Chris is hurt, too, so don’t kick his ass too hard. I’d hate to have to start practicing on humans, too. They make horrible patients.”
Chris snorted and rounded the counter again, this time with Delta Alpha. “Shit, sweetheart, you do realize I’m a trained Special Forces operator, right? You’re bad for a man’s ego.”
She just stared at him. Of course, she knew. She also knew the man could move his body in such a sensual way even when he wasn’t aware of it.
Chris shook his head. “Jesus. Sam, what do you want to eat, babe?” He said this like he couldn’t deal with her any longer, but there was a bit of humor behind his words.
“Fine. I’ll take a panini from that place down the street, next to the library. Just cheese and tomatoes. And tell them not to skimp on the salad.”
Chris’s lips twitched. “That it?”
She nodded, trying and failing to ignore what that lip twitch did to her stomach.
He lifted his chin toward the door, then at Dwayne. “Let’s go.”
Chapter Ten
A little over an hour later, Chris leaned back in the stool next to the main counter and pushed his delicious food away. One thing he missed while being overseas was the convenience of fast food. Despite having to stop at two different places, the café down the street for Samantha, and a burger place for him and Dwayne, they’d made the food run quick and without incident with DA.
His dog had done great. Stayed by his side, didn’t flinch at the late afternoon crowds and traffic in town, and had only cowered twice. Those two times couldn’t be helped, each a result of the backfire of a vehicle that moved much too slowly down the street.
Outside the one niggling feeling of being watched, and that damn feeling itching across his shoulders, the entire run had gone off without a hitch.
They’d returned to Claws and Paws to Samantha hanging up the phone, a huge smile on her face, and at their entry, she lifted her hands in the air and shouted, “She accepted!” Obviously, she found an assistant. He hadn’t seen any of them come in that morning, so involved in working with DA, but he was happy that she seemed pleased. That obvious pleasure dimmed when her eyes landed on DA.
The damn mutt must have already figured out Samantha’s soft spots because she immediately tossed him a stink-eye, the effect not doing much to him because little did she know, her version of the stink-eye just made her that much cuter.
“Sergeant Gonzalez,” she chided, “just look at him. Poor baby.” She relieved Chris of the leash, whipped off DA’s muzzle, and then ran her hands over the dog’s flank, her eyes assessing, her touch visibly comforting. It happened right before his eyes. DA’s tail thumped again the side of the counter wall, and his little doggie head fell back, his snout in the air, his eyes turning to Chris in what had to be doggie heaven.
“He’s fine,” Chris said, narrowing his eyes at his dog. “Did great, actually.”
She turned to him, her brows drawn with displeasure. “I bet he’ll be better with a treat.” She turned back to DA and her voice rose two octaves with, “You want a treat, big guy? Who wants a treat?”
And so was the end to DA’s big, badass military persona. His dog, his damn dog followed Samantha to the back, his attention glued to her as if she were handing him the world.
That had been twenty minutes ago. They’d all sat at the counter that separated the office, Samantha having pulled out barstools from thin air, and ate their meals, chatted freely, and the time passed as if there weren’t any worries of what tomorrow, or hell, even the next ten minutes would bring.
The lowering sun cast a yellow hue to the room, drawing out the vibrant red of her hair, where glints of copper and gold layered until he couldn’t figure out which color he liked more. She seemed more relaxed this afternoon, and he wanted to figure out what it was so he could be sure to give her the same day in and day out.
A loud smack sounded through the room, startling Chris out of his musings. Dwayne had his hand over a manila folder, drawing the file toward him, his narrowed eyes on Samantha. What the hell was this?
“D,” he said, “what the fuck?”
Dwayne ignored him and addressed Samantha. “Mind telling me what you think you’re doing?”
Her wide-eyed gaze didn’t move off his brother. The second time he’d seen that look in her face, a look he didn’t want to see again—the first being when DA had stood snarling and dripping with spittle right behind her shoulder. One could visibly see her hackles rising and a fear wash across her face. She looked ready to bolt.
“Detective,” she said and cleared her throat when her voice cracked. “I have no idea what you’re referring to.”
“How about you start with telling me why Hailey’s name is on your folder?”
She swallowed and her shoulders went down a bit. Surprisingly, she didn’t slide right out of her chair. “How about first you tell me why you’re asking?”
Chris’s eyebrows went up. She had balls, he’d give her that. The intensity coming off Dwayne even gave him pause.
“Why is her name on your folder? Answer me.”
Samantha took a deep breath and glanced at Chris so quickly he didn’t think she realized it. The breath seemed to give her a little courage for she met D’s eyes head-on, then leaned across the counter and grabbed the edge of the folder. Dwayne matched her lean with one of his own. “Detective Gonzalez, please, let go.”
Chris didn’t like the aggression or Samantha’s response to it. Could this be one of her secrets? “D,” he said, “I suggest you take a step back.”
“Why is Hailey’s name on your goddamn folder?” Dwayne bit out.
“You’re kidding me,” she said, her grip tightening on the folder so much her hand turned white, as did her face. Samantha curled her free hand over her stomach, her little fist matching the color as her face. She darted a quick glance at Chris. “Tell me he’s kidding me right now.”
“Woman, you do not want to mess with me,” D snapped off.
“Christ,” Chris said. “Chill the hell out, bro.” He turned to Samantha, more than unnerved by everything that had happened. “Sweetheart, just tell him what Hailey’s name is doing on there. In fact, I’d like to know myself, seeing as she’s my niece.”
Breath rushed out of her in a rush, her shoulders falling, her ass hitting the stool she’d been on before. “Oh my God. Jesus.” She took a deep breath and waved a hand over her face. “She’s my assistant. I just hired her.”
Chris relaxed minutely, leaning back in his stool. The intensity coming off Dwayne lessened, but not completely. He watched as his brother took a considerable amount
of time releasing his grip on the folder one second at a time. He understood D’s protective instincts when it came to Hails. But he didn’t understand the cowering woman Samantha had turned into, nor why she seemed to curl into a protective ball. Her reaction seemed very outside of who he’d grown to know these past couple of weeks.
“Doctor Eagen,” Dwayne said, “I apologize. I’m very … protective of Hailey. She went through something not too long ago and it’s not something I want to experience again. Nor something I want her to experience again.”
Samantha snatched the folder off the counter, placing it out of reach. “I’m a vet, Detective. What do you expect me to do to Hailey?”
Dwayne’s lips tightened. “You’re a stranger to me, Doc. I have no clue what you’d do.”
“Now wait a second,” Chris interjected.
“No,” Samantha interrupted, her face no less pale than it’d been two minutes ago. “That’s fine, and it’s true. He doesn’t know me, you don’t know me, and I don’t know either of you. Perhaps it’d be better to leave it that way.”
“The fuck I will,” Chris said.
Dwayne sighed and stood, the chair legs screeching across the laminate floor. “Look,” he said, “I’m sorry. I overreacted. Had I known Hailey was applying to work with you, I probably wouldn’t have had that reaction. As it is, I think I need to have a chat with her about communication. In any event, I’m glad she took the chance, and I’m glad you’re giving her one. Please don’t let my actions affect the relationship you and her will have. She’s a wonderful young woman, she loves animals, and she would be a great worker given the chance.”
Samantha thinned her lips. “I know all of that about Hailey. Those are exactly the reasons why I hired her. Your actions here today aren’t going to affect that.”
Dwayne gathered up his trash, nodding his head. “Thank you. Thank you for understanding and thank you again for taking a chance with her. She’s special. One of the most special young women you’ll ever meet.” He tossed his trash in the can, then turned and held his hand out. “Please, accept my apology. I was wrong to react the way I did.”
She cautiously slid her hand in Dwayne’s, her eyes catching every movement D made as if she expected him to attack. She held her body back from him as if she were afraid to get too close. The history with his niece was a precarious slope, one none of them wanted to find themselves in ever again. But something else was behind D’s reaction today. And there was an alarming reaction that Samantha had to him that he wanted to get to the bottom of. His brother had always been the levelheaded one, the calm one. Chris had never seen him react to anything the way he had today. In addition to Dwayne talking to Hailey, it seemed like it was time for Chris to have a little chat with his younger brother. Then he needed to get whatever secret Samantha seemed to be hiding out of her, too. He gathered up his trash as well, tossing it in the same can as Dwayne had, then turned to her.
“I’m going to head out with D. Same time tomorrow?”
She nodded, her attention distracted. Almost as if lost in her mind. The past few minutes had been intense. He could understand that. He didn’t like the distance in her expression, though.
She rounded the counter, walking them both to the front door. Her eyes wouldn’t meet his no matter how many times he tried to catch her gaze. It irritated the hell out of him, even though he knew it shouldn’t. He wanted to demand her attention, wanted to push her up against the wall and kiss her until all she could think about was him and nothing else. But something held him back. A haunted look in her gaze, one he needed to figure out before he got any more involved.
He didn’t want to leave with this cloud hanging between them though, because no matter that the escalated situation hadn’t been between them specifically, there was definitely a wall going up now.
At the entrance to Claws and Paws, he turned to her, waiting until her startled gaze jumped up to his. Dark rings under her eyes spoke of her exhaustion. Perhaps she wasn’t sleeping, or maybe she just had a long day. But beneath the darkness lay a heavy sadness, so heavy it shocked him he hadn’t noticed it before.
“Red,” he said, brushing his knuckles across her cheekbone, “don’t sweat what just happened.”
She crossed her arms, her hands clenched against her body. “I’m fine.”
“No, you’re not. You’re running yourself ragged.”
“Chris—” she said, but he cut her off.
“No, no excuses. Just take it easy, gorgeous. There’s not much to life if you really aren’t living it. And there’s only so much you can do to keep others pushed away.”
She tightened her lips and turned from him, walking back into her shop alone. He didn’t like it one bit and vowed that he’d figure out what she was hiding and how to make her smile more.
****
Over the next few weeks, Samantha expected Chris’s daily visits. Not that he shouldn’t be coming around to assist with Delta Alpha, anyway. He was, after all, the one DA was closest to, and his trainer. More so, the visits seemed to not only center around helping to get the military working dog functional in an everyday kind of life, a retirement of sorts for this courageous animal. But with each stop in, she gravitated closer and closer to Chris. He seemed to break down every one of the walls she’d constructed around her heart, though she fought it every step of the way.
After the way things had ended with her and Manuel, she wasn’t so sure she’d ever be able to let anyone, male or female, into her life again. At least not at a level of comfort which would open the door for friendship.
And it wasn’t like she hadn’t paid attention to all the warning signs with her ex. Sure, she noticed when his behavior changed from cajoling to controlling. When they’d dated, he acted the perfect gentleman. Opening doors for her, holding her hand as they crossed the street, calling her as soon as he walked in the door following their date to tell her how much he already missed her.
Their relationship had been a whirlwind of a romance, from flower deliveries, sweet messages left on her phone, and soft, sexy talks late at night. None of it caused any alarms until a week after he’d proposed. By then, she’d moved to the south with him, alienated from everyone she’d ever known. Her family, her friends, her old life.
That was when things started changing. He’d gone from Mr. Perfect to Mr. Temperamental. The accusations, the arguments, and the questions seemed endless. Almost as if he expected her to step out on him, cheat on him with some stranger in the grocery store, all because of a polite smile. And it hadn’t stopped there.
Those accusations had grown physical, becoming a slap across the face, a push down the stairs, and finally, her head being bashed against the wall before she’d realized that no matter how much she wished things could go back to how they were before, no matter how much she thought she could soothe him with sweet words, nothing would be good enough until she escaped.
And escape she had. She’d ran first to her cousin, who owned a private investigation company, and he’d helped her get to a safe place, helped her get the restraining order, and helped her disconnect her life from the only person she’d ever been close to. Andrew had wanted to do so much more after seeing the bruises on her face and body, but she’d begged to just let things lie, to help her disappear, and after much reluctance, he finally agreed.
So, after nine hundred miles, several weeks, and a name change under sealed court records, she’d settled in Nyack, New York. She was trying to rebuild her life, trying to poke her head outside of the shadows and stand in the sun instead of cowering at every sound. Establishing her own business helped. She’d been hesitant about that too, knowing the business would leave a paper trail, but with her new name and hiding behind the purchase with the use of a lawyer, she’d decided she’d be able to do what she’d always dreamed of: live a happy life doing what she loved, which was working with animals.
Manuel could find her here, she had no doubt. But she hoped she’d made it clear that she wanted
nothing to do with him any longer. She hoped the restraining order would keep him away.
She hadn’t thought she’d let anyone under her skin again, not after the nightmare of her engagement, but reluctantly, she found both Delta Alpha and Chris doing just that. There hadn’t been any more stolen kisses, no touching, or outrageous flirting since all those weeks ago, but she could still see the heat in his eyes when he looked at her. Could still see him holding back just a bit. Whether that was for her comfort or his, she didn’t know.
It made her profoundly curious.
She was finishing up with Ms. Robinson’s feline friend, Fluffy, who matched the name with every bit as the word described, when the bell over her entrance jangled. Right on time.
She snapped off her gloves, washed her hands, and explained to Ms. Robinson that Fluffy didn’t need three cans of Fancy Feast a day. After finishing with that very lengthy conversation, she opened the door to the exam room and ushered her customers out to Hailey to pay their bill.
Chris wasn’t in the front reception, so she detoured and headed back toward the grassy knell, wanting to watch DA’s and his handler’s interaction for a bit. Who was she kidding? She wanted to observe Chris for a while when he wasn’t watching her, and if she had a chance to gauge DA’s training then that was a plus.
She opened the back door as quietly as she could, getting the reminder with the squeak that still occurred, that she needed to put some WD40 on the hinges. The cooler but humid air pushed against her in a rush, bringing the scents of fall: drying leaves, the river, and of man and dog.
Chris squatted before DA, his face close to the Shepherd’s snout. Both the man and dog’s eyes held an intensity and trust only years of partnership could achieve.
“All right, Dumb Ass,” Chris said, his voice full of encouragement, “you can do this. Keep your head in the game, your focus on your task, and let’s prove all of them wrong.”
