by Lori Foster
And Butch, bless his savage little animal instincts, didn’t move more than an inch away from Tish. It was almost comical watching them. They kept bumping into each other, tripping over Buck’s colorful boxers.
Sadie sat in her one and only lawn chair, and Buck stood beside her, holding the reins on the dog. “Tish makes a better leash for Butch than the one Red usually uses for him.”
Sadie grinned. “He’s protective.”
Buck bent and kissed her temple. “Most of the male species suffers the same affliction.”
Because the dogs were happy, they spent a long time outside. The sun shone directly on them, warming their skin and burning the chill out of the morning air until the day felt pleasant. The dogs were sometimes playing, sometimes just lying in the sun-warmed grass. Tish forgot all about her leash.
Sadie watched the dogs with a pleased smile, and Buck watched Sadie.
The sunlight did amazing things to her hair, and showed the perfection of her skin. In the bright light, Buck could see that her lashes were tipped with gold, and there were a few faint freckles over the bridge of her nose. He thought she looked beautiful, especially when she smiled so sweetly.
After a while, he lifted her from the seat, sat down, then situated her on his lap.
“Want to make out?”
“Here?” Her scandalized gaze darted around the empty yard. “Someone might see us.”
“Who? Most everyone is still in bed, and even if they’re not, they still couldn’t see us. My apartment is empty, and your apartment is on the corner.”
He enjoyed seeing her face heat with guilt.
“Come on, Sadie,” he teased. “You know you want to.”
She hesitated only a moment. “I do.”
The dogs were currently dozing, so Buck was able to engage all her attention.
It was wonderful.
True, he wore no more than a towel. But it was his vacation and doing nothing more important than smooching with Sadie just felt right. It was frustrating, to be sure. He hadn’t indulged in this much innocent kissing since junior high school. Sadie’s enthusiastic involvement made it even harder. She followed wherever he led. If he kissed her throat, she murmured in delight, then reciprocated, putting her soft lips against his heated skin. If he stroked her narrow waist, she followed suit by smoothing her hands over his chest to his abdomen.
Her innocent exploration was more exciting to him than the lovemaking of other women.
When enough time had passed, Buck reluctantly went inside to call Henry. The manager grumbled and groused, but finally agreed to meet Buck at the back of his apartment when Buck explained he was damn near naked.
Sadie giggled at his predicament. But she quickly sobered when Buck picked up a disgruntled Butch and started to leave. She walked him to the door, her feet lagging, her eyes downcast.
They stopped at the door. “Have lunch with me?” Buck asked.
Immediately her expression brightened. “Yes.”
He shook his head. She wore her heart on her sleeve, leaving herself so open to hurt. It worried him. “I have a few errands to take care of, but I can be done by noon. You like pizza?”
“Yes.”
“I’ll pick it up. Wanna come to my place?”
She shook her head. “I can’t leave Tish…”
“So bring her with you.” He leaned forward and took her mouth in a warm kiss, already anxious to see her again. “You’re a package deal, right? No problem. Butch would chew my ankle if I didn’t invite her along.”
Laughing, Sadie said, “All right, then. We’d be happy to accept.”
CHAPTER FOUR
BUCK HAD JUST RETURNED from buying groceries when a knock sounded on his front door. Thinking it might be Sadie, he opened the door with a fat smile—which twisted to a scowl when he saw the faces of his friends Ethan and Harris.
“What are you two doing here?”
Harris shoved his way in. “What kind of welcome is that?”
Butch rounded the corner in a near-hysterical tangent, slid to a halt when he saw it was only Harris and Ethan, and immediately quieted. His tail stopped wagging, and his little face showed his disappointment.
Buck decided that he and Butch were in a bad way. They were two bachelors who’d accepted their fates, but hadn’t yet informed the ladies of the new plans.
Ethan stepped past Buck. “Hey, Butch.” Then to Buck, he said, “You been torturing the little guy? He doesn’t look too happy.”
“He probably thought you were Tish.”
“Tish?” Harris straightened in interest. “What the hell kind of name is that for a woman?”
“I think it’s cute,” Ethan argued. “She sounds like a woman with big boobs.”
Harris laughed. “And an IQ of two.”
“Looks who talking,” Buck accused. “Has anyone accused you of being bright lately?”
Smug, Harris said, “Yeah. Clair.”
“She doesn’t count,” Ethan argued. “She married you, so she has to keep your ego healthy.”
“Actually,” Buck interjected, before they could start a debate on Harris’s intelligence or lack thereof, “Tish is fat and bald and this morning, she stole my underwear.”
Both men wore comical faces of horror, until Buck began to chuckle. “She’s my neighbor’s dog. A Chihuahua. Butch took one look at her and fell madly in love.”
“Poor guy,” Ethan said sympathetically. “I know just how rotten that feels.”
“Right,” Harris sneered. “You knew Rosie forever before you realized you loved her.”
“Wrong. I always knew I loved her. I just didn’t realize I was in love with her. Besides, you’re no better. It wasn’t until you saw naked photos of Clair that you got the love bug.”
Harris, ever sensitive about the photos Clair’s past boyfriend had taken without her knowledge, grew taut with anger.
“No fighting. It’ll upset Butch.” Buck turned his back on them and headed for the kitchen. “So do either of you yahoos believe in love at first sight?”
“No,” Harris said.
“No way,” Ethan agreed, then he added, “But Riley must.”
Buck paused in the middle of putting cans of cola into the fridge. “That’s right. He took one look at Red and was a goner, wasn’t he?”
“In a big way,” Ethan agreed. He snagged a cola before Buck could put it away. “It was almost embarrassing, the way he branded her right off.”
“I wish he was here.”
Harris and Ethan looked at each other. Slowly they grinned with conspiratorial humor. Harris, being the bigger goof of the two, said, “Tell Uncle Harris what ails you.”
“Go to hell.”
“A woman ails him,” Ethan said. “I know the signs.”
“It was only a matter of time, you know.” Harris grabbed a can of cola, and together, he and Ethan made a toast. “Here’s to happily married men.”
Buck said, “Marriage hasn’t matured either of you at all.”
Ignoring that gibe, Ethan said, “So tell us who the lucky lady is.” His brows pulled together in consideration. “Is it Beth? I remember you were partial to her, but I gotta tell you, Rosie doesn’t like her much.”
“Rosie doesn’t like any woman who smiles at you, Ethan, but no, it’s not Beth.”
“Then it must be Rachel.” Harris held his hands out in front of his chest as if juggling melons. “There’s a lot of her to love.”
Buck narrowed his eyes. “Clair’s gonna kill you when she hears what you said.”
“Well, for God’s sake, I was just kidding around. Don’t tell her!”
Just then, a knock sounded on Buck’s French doors—and there stood Sadie with a squirming Tish in her arms. Buck’s underwear was half wrapped around the dog. Belatedly, Sadie noticed Ethan and Harris and appeared ready to bolt.
Buck wondered if he could somehow magically make the guys disappear. He ran through his options—but one look at them told Buck a team of wild hor
ses couldn’t drag them away. He gave up and opened the door.
Taking her by surprise he whispered, “Hey,” and bent to press his mouth to hers in a warm kiss.
When he lifted his head, she looked speechless, breathless and too warm. She glanced at Harris and Ethan, who smiled at her in turn, and her blush intensified.
“I can come back later,” she blurted. “I didn’t mean to interrupt—”
Harris literally leaped forward. “You’re not. Come on in.”
Ethan pulled a chair out for her. “Have a seat. Can I get you a cola?”
She looked overwhelmed by her welcome. “Well…”
Buck had to grin. Damn, but he had great friends. They were total idiots at times, which was part of their charm, but he could never doubt their loyalty.
Butch came barreling around the corner, saw Sadie and Tish, and there was no curbing his exhilaration. He turned circles, barked maniacally, and all but demanded that Sadie put Tish down.
“Young love,” Harris crooned with a hand over his heart.
He tried to pet Tish, but she almost threw herself out of Sadie’s arms trying to get away. Sadie juggled her to the ground, Tish snatched the underwear away from her, and together with Butch, she made her hasty escape.
Harris stared. “My God, she hates me.”
“Probably heard about your reputation.” Ethan grinned.
“Ha, ha.” But Harris was both appalled and wounded by the dog’s rejection. Buck knew just how he felt.
Sadie tried to reassure Harris. “She’s very shy. She hasn’t even gotten used to me yet. It wasn’t personal.”
“She was mistreated,” Buck explained.
“Mistreated?” Ethan demanded. “Who would mistreat that little thing?” Buck told them all about what Tish had been through, then he went on to describe Sadie’s role in caring for the animals. He left nothing out, extolling her dedication and caring.
She blushed as Harris and Ethan heaped praise on her for her generosity. Within minutes, the two men were settled at the table, drinking his cola and eating his pizza and hanging on Sadie’s every word. Whenever she paused, they asked another question. Their interest was genuine, but Buck also knew they were deliberately welcoming her, trying to make her feel at ease.
There was something about Sadie that brought out a man’s protective instincts. Her big heart, yes, but also her naked vulnerability, the way she left herself so emotionally exposed.
Buck thought about throwing them out, then decided it’d be nice for Sadie to get to know them better. He’d have her alone soon enough.
Or so he thought.
Two hours later, Harris and Ethan were still going strong. The dogs had reappeared for a drink and a doggie treat, then gone off again for the alone-time Buck craved.
He’d done little more than think about making love to Sadie. At first, he’d resisted the idea, thinking it might be better to ease her into it. Maybe spend a week just necking, then a week petting…but he knew his control wasn’t strong enough for that. Not with Sadie.
And there was the very real concern that if he waited, she’d misconstrue his impatience for lack of interest. He couldn’t have that.
He brought his attention back to his guests in time to hear Sadie say, “Yes, it’s incredibly hard to give the dogs up, but I always make sure they go to a wonderful and appropriate home.”
“So,” Harris asked with visible hesitation, “would I be eligible to take one? Clair’s been talking about getting a pet since we’ll be moving into our own house soon.” Then to explain, he added, “Ethan’s wife, Rosie, is a realtor and she’s always finding great deals on houses. The one we offered for is a handyman special, and since Buck is a real handyman, I couldn’t pass it up.”
Ethan nodded. “Rosie made kids and a dog and a damn picket fence all a stipulation before saying yes to my proposal.” He winked. “I’ve been working most diligently on the kid part. Since that’s not happening real fast, maybe I could surprise her with a dog. What about us? Do we qualify as suitable?”
Because Sadie barely knew Harris and Ethan, she glanced at Buck.
He nodded. “You’re visiting with bona fide heroes, honey. Firefighters. Ethan’s even been written up for daring deeds, and Harris once went back into a fire to save a kid’s guinea pig. Neither one of them would ever neglect or abuse an animal. And their wives are terrific, too. You couldn’t find a better home for a dog.”
Harris pretended to sniff. “Damn, Buck, now you’ve made me all weepy.”
Ethan laughed. “True friends always make each other sound good.”
“Thank you,” Sadie said with a smile. “I’ll definitely keep you in mind.”
Buck took Ethan’s elbow. “Speaking of friends and what they do for each other—it’s time for you two to hit the road.”
Ethan allowed himself to be hauled out of his seat. Harris rose on his own steam with a lot of feigned offense. “What? No dessert? No coffee? See, this is why you need to get hitched. You’re a lousy host.”
Buck surprised them both by saying, “I’ll see what I can do.” He didn’t turn to see Sadie’s reaction. He’d find out how she felt about a real relationship soon enough.
As he practically dragged Harris and Ethan to the front door, they yelled back their farewells to Sadie, then started sniggering and elbowing Buck as he tried to shove them out onto the stoop.
Buck gave up. “So what do you think?”
Bobbing his eyebrows, Harris whispered, “Still waters run deep.”
“Very sweet,” Ethan added. “And gentle.”
Buck was so relieved, he grinned. He’d been half afraid his buds wouldn’t recognize Sadie’s appeal. It wasn’t in your face, like a lush figure or a stop-traffic face. She didn’t have a load of sexual confidence or snappy charisma. She wasn’t a fashion plate.
Sadie was subtly attractive.
So much so, he’d been afraid they might not see her appeal at all. God knew he’d missed it at first. But through Sadie, he was learning the truth about cats, dogs…and women. He was learning the truth about himself, and what he really wanted out of life.
He wanted Sadie.
Anyone so quietly kind and caring deserved a lot of love.
Buck had a hell of a lot of love to give.
“Thanks,” he told his friends. “And goodbye.”
Harris had his mouth open to say more when Buck shut the door. For good measure, he locked it. He could hear the male laughter of his friends as they strode away.
Bending down, he peered under his couch. Butch and Tish were curled tightly together in the yellow underwear. He could hardly tell where one Chihuahua started and the other ended. Cute.
Tish opened one eye, saw him and inched farther back.
“It’s all right, baby girl. I won’t bother you. Go back to sleep now.” She kept watching him as if waiting to be pounced on.
Sighing, Buck decided that sooner or later, he’d win her over. He really, really wanted to hold her.
Sadie stood in the kitchen doorway. “The dogs are hiding?” she asked.
Buck straightened; their gazes met. Sadie’s lips were parted to accommodate her fast breathing. His muscles tensed, his abdomen clenched.
It was time—and they both knew it.
“Yeah.” He walked to her and held out a hand. “How long will they nap, do you think?”
Sadie put her hand in his. Her attention was on his mouth. “Long enough. At least, I hope so.”
His smile felt silly and right and full of anticipation. His heart turned over. Damn, but she was perfect.
And starting now, she was his.
SADIE WENT DOWN THE HALL to Buck’s bedroom with her heart tripping, her stomach fluttering and her thighs shaking. Anticipation stole her breath.
Her hand felt tiny in his. She watched the play of muscles in his broad back beneath the soft cotton shirt. He was so sinfully, deliciously, unbelievably gorgeous.
And he wanted her.
Sadie didn’t care if it would be for an hour, a day, a week. It didn’t matter; she wasn’t about to turn him down. Whenever she fantasized, it was of a man like Buck, a man who was physically big and strong, but emotionally gentle and loving, who filled her dreams.
No other man she knew had ever been so concerned for an animal. When he spoke to Tish, it was as if he related to her. That took confidence, in himself and in his masculinity. Though she’d deliberately kept her distance, she’d always admired him. And after seeing him with her dog, her heart was lost.
He tugged her into his bedroom and shut the door. Facing her, his gaze molten and very direct, he murmured, “I don’t want the dogs to wander in.”
“No?”
“I’m not into exhibitionism.”
He liked to joke. “I doubt they’d understand.”
She didn’t understand. Not yet anyway. But soon.
He leaned against the door. “You put your cardigan back on.”
Excuses tripped on her tongue, but nothing coherent came out.
Lazily, Buck reached out with his long arms and began undoing the buttons for the second time that day. “It’s okay. I like undressing you.” His eyes lifted briefly to her face, then returned to her sweater. “Do you mind?”
Did she mind what? Nervousness took hold, making it hard for her to think beyond the obvious desire to know him physically.
“Would you be more comfortable in the dark? I can shut the blinds, but the truth is…I’m dying to see every soft, pink inch of you.”
Oh, God. If he said things like that, she’d never get through this. Sadie licked her lips. “No one’s ever looked at me before.”
His expression heated even more. “I know.”
He pushed away from the door, and with his fingers busy on the last button of her sweater, took her mouth. The kiss was unlike the ones earlier in the day. He ate at her mouth, consumed her, made her burn.
“Damn.” His laugh was shaky as he stripped off her sweater. “I should be honest and tell you that your virginity is an enormous turn-on. I can’t wait to take you, to see your face when I push inside you, when you come…”
Sadie sucked in a startled breath. She couldn’t wait, either. “You first.”
