The Truth About Cats & Dogs

by Lori Foster

  “I have to be up for work in an hour anyway.”

  He trailed kisses along her throat. “That’s an extra hour you could sleep.” He’d already learned Sadie’s secrets and knew that she was especially sensitive on her throat, behind her ear, and beneath her breasts. Of course, she went wild when he licked at the inside of her thighs, too, and higher—

  Her hand closed over his cock and Buck stilled.

  “Know what I’d rather do in that hour?”

  Oh, he could just imagine. She was a generous lover, but also wicked enough to enjoy tormenting him. “I don’t know if I can bear for you to tell me.”

  With her free hand, she pushed against him until he obligingly went onto his back—giving her free rein over his body.

  “I want to kiss you all over.”

  Excitement trembled along his nerve endings. He’d never live through this. “Okay.”

  Smiling with newfound female power, Sadie climbed atop him. She did seem to enjoy his body; she made plenty of comments on his strength and size.

  “You relax, okay?”

  He laughed. “Not a chance, honey.”

  Her lips grazed his. “Then at least hold still.”

  Lord help him. He locked his hands behind his head and promised to try his best. It sure as hell wasn’t easy. Twenty minutes later, Sadie was on her knees between his thighs. She’d been slowly—and he did mean slowly—working her soft mouth down his body.

  Now she held his cock in one hand, his balls in the other, and it was heavenly torture. “Hussy,” he teased with a low groan. “Put me out of my misery before I break.”

  Laughing, she whispered, “All right.” And then she bent, kissed the head of his erection, opened her mouth and swallowed him.

  Buck stiffened with a wrenching growl.

  Her tongue swirled, gave one final lick and she lifted her head. “Hold still.”

  “Can’t.”

  Her small fist stroked. “Keep trying.” And she took him in her mouth again, all the while cuddling his balls, working him. She was a fast learner, and teaching her was its own form of pleasurable agony.

  To make matters worse, the moonlight shone through the window, putting her small round breasts on display. It was enough. Too much. He caught her shoulders and pulled her up onto his chest.

  “Buck,” she complained.

  “Sorry, babe.” He groped on the bedside table for a condom, while holding Sadie still with his other hand. He ripped it open with his teeth, then handed it to her. “Here, put this on me.”

  “Oh.” She straightened, eyed the protection and smiled. “Okay.” She wore that concentrated, fascinated expression that made him hot as a chili pepper. “Like this?”

  With awful precision, she rolled the condom halfway down his length.

  His teeth clenched. “You little tease.” He hurriedly finished the job while Sadie chuckled, but she stopped laughing when he lifted her, positioned himself and drove up into her.

  Her fingers curled against his chest, stinging in force while proving her own measure of excitement.

  “Do whatever you want, Sadie,” he managed to say. “Fast, slow, I don’t care, as long as you keep moving.”

  Luckily for his peace of mind, she was in a fast mood. Buck held her breasts, lightly tugging at her nipples while she labored over him, rising and falling, again and again. He was so deep this way, and he loved being able to watch her face as her climax overtook her. She didn’t hide from him, but at the crucial moment, she did fall onto his chest and let him take charge.

  All she could do was moan.

  Buck loved it. He loved her. He even loved her difficult little dog.

  Soon she’d fall in love with him, too. He was counting on it.

  SADIE ENJOYED HER JOB at the shelter, but because she always had a pet waiting, she never lingered after work. The need to rush home was even more urgent with Tish, because she knew that, more than most, the little dog needed reassurance and human contact.

  That hadn’t changed. But now she also had Buck to come home to. So she smiled as she drove, thinking of how he’d hug her when she walked in, how the dogs would run to greet her. Everything was so perfect, it scared her.

  If she told Buck she loved him, would he misunderstand? Would he assume her feelings were no more than an infatuation, because she’d never been intimate with another man? Or would he realize just how special he was to her?

  She didn’t know, and for that reason, she hesitated to put her feelings into words.

  Until Buck, she hadn’t known how much was missing in her life. But knowing was a two-edged sword, because now she knew what she could lose, too, and that was one reality she didn’t want to face. She’d faced enough already.

  Sadie was so lost in thought that as she turned down her street she almost missed Buck on the sidewalk in front of the complex’s parking lot. She slowed the car to take the turn, and stared in awe.

  He wore a big smile filled with pride. And no wonder. He had both dogs on a leash—and Tish wasn’t fighting him.

  Exhilaration exploded within Sadie. She pulled into her parking space and turned off the ignition. Buck was striding toward her, both dogs politely trotting along, to greet her.

  Sadie got out of the car and stared. “She doesn’t look afraid.”

  “Nope.” Buck couldn’t stop grinning. “It was a chore getting her to try the walk, but having Butch next to her helped. At first she kept watching me, but soon she was too busy trying to keep up with Butch.”

  Sadie laughed. “She has your sock in her mouth.”

  “I know.” He shrugged. “She stole it out of my laundry, which is gross. I tried to give her a clean one, but you know how she is. I figured as long as her mouth was full, she couldn’t chomp on any bugs. It’s a fair trade-off.”

  The sight of Buck, all six-feet-plus inches of him, bulging muscles and obvious strength, walking two very tiny dogs, made her throat tight with emotion. He was so secure in his masculinity that he could love two Chihuahuas without hesitation.

  How could she not love him?

  Sounding a little hoarse, she said, “You’re a miracle worker.”

  “Nah.” He tipped his head and his eyes were warm with affection. “I learned patience from you.”

  He said that with so much sincerity and affection, she felt tears sting her eyes. “Thank you.”

  “No big deal.” He grinned down at the dogs. “These two are like chick magnets. Women of all ages were beeping their horns, stopping to chat, oohing and aahing at me. One older woman called me ‘sweetie’ and patted my cheek. Another, um, younger woman slipped me her phone number.” Buck retrieved the crumpled piece of paper from his pocket.

  Before Sadie could get too worked up about that, his grin widened. “’Course, some guys passing by laughed their asses off at me, too.”

  Sadie watched him toss the phone number into a nearby trash can. Relief washed over her. “That wasn’t nice of them.”

  “They’re just jealous.” He knelt down and held out his hand. Butch came right to him. Tish lowered herself until her belly touched the ground, flattened her ears and wiggled nearer until Buck could tickle her chin. In a voice as soft as butter, Buck said, “They wish they had dogs as fine as these two.”

  Well, Sadie thought. If she hadn’t been in love before, that would have done it.

  Buck pushed back onto his feet. “Come on, gang. Let’s get inside and see about dinner.”

  He strode to Sadie, put his arm around her, kissed her warmly, and together they went into his apartment.

  BUCK SPENT EVERY FREE MOMENT of his two weeks’ vacation with Sadie. While she worked, he kept the dogs. When she got home, he greeted her at the door. She’d see him, smile and throw herself into his arms.

  Tish continued to steal Buck’s things. Whenever she could manage it, she’d grab something and pull it under the couch to make a bed. Good thing Buck had a big couch to accommodate the yellow underwear, the sock, a T-shirt, dishtow
el, ragged work glove and leather shoelaces from his favorite boots.

  The last hurt, and he half blamed Butch for that, because both he and Tish liked to chew the laces. Buck learned real quick to put his boots in the closet, well out of reach of small jaws.

  They fell into a routine of sorts that seemed to work for everyone. Buck made sure the dogs had been out before Sadie got home so they could fix dinner together without doggie interruptions.

  She was a good cook, but then so was he, so they took turns, and every so often they had dinner delivered.

  After dinner, they took the time to play in the yard with the dogs. Before bed, they’d sit on the floor. Buck would hold Butch while doing his best to entice Tish into his lap. So far, it hadn’t worked. She’d stopped being so jumpy, but she remained a long way from trusting.

  Still, to Buck, they felt like a family—and he wanted to protect that. He wanted Sadie and Tish to be happy. But tomorrow, Riley and Regina would return home. They’d take Butch, and that would be one more thing for Tish to adjust to.

  The September nights were unseasonably cool, making it necessary to wear a jacket or flannel when sitting outside. But neither Buck nor Sadie wanted to give up the time outdoors with the dogs. Buck had created a removable, adjustable fence that covered about ten square feet. Each day they set it up differently so the dogs could explore new areas.

  The fence worked out great, except that with more freedom, Tish found more bugs. At least half the time she went outside, she caught a spider or a grasshopper or a night crawler, which she always presented to Sadie.

  Thankfully, she hadn’t located any more cicadas. Butch was a more discriminating Chihuahua and didn’t care for bugs. He even seemed a little creeped out when Tish caught them, but he always ended up helping her, as if it were a game.

  The little dogs had become inseparable friends, and Tish seemed happiest when she was with Butch.

  Now Sadie sat curled next to Buck on her small back porch. Without looking at him, she wondered aloud, “Maybe I should bring in another dog, just so Tish won’t be lonely when Butch has to leave tomorrow.”

  Buck swallowed. He hated that idea. “Oh sure, that’s fine for Tish. Maybe she’ll even forget about him. But what about Butch? Think how lonely he’ll be.” He glanced at the dogs, and had the perfect opportunity to prove his point. “Look at the little guy. He’s snuggled up against Tish as if she’s his better half.”

  Sadie sighed. “I know. Maybe…that is, if you wanted to…”

  Buck waited, almost holding his breath. “What?”

  “You could bring him over every so often to visit.”

  He scowled at her. Her suggestion was far from what he’d hoped to hear. “I could do that.” He stared at her, trying to read her thoughts. “Or I could take Tish to see him. The wives have everyone over at least once a week.”

  “The wives? That’s what you call them?”

  “That’s what they are.” Sadie had already been to one of those gatherings last weekend to meet Clair and Rosie. The dogs had played while the people had conversed. Sadie had seemed to like them, and Buck knew they liked her. Things were moving along in that regard. “We, meaning the guys, had kinda figured the wives would put an end to us hanging out together. But we were wrong. We still hang out, we just usually do it with the wives there. Not that they mind if we take off to fish or play cards late one night or something.”

  Sadie stared at him, arrested by this outpouring of confidences. “I’m sure they’re very understanding. Why wouldn’t they be?”

  Buck felt like an idiot. “All I’m saying is that Regina wouldn’t mind if we brought Tish with us, and even when Rosie’s the one doing the cooking, or Clair, they like Butch, so I know they’d love Tish, too.”

  They’d better, because Tish was going to damn well be part of his family. As he’d told Sadie early on, he understood they were a package deal. The little dog had been through enough without being left behind.

  Buck was waiting for Sadie’s reaction when Harris and Clair rounded the corner of the building. “There you are,” Harris said, as if he hadn’t just interrupted Buck’s attempts to settle the future.

  “We knocked at Buck’s,” Clair explained, “but when we didn’t get an answer, we decided to check out here.”

  Butch raced to greet them, and Harris knelt down close to the low fence. Tish cowered back into the farthest corner of her contained play area.

  “She’s still so shy,” Harris said with a worried frown. “It just breaks my heart. I swear, Sadie, I don’t know how you do this.”

  Butch allowed Harris to pat him a few times, then he ran back to Tish.

  Sadie sent a fond smile to Tish. “Some cases are harder than others.” She stood. “Can I get you something to drink?”

  Harris shook his head. “No, that’s okay. We just stopped by because I have a suggestion.” He gave Buck a surreptitious glance and then cleared his throat. “There’s a house for sale next door to Riley’s.”

  Buck stilled. His brain went blank. “There is?”

  “It’s small,” Harris hurried to explain, “and like the one we picked, it needs some work. But if you bought it, the dogs would be close together.” He winked—and Buck caught on.

  Bless Harris, even he had a good idea every now and then.

  Clair knelt down and offered her hand for the dogs to sniff. “Assuming you’d want to keep Tish,” she told Sadie. “I mean, I know you’re supposed to be getting her ready for a family, but she’s…special.” She glanced at Sadie. “Isn’t she?”

  With her bottom lip caught in her teeth, a sure sign she felt unsure of the situation, Sadie nodded. Her voice was faint, and touched with emotion.

  “Very special. I’d already thought of keeping her.” She glanced at Buck, then away. “She’s going to need a lot more care before she’s comfortable with being held. She’s shy by nature, I think, and whatever she went through set her back more than I’d realized.”

  Harris cleared his throat. “If she was able to see Butch every day, that’d help, don’t you think?”

  “Yes, being with Butch comforts her.”

  Buck watched Sadie, foolishly wondering if she loved Tish enough to marry him, buy a house and make a home.

  “How much is the house?” Sadie asked. Then she added, “I’m not sure I could afford it.”

  Harris again glanced at Buck. “With your combined incomes…”

  Buck stood, cutting off Harris’s suggestion. He wanted Sadie, more than he’d ever wanted anything else in his life, but damn it, he didn’t need his friend to propose for him, and he didn’t want a house to be the reason she married him.

  She had to love him.

  “You said you were just stopping by. You on your way somewhere?”

  Taking the hint, Clair said, “We’re having dinner with my boss and his wife. We just wanted to tell you about the house.” And because Sadie had asked, Clair turned to her. “It’s cheap enough that Rosie doesn’t think it’ll stay on the market long.”

  “Thanks. We’ll check into it.” Buck stepped past Sadie. “Come on, I’ll walk you to your car.”

  Sadie also stood. “Thank you,” she called to them before Buck could haul them away.

  After they’d rounded the corner and were out of earshot, he thumped Harris on the back. “Thanks.”

  Clair smiled. “We figured it couldn’t hurt to put the thought in your heads.”

  “The thought’s been in mine almost from the first. Sadie’s the one who needs to be convinced. And I’m working on that.”

  “Work fast,” Harris suggested. “Riley and Red will be back tomorrow, and the house won’t last.”

  “Gotcha.” But Sadie didn’t deserve to be rushed. She deserved a slow, romantic courtship. Still, when he thought of Tish alone, without Butch as a companion…

  When he returned, Sadie was sitting in a sunny spot inside the fence, stroking Butch and crooning to Tish. With his arms crossed over his chest, Buck sto
pped to stare down at her. “So, what do you think?”

  She continued to pet the dog. “About what?”

  His temper edged up a notch. He pointed a finger at her. “You know damn good and well about what. The house.”

  She ducked her head and shrugged. “I don’t know. What do you think?”

  Frustrated, Buck stepped over the fence and sat beside her. “You are planning to keep Tish, aren’t you? Because I gotta tell you, if you don’t, I will.”

  Sadie’s head jerked up. “Really?”

  “Damn right. She needs someone to love her a lot. Forever. She needs calm and quiet. In just the two weeks I’ve known her, she’s gotten back more fur.”

  Sadie looked caught between laughing and crying. “She looks like a sleek little seal now, doesn’t she?”

  “She’s beautiful.” Buck touched Sadie’s cheek, and he was appalled to see his hand shake. “Just as you said she’d be.”

  Sadie’s eyes were sad, and her smile wobbled. “She’s fatter, too.”

  “She reminds me of a little sumo wrestler, especially when she’s sneaking up to steal something from me.” He peered down at her. “She’s not exactly graceful.”

  Sadie leaned against Buck and laughed.

  Buck melted.

  And suddenly, Tish crept over.

  They both froze. The little dog had her ears flat on her head, her big brown eyes watchful—and hopeful. She slowly, so very slowly, did an army crawl…right into Sadie’s lap.

  “Ohmigod,” Sadie whispered.

  Butch blinked his big eyes in stunned surprise at this change. Since he’d been in Sadie’s lap first, Tish was now half sitting on him. She outweighed Butch by at least a pound, and for four-pound Butch, that pound was a lot.

  But he didn’t complain.

  “Slow,” Buck whispered, “Go real slow.” He reached out with one finger and tickled the dog’s chin. Her worried gaze transferred to him, and her tail lifted in a one-wag thump. She looked very undecided about things, but she didn’t run off.

  Holding his breath, Buck carefully tickled his way over her muzzle, to her ear, and then to the top of her little round head, which was no longer bald, but soft with chocolate-brown fur.