by C. B. Lewis
The sooner he could get in and out, the better for her.
He walked quickly toward the building before he could change his mind.
Katie smiled in greeting from the desk. “Hey, Mr. Eastman. You got here pretty quick.”
“Yeah.” Sam looked toward the kennels. “I have to head back soon as well….”
“Oh! Sure.” She circled around from behind the desk. “Skip’ll be pleased to see you.”
She led him through to the hall lined with the cages where the animals were settled, and Sam didn’t even need to ask which cage Philip was in. He could see the white paws propped on the bars and could recognize the sharp, excited barks.
Katie unlocked the cage, and before she could open it, Philip burst out, running the length of the hall to slam into Sam’s chest. Sam staggered, laughing, and went down on one knee. He ended up with an armful of wriggling, excited spaniel, and Philip licked at his ears and face, and if he’d had any question about Philip being there to see him, it was answered.
“Where the hell have you been?” he asked, scratching the back of Philip’s neck. Philip whined and nuzzled at his neck. “You don’t call, you don’t write….”
“Looks like he missed you,” Katie said, smiling. “You need a collar for him? He looks like he lost his.”
“I’ve got a spare back home,” Sam said, then rose, Philip scooped up in his arms. “This way, he won’t run off again.” He felt the chuff of not-quite-laughter against his neck. Philip’s front paws were over his shoulders, and he seemed more than happy to be carried like a baby. “Thanks for letting me know he was safe.”
Katie shook her head. “It’s no problem. I’m just glad you have him home.”
She led him back through the reception, and there was talk of minor fees for cleaning up some cuts and scratches, but Sam was barely listening. All he could think about was the warm body in his arms and the way Philip was breathing against his neck. He recalled asking for an invoice of some kind, then headed out into the parking lot.
Daisy was on her paws in the trunk of the car, barking excitedly, and Philip’s head came up at once. He slowly and deliberately turned and looked at Sam, grinning his doggy grin. If he could have, he would have raised his eyebrows.
“Oh, shut up,” Sam snorted, carrying him to the car. He set Philip down in the passenger seat. “Don’t change until we’re out of town. There are pants on the floor.”
Philip raised a paw in a salute.
Sam couldn’t help smiling as he went around to the driver’s seat. In the trunk, Daisy was barking happily, and he could see her wagging her tail as he turned on the ignition and drew away from the building where he had claimed her.
He glanced sidelong at his passenger and found Philip gazing at him. “Stop that.”
Philip tilted his head, cocking his ears.
“You’re staring. It’s distracting.”
Philip moved on the seat to face him properly and widened his eyes.
Sam pressed his lips together in a tight line, trying to keep from laughing. He had meant to be pissed about being forgotten and ignored for two months, not grinning like an idiot because the dumbass he had a crush on got himself locked up again just to see him.
“You’re still full of shit,” he said.
Philip nodded, then leaned over the space between them and put his chin on Sam’s shoulder, blinking innocently.
Sam raised his eyebrows. “Really? The soulful puppy thing?”
As they cleared the edge of town, the furry chin became something more human. Sam vaguely registered Daisy yelp in surprise from the trunk, but he was definitely more focused on the pale mass of bare skin sitting right next to him.
“I lost your phone number,” Philip said in a rush. “Well, when I say lost, some charming housekeeper decided to put my clothes through the wash unasked and didn’t bother to empty the pockets, and I really tried to find you, but do you have any idea how many Sams live in this bloody county and how difficult it is to find someone when you don’t know—”
Sam pulled over by the roadside and shut him up with a kiss.
When Philip drew back, he was flushed and grinning. “Oh. Hello.”
Sam’s lips twitched. “That’s how normal people start a conversation.”
Philip leaned in to steal another kiss. “Well,” he said, lips brushing Sam’s, “I’m not entirely normal.”
“I noticed. I don’t know many guys who would get themselves locked up in the pound just to get my attention.”
Philip ducked his head. “Well, it worked, didn’t it?”
“Another vacation?”
Blue eyes peeked up at him hopefully. “If you’ll have me for a few days?”
Sam glanced back toward the trunk. “What do you think, Daisy? You wanna have a friend to play?” Daisy barked excitedly, wagging her tail, and Sam looked back at Philip. “Lady of the house seems okay with it.”
Philip’s face lit up. “And this time, we exchange e-mails right away and do it sensibly and don’t lose touch.”
“First things first,” Sam said, grinning so wide his face was starting to hurt.
“What?”
“You should really put on some pants.”
C.B. LEWIS is small and Scottish and can often be spotted perched around historical monuments with her notepad and pen. She has been writing and telling tales for almost as long as she can remember and has a brain that constantly fizzes with an abundance of ideas. If she’s not working on half a dozen things at once, it should be considered a slow day.
She loves to travel and just has one continent left to complete her travel bingo card. A lot of the travel has also been research-based, and if pointed at any historical event, she will research it vociferously, just because she can.
Normally she is based in Edinburgh, where she tends toward the hermit lifestyle, needing nothing but a kettle, a constant supply of tea, and—of course—the Internet. There are no cats, no puppies, no significant others, only a lot of ideas and an awful lot of typing. And occasionally, cake. Never forget the cake.
By C.B. Lewis
Man’s Best Friend
Time Waits
Published by DREAMSPINNER PRESS
www.dreamspinnerpress.com
Published by
DREAMSPINNER PRESS
5032 Capital Circle SW, Suite 2, PMB# 279, Tallahassee, FL 32305-7886 USA
www.dreamspinnerpress.com
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of author imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
Man’s Best Friend
© 2016 C.B. Lewis.
Cover Art
© 2016 L.C. Chase.
http://www.lcchase.com
Cover content is for illustrative purposes only and any person depicted on the cover is a model.
All rights reserved. This book is licensed to the original purchaser only. Duplication or distribution via any means is illegal and a violation of international copyright law, subject to criminal prosecution and upon conviction, fines, and/or imprisonment. Any eBook format cannot be legally loaned or given to others. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without the written permission of the Publisher, except where permitted by law. To request permission and all other inquiries, contact Dreamspinner Press, 5032 Capital Circle SW, Suite 2, PMB# 279, Tallahassee, FL 32305-7886, USA, or www.dreamspinnerpress.com.
Digital ISBN: 978-1-63477-488-8
Published June 2016
v. 1.0
Printed in the United States of America
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