Sweat pricked his brow, but he manned up. Stone opened the gate, dropped down on the rough, damp ground, and propped his back up. Pinky’s head turned a bit toward the sound, but she still didn’t seem interested. She was still just as ugly as the night he first saw her. A few bandages were wrapped around her body, probably to heal the sores. She looked cleaner, too, even though there was no fur. Weren’t dogs supposed to have hair? Her skin was a tan color, with her paws and belly a light pink. Three weird white tufts of fur sprouted from the top of her head in some kind of kooky headdress. Beady black eyes. Pinkish bat ears that sprouted up from the sides of her bullet head. Her black snout stuck out slightly, making her look like she owned a crazy overbite. A simple black collar circled her neck.
Arilyn peered through the gate. “You okay?” she asked.
“Sure. Go ahead, I’ll be fine.”
He heard her footsteps fade away. The sound of a bird screeched in the air, along with whimpers and other doggy noises down the way. The rat’s—umm, Pinky’s nose twitched as she caught a scent. Yeah, she was still in there somewhere. Whatever had happened was bad. He knew how that went.
Stone gave a long sigh. “Guess it’s just me and you for a while. That acceptable?”
No answer.
Stone settled back for a long, long silence.
ARILYN SLID THE BROCCOLI bake in the oven, sliced some multigrain bread, and poured a glass of wine. It had been a good day. The guys had been great at the shelter, no mini disasters had cropped up, and now she was ready to relax with a good book and a bath. Sure, she couldn’t stop thinking about the amazing kiss with Officer Stone Petty. Both of them. The way he touched her and commanded her body, tempting her to do a whole bunch of dirty, delicious things she’d never tried.
But she controlled herself. Repeated the mantra over and over that he was a client and off-limits. Kind of. Definitely a gray area but easier to sketch the boundary lines in bold black-and-white.
At least, that’s what she kept telling herself.
Holding back a sigh, Arilyn grabbed her laundry basket and headed outside to get her clothes from the line. She hoped that Mrs. Blackfire wouldn’t be out spying. Guilt pricked her at the second empty wine bottle she’d be forced to put out in recycling this week. The evening spent together hadn’t gone as bad as she expected, and Poppy had entertained them both with stories. Mrs. Blackfire had actually smiled at one point. Arilyn couldn’t stop staring at her, wondering if it was a trick of the light, and then Poppy gave her that sharp look—that she was being rude—and she’d concentrated on eating. At least, Poppy seemed more inclined to try some other activities at the center this week.
She opened the door and rammed right into the man on her doorstep.
When she refocused, her world shook, tilted, and dumped her in a tangle of limbs on the cold ground.
Jacob.
He looked exactly the same. Shoulder-length dark hair tied back, revealing the graceful, etched lines of his face. Long limbed and lean from his many years of yoga. A watchful, reflective aura surrounded him. He’d studied in India under a powerful yogi and dedicated his life to serving others.
Too bad he was also a lying, scheming cheater.
The nasty thought helped her breath return. Her world rebalanced. Her many years of practice and study under his tutelage came roaring back. Once, he’d made her feel as if she was the most important thing in his world. Now he only reminded her of how little she meant to him in the bigger picture.
Arilyn checked the lock on the door inside her heart.
Still tight.
“Arilyn.” His voice lilted, carried, stroked, like poetry whispered in a lover’s ear. “I wanted to come sooner, but I realize how angry you must be. I thought a bit of time would be better for us to talk.”
He’d come before, of course. Twice. The first time he cheated, he fell to his knees and cried. Begged her forgiveness. Spoke of man’s weakness and his mockery of monogamy. Said if she demanded it, she was worth the sacrifice of giving up other women. She forgave him and took him back.
The second time was more delicate. He waited two full days after the righteous, horrid anger passed and she fell into grief mode. He admitted his fault and spoke for hours about how scared he was of being close with her. How she filled him up in ways his meditation and spiritual practices never could. He wanted a chance to show her they could be more together, because he was no longer afraid. Long into the night, they discussed their dreams and ambitions. She laid down the law. No more cheating. She wanted to move forward into the light with a real relationship. She wanted him to tell the students.
He promised it all, and slowly Arilyn believed they’d make it.