Dark and Deadly: Eight Bad Boys of Paranormal Romance by Jennifer Ashley, Alyssa Day, Felicity Heaton, Erin Kellison, Laurie London, Erin Quinn, Bonnie Vanak and Caris Roane
CHAPTER 9
When Lilly returned to the front room, Alex stood by the fireplace, lost in thought. She’d showered, changed, and avoided him for most of the afternoon. He knew she wanted answers. She wanted some kind of agreement, if not full-fledged commitment. But Lilly wasn’t willing to accept the truth.
Creatures of the Beyond did not belong in her world. Ever.
Alex watched her wander with guarded eyes. The dogs followed her like a parade, devotion in every step. She might feel ill-equipped to deal with her pack, but the dogs had obviously accepted her completely. All but Belle. She sat by the door expectantly. Alex stared at her. She stared back with more intelligence than a four-legged creature should have.
Could it be possible that she’d made friends with a hellhound?
“Belle,” Alex said. “Come.”
Belle let him wait a moment before heeding his command. Lilly watched with indignant surprise. Devoted or not, the dogs never jumped to obey her. They only worshiped the ground she walked on. He understood.
The giant dog padded to his side and Alex knelt beside her. Belle let him stroke her head and down her side. She made a soft whimper when he touched her belly. Frowning, Alex smoothed his palm over it again, feeling the hard heat there. Belle snuffled his ear as he gently probed.
After a moment, he looked up.
“What?” Lilly asked, coming closer.
He reached up and tugged her hand. Lilly crouched down beside him and let him guide her fingers over Belle’s abdomen. Something inside squirmed, something else shifted. He could almost feel the hard little heads and pointed elbows. Searching noses. Sealed eyes.#p#分页标题#e#
“Is that…are those…puppies?”
“You didn’t know?”
“It’s not possible. Amy told me all the dogs were fixed. Spayed, neutered. I can’t remember which one.”
He raised his brows. “Spayed for females.”
“You know?”
“Every male knows.”
“How can she be having puppies if she’s been spayed?” Lilly demanded.
“Your guess is as good as mine. Has she been around any males?”
“Harley, and he’s fixed, too.”
They both looked at the little Pomeranian. Even if he’d been capable, there was no way he’d ever manage to impregnate the huge Dane.
“I never even…Amy was adamant. She rescued dogs. She wouldn’t have had one in the house that hadn’t been fixed. Too many unwanted animals in the world as it was, she’d say.” Lilly stared Belle dog with anxious eyes. “I can barely take care of the dogs I have. What am I going to do with puppies? Love them, of course, but five is already too many.”
He wanted to say he’d help her. He wanted it to be true.
Belle whined and moved to the door.
“She needs to go outside,” Lilly said.
“I’ll take her,” Alex answered. “We’re getting low on wood. Is there a stack somewhere?”
“By the shed. I’ll come, too.”
“I don’t need help.”
“Of course not. You only had a hellhound try to eat you yesterday.”
She pulled on her coat and stuffed her feet into her boots while he did the same. He took her hat before she could reach for it and gently pulled it over her head. Hands still on the yarn cuff, he kissed her. Slowly.
Her lips parted, giving him access to the mystery of Lilly. He deepened the kiss, but he didn’t touch her anywhere else. Just his fingertips on her hat and his lips against hers. Still, he felt that kiss in places that were still hungry for her. Intimate seemed too small a word for how it made him feel.
Without a word, he moved away and opened the door. The blast of frosty air cleared his head but it couldn’t begin to cool his blood. Lilly followed him out, pointing to the edge of the porch. The shed was a couple hundred feet to the left, but the blizzard obscured it. Even the trees had become mere smudges in a fury of white.
The dogs followed them out and scurried to their spots to do their business. Finished, they frolicked in the snow while Lilly and Alex moved wood from the side of the shed to the porch. They passed each other like dancers in a strange minuet, exchanging awkward glances and spare words each time. The snow muffled all sound, but the dogs seemed at ease and Alex let down his guard, just a little.
“Were you angry?” Lilly asked as they passed.
She posed the question casually, as if in response to something they’d been discussing all along.