Total pages in book: 105
Estimated words: 100478 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 502(@200wpm)___ 402(@250wpm)___ 335(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 100478 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 502(@200wpm)___ 402(@250wpm)___ 335(@300wpm)
And, unexpectedly, he smiled. Wide and carefree. He held out his hand.
“Dance with me, Little Dragon.”
I found myself taking his hand. Joining him under the sun. Letting him lead me, spin me around, pull me to his hot, sunbaked chest as we moved. He crooned in my ear, making me laugh. He joined me, the sound of our shared amusement fading away as the song ended and we broke apart. Slowly, carefully, as if neither of us wanted this moment to end.
I turned to face him, my breathing ragged. I was out of shape, obviously, since that was the only acceptable reason for my shortness of breath. It had nothing to do with his close proximity. Or the way his eyes were slowly devouring me. It especially had no bearing on the fact that I had been held against his hard, firm body and I wanted to be back there again.
Nope.
I blinked and cleared my throat.
“Um, hello.”
He laughed, the sound loud in the sudden quiet.
“Hello, Little Dragon.” He looked around. “Am I missing something? Is a crime being committed, and you’re here, once again, to foil the evildoers’ plans?”
A smile tugged on my lips, and I tried not to laugh.
“The crime is that I found this dog on the beach down there.” I pointed over the bluff. “Shouldn’t he be on a lead?”
He frowned and tapped his leg. “Cash, come here.”
The dog trotted to his side, gazing up at him with adoration. Hunter crouched down, running his hand over his neck. “How did you get off your leash?” Then he shook his head. “Where the hell is your collar?”
“That’s what I was wondering. He could have been hurt or taken,” I reprimanded him.
He narrowed his eyes. “He has one. He keeps getting off it, dammit.” He walked toward the huge oak tree closer to the house. He bent and picked up a long lead, a collar dangling from the end. “How is he doing this?”
“You didn’t notice he was gone?”
“When I checked him fifteen minutes ago, he was asleep on the porch, collar intact. Nothing indicated he had moved.” He narrowed his eyes at Cash. “You little bugger. That’s twice.” He glanced up at me. “I caught him yesterday and tightened the collar.” He held it up, and I took it from his hands, examining it.
“Um, this bit is broken.” I showed him. “It looks like it’s fastening, but all he has to do is yank it, and he’s free.”
Hunter stood and shook his head. “Well then, I guess he’s housebound until I get a new one.”
As if he knew what Hunter had said, Cash flopped down onto the ground, exhaling a long, low whimper.
Without thinking, I unbuckled my belt and pulled it from the loops. I bent and wrapped it around Cash’s neck. “If you cut this and add a hole here, this would work temporarily. You can clip the lead here.”
Hunter frowned. “It would ruin your belt.”
I laughed. “It’s old, and I don’t care.” I patted Cash’s head. “I hate to think of him cooped up in the house on such a great day.”
For a moment, Hunter said nothing, then he stopped and took the belt. He walked away, and I watched him covertly, admiring the way his jeans hugged his ass and thighs. He grabbed some tools from his truck and returned a moment later, the belt cut, a new hole in place. He fastened it around Cash’s neck.
“Say thank you to Ava. The Little Dragon saved you from being locked inside, you pain in the ass.” But his words were said without venom, and he stroked Cash’s great head, his touch gentle.
He stood, his gaze lingering, then he frowned. “Why is there blood on your jeans?”
I glanced down. “Oh, I tripped coming up the path.”
One moment, I was standing. The next, I was in his arms, being carried to the back of the truck.
“What the hell are you doing?” I yelped, clutching his shoulders.
He sat me on the edge of the open truck bed, pushing up my jeans. “Jesus, that’s a deep cut,” he muttered. He leaned across me, pressing me into his body as he rummaged behind me. His heat soaked into me the same way it did the other day. His scent filled my nose, warm and rich. I tried not to whimper.
He opened a first aid box, muttering the whole time. He refused to let me move as he cleaned and dressed the scrape. I gasped when the iodine hit my skin, and he muttered a terse apology, bending low and blowing on my knee. The pain faded as he lifted his gaze and our eyes locked.
He stilled, his eyes becoming liquid fire. They mesmerized me, stopping all coherent thought. Who he was, why he was here, didn’t matter. All that mattered was he was close and I wanted him closer. As if he knew what I was thinking, he stepped nearer, his body crowding between my legs. He settled his hands on either side of me, trapping me fully with his body.