“You do realize I worked until three in the morning.”
“But Milo didn’t, and unless you want a mess on your hands, we need to go.”
With a look of defiance, he grabbed the corner of the blanket and tossed it back, revealing everything she’d imagined just moments ago. She inhaled sharply, infuriated by the smug grin he gave her when he caught her staring. She ducked out of the frame of the door and jogged silently down the stairs to the main floor, Milo at her side.
Kyle may have been well-endowed—ridiculously, unbelievably well-endowed—and beautifully built, but she would not allow herself to react like a horny schoolgirl. She was a grown, accomplished woman. Romantically experienced. A professional. Crossing her arms over her chest, she decided it would take more than a pretty face and an enormous, mind-blowingly large dick to win her over. At the prospect of her will trumping her desire, her wolf howled in pain and curled up at the back of her brain with a pronounced pout.
Thankfully, when Kyle joined her in the kitchen, he was fully dressed in jeans and a Hunt Club T-shirt, the latter sporting a tribal-style lion on the breast. It reminded her a little of her pack tattoo.
She thrust Milo’s leash into Kyle’s hands. It was a sunny morning. Time for test number one. “I’m going to open this. Try to be the first over the threshold. It’s a display of dominance.”
He shrugged. “Okay. Sounds easy enough.”
With a glance at Milo, she threw open the back door.
Kyle’s feet left the tile floor and his head snapped back as Milo took off like a bullet. Laina snickered as Kyle leaped over a padded chaise in a desperate effort to keep his feet under him. “Miloooooo!”
“Milo, stop!” Laina snapped when he’d reached a sunny patch of grass. The mastiff obeyed immediately, stopping abruptly and almost tripping Kyle. With both dog and owner in direct sunlight, she raked her eyes over him from head to toe. Aside from a beautiful constriction of his pupils that brought out the multilayered hues of his hazel eyes, she detected nothing unusual. Certainly no aura. Just a man holding his chest and resting his hands on his knees. Test one passed.
“Oww,” he said.
“Big dog,” she said.
Kyle was athletic, as tall and muscular as any werewolf, but she’d personally seen a mastiff slightly larger than Milo pull over 5,000 pounds on wheels. They were working dogs—all muscle and grit.
“Did you know he was going to do that?”
She repositioned the leash in his hands for optimal control. “In the future, Mr. Kingsley, I would hope you could keep your private parts private.”
“You were the one who came intomyroom. It’s not my fault you told me to get out of bed and I happened to be naked.”
She ignored him. “Stand tall and keep Milo at your side. If he starts to get ahead of you, correct him with a sharp snap of the leash. We’ll take him around the yard and work on control. Try to keep him behind your heel.”
“Can we talk about this?”
Laina redirected the conversation back to Milo. “He’ll have to relieve himself, so you can give him a little leash when he’s ready.”
With a cluck of her tongue, she urged the dog forward. Laina wasn’t angry about seeing Kyle naked. On the contrary, she’d enjoyed it. But anger became a shield she could hide behind until she knew for sure Kyle was human. Drop that shield and she’d be in his bed before the day was through.
“And what is with this Mr. Kingsley shit?” Kyle asked. “You didn’t mind calling me Kyle when you were straddling my lap last night. What happened between then and now?” He turned his attention to her. Immediately, the dog lunged ahead.
“Milo, heel,” she commanded. “Concentrate, Mr. Kingsley. He knows when you’re not paying attention.”
The muscles of his lips tightened faintly. “I’d prefer you call me Kyle. Actually, I insist you call me Kyle. And unless you want to answer for the stunt you pulled in my club, you’ll call me Kyle.”
“Fine. Kyle, your dog needs to poop.”
Kyle stopped abruptly, finally noticing that Milo had fallen behind slightly and was attempting to squat. He winced when nature took its course. “Ugh. Wow.”
Laina shrugged. “Big dog. This is what you signed up for. You can use one of the bags at the end of the leash for now, but you might want to invest in an in-ground disposal system.”
“In-ground…”
“A system to compost it underground. You could also flush it if you’re willing to carry it inside every day.”
“I’ll tell Gerty.”
Laina placed her hands on her hips. “No, Kyle. Gerty can’t always do this for you. This is your dog, and you are building trust. You need to take care of his needs.” She folded her arms and waited. Milo, now relieved, looked between the two of them. One thing was for sure: if Kyle was Jonah in disguise, his ego would be too big for him to pick up after Milo.
