Sasha grins at our byplay. “Listen, I can give you two some privacy,” she offers, rising from her seat.
I think about it and shake my head. Both Cassidy and Sasha know what it takes to build a stable relationship. I might as well get advice from them both. “I appreciate it. Especially since it’s your house, but stay, please. I could use your opinion, too.”
“Okay then, sit and let’s talk,” Sasha says with a smile.
Cassidy rests her arms on the table and meets my gaze. “Talk to me.”
It’s so unlike me to discuss my personal life with a woman, mostly because I never had one before. Unless you counted the groupies, which I don’t.
“Let me make it easier for you. It’s about Tara, right?” Sasha asks.
I release the breath I’ve been holding and nod. “She doesn’t think I can give her what she needs. She wants stability and someone she can count on. When she looks at me, all she sees is a guy who rents a house he’s barely in, lives with no furniture, and goes on tour in between writing albums. And I didn’t see it before, but when she laid it out like that… she had a point.” I reach down and scratch Bella’s head, and she steps closer, placing her chin on my thigh.
Cassidy and Sasha glance at each other, but my sister speaks first. “What doyouwant?”
“Tara. And I’m willing to do whatever it takes except give up my career.” Bella nuzzles her nose into my side, and I slide my hand over her fur.
“You should get a dog,” Sasha says. And before I can reply, she holds up a hand. “Hear me out. You adore Bella. I mean, you’re certainly not here all the time to pet Xander.” She snickers at her joke. “But seriously, what shows permanence and commitment as much as getting a dog?”
I raise my eyebrows. I can’t deny how much I’d love my own pet and have even thought about it. I also know all the reasons it isn’t a good idea. “I travel, and I’m not around when I tour.”
“I’m around, and I’m happy to take care of your dog,” my sister says.
“And I have to take care of Bella anyway. If I have to be on a movie set, I have a kennel I trust for short visits,” Sasha adds.
I shake my head. “You two are crazy.”
“But smart. You want to show Tara you can offer stability, a dog is a start,” Cassidy says.
“And Tara is a vet. What other way to her heart than a dog?” Sasha shrugs. “Seems like common sense to me.”
“Are you two always this good at tag teaming?”
“They’re masters.” Xander strides into the kitchen. His glasses are on, indicating he’s been writing, and he heads to the fridge, pulling out a can of soda. “Anyone want some?”
“No, thanks,” I say.
The women shake their heads.
“So what’s going on in here?” He walks over to the table, pulls out a chair beside Sasha, and sits, straddling it. “What are you two up to?”
“Convincing Axel to get a dog,” Sasha says.
“So he’ll stop coming by all the time?” Xander grins as he speaks.
“No, so he can impress Tara,” Cassidy says, making me feel like the asshole under the microscope.
And when Xander bursts out laughing, I glare at them all. But at least I have a plan forming, not just for my next date with Tara but beyond.
***
Tara
I have ajam-packed day of appointments that ends with an emergency for a patient that got into chocolate, which is toxic to dogs. The poor pup needed to be given medicine that wouldcause him to vomit, hooked up to an IV, pumped full of fluids, and treated with activated charcoal to prevent the chocolate from entering his bloodstream. Lucky the dog needs to stay overnight, and Harry and I have a technician who will check in on the inpatients during the night.
Though I didn’t finish up late, I’m exhausted and don’t remember I have a date with Axel until almost six. Not that I forgot about him completely. He’s been on my mind since he rescued me this past Saturday night. An evening I don’t want to repeat. I’m too old to wake up hungover. But not too old to find myself underneath Axel.
As I take my cosmetic case into the bathroom and touch up my makeup, my thoughts drift to Axel and the way he felt deep inside me. I recall him pushing into me, his erection pulsing, my body responding, and desire ripples through me, and my panties grew damp. I shift my legs but can’t alleviate the need those memories inspire.
