The dog sat on his haunches, wagging his tail as he looked up at me like I was his best friend.
“I have no food.”
He barked twice, then ran down the stairs to his bowl that was already filled with food. That damn woman was a menace.
Stomping across the yard, I let my fist fly, hitting the door hard enough to wake the dead. When she answered, those gorgeous eyes batted playfully at me as she pretended to not know a thing about why I was here.
“Yes?”
I momentarily forgot what I came over here to say to her the moment my eyes slid over those curves. Dressed in short shorts and a thin tank, she looked like she was ready to head out for a trip to the beach rather than whatever the hell she was doing inside on this cold day.
And while she stood there and the cold started to seep into her house, her nipples pebbled under her shirt, giving me a spectacular idea of just what she was hiding under that tank top.
Visions of her dancing around the house in her barely-there clothes flashed in my mind, along with a few fantasies that included her in her bed, on her knees, and in the shower.
None of which were helpful when I was trying to lecture the woman on keeping to her own property. Not when I wouldn’t mind pushing her up against the wall right now and slipping my hand under her shirt just to feel those plump breasts.
But that wasn’t why I was here.
“Stop it,” I barked out harshly.
“Stop what?”
“You know what,” I ground out, my teeth clenching so hard that I could break a tooth.
“Actually, I don’t know.” Leaning against the doorframe, she smiled at me so sweetly that she could melt butter. And a little of my anger subsided with it, which was really bad.
“You’re feeding the dog.”
Her eyes dropped beside me and she smiled. “Hey, buddy!”
I did a double-take, wondering why I was even surprised that the little devil was right by my side. “He’s not mine.”
Dropping to her knees, I could see down her tank top as she talked to the dog through the screen.
“I think he made himself yours. Who’s a good boy? Huh? Who’s a good boy?”
“You don’t know if he’s a boy or a girl,” I snarled. “And if you do, that must mean he’s yours.”
“Well, he doesn’t sit outside my house. He always sleeps on your doorstep, which seems kind of harsh considering how cold it is outside.”
“Not my problem.”
“Really?” As she stood, the smile dropped from her face, replaced by the first signs of anger. “The poor dog is just looking for someone to love him. You know what that is, don’t you, Tennessee? What is your real name, by the way?”
“If he needs someone to love so badly, why don’t you take him in?”
“Because he doesn’t want me. He only wants his grumpy master.”
“I’m not his master,” I ground out.
“Really? So why did I see him riding around in your truck the other day?”
I had no answer for that. No matter where I went, the dog followed. Whether he jumped in the bed of the truck or somehow found his way into my cab, he was always there. It was infuriating.
“Look, if you like him so much, feed him on your property, but stop putting food out for him by my porch. You’re attracting raccoons.”
“Well, raccoons deserve to be here just as much as you and I.”
