Huh. Alex hadn’t really thought about that, but it made sense. He knew a lot of guys in the DPD who had watched relationships fall apart because of the job. “Okay, let’s say you’re right. What about the attraction I’m picking up on? Doesn’t that count for something?”
“Something tells me that Lacey thinks with her head, not her heart. And certainly not with her hormones.”
Alex clenched his jaw. “So, what, I should just give up on her?”
It was crazy. He and Lacey hadn’t even gone on a date, and already, the thought of not seeing her made his chest ache.
“I didn’t say that,” Remy told him. “But maybe you need to stop with the direct approach and instead come at her from a different angle.”
Now he was really confused. “Like what?”
He didn’t remember Gage, Xander, Becker, or Cooper having to work this hard to get the attention of the women they thought were The One for them—not that he was sure Lacey was The One for him yet.
“Start by finding out what kind of stuff she’s into. Get into her world that way, and see if it helps.” Remy gave him a sidelong glance. “One thing for damn sure, stop being so obvious about how interested you are. Not only does that give her all the power in the situation, it’s also a sure way to blow any chance you have with her. You need to play it cool and let her think that you’ve lost interest in her.”
That seemed counterintuitive to Alex. Then again, Remy didn’t have trouble getting women to go out with him, so maybe he knew more about the subject.
“That works for you?” Alex asked. “Playing it cool when a woman isn’t interested in you, I mean.”
Remy shrugged. “Hell if I know. I’ve never met a woman who wasn’t interested in me. I’m just making up this crap in the hope that it helps you.”
Wonderful. “And if it doesn’t? Then what?”
Remy glanced at him as he pulled the SUV into the parking lot of the SWAT compound. “Then you’ll just have to accept the fact that Lacey has extremely good taste and is way out of your league.”
Now that they were safely parked, Alex gave in to his earlier urge and thumped his friend in the shoulder hard enough to make something crack. “Thanks.”
Remy shrugged it off with a laugh. “That’s what pack mates are for.”
* * *
The barking in the no-kill animal shelter’s kennel was so loud, Lacey could barely hear herself think. But that was okay. She loved volunteering here on the weekends anyway. This place brought in tons of strays and abandoned dogs, and a lot of local veterinarians and techs helped them out by providing routine checkups as part of their in-processing. Unfortunately, the noise tended to get some dogs so spun up, they became difficult to control, which made giving them a physical dang near impossible.
Like the hundred-and-fifty-pound Great Dane who was acting like he’d drunk a gallon of espresso. The big guy was spinning in circles so fast, he was about to screw himself into the floor—or choke himself on his own leash.
“Sheesh, chill out, Scooby-Doo, before you hurt yourself,” she told him.
But Scooby—or at least the dog she’d been calling Scooby for the last ten minutes—seemed to have no desire to chill out. If anything, he was getting more excited by the second. At this pace, the pooch was going to create his own weather pattern soon.
Lacey was about to give up and head to the front office for some help when suddenly, the big crazy dog sat down as if his butt was on fire. He remained perfectly still, gazing at her with big amber-colored eyes. She was still trying to figure out what the hell was up with Scooby—and whether his sudden change in personality might be a bad thing—when she realized that the entire kennel had fallen silent. Every single dog had stopped barking and was now staring at her.
She’d been around dogs for most of her life, and she’d never seen a large group of them act like this. It was strange. No, check that. It was flat-out eerie.
Thinking it might be a good idea to leave, she started backing away, but then stopped as she realized the dogs weren’t actually looking at her. They were gazing at something over her right shoulder.
She spun around, nearly jumping out of her shoes when she caught sight of Alex Trevino standing behind her—all six-foot-four muscled inches of him. Her heart beat faster. She tried to convince herself it was because he’d startled her, but she knew that was a lie. Her pulse was racing because he looked so damn hot in his jeans and snug-fitting T-shirt. Even better than in his SWAT uniform—if that was possible.
He gave her a lopsided grin. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you. The people up front thought you might need some help with the dogs.”
Lacey shook her head, for some silly reason not wanting him to know he’d spooked her—or made her heart go all pitter-patter. “No, you didn’t startle me. The dogs were just acting weird. I thought there was something wrong.”
“Nothing wrong,” he said. “Just me.”
She looked around to see that the all the dogs—including Scooby-Doo—were still looking adoringly at Alex. She turned back to him. “I’ve never see an entire kennel behave like this around anyone. Does this happen to you often?”
Alex’s grin broadened, and for a moment, all she could do was stare at his mouth. Damn, he had a really nice smile. She gave herself a mental shake and forced herself to focus on what he was saying.
“I guess they just like me. But that might wear off, so let’s get this big dog checked out before he decides to lose it again.”
