“Watch out!” Liam hollered.
I jumped. My foot slammed on the brake—and not the clutch. The car jolted. The engine died.
And there was no way in hell I was going to live this down.
I restarted the engine, pulled up to the four-way stop which my guard had paused behind to allow the shoppers the right of way, and then crept into the parking row. The guard led the way, looping back to the far end in the parking spaces by the four-way stop.
The commentary suddenly made sense. The masked devil was here. He’d been watching.
Liam stood, phone pressed to his ear, glaring at me as he leaned against his Jaguar. He wore a sharp black suit andmatching black tie. It fit that large body, accenting his muscles in a way that made my mouth suddenly water.
Damn…did he have to look so good?
“What are you doing here—” I stopped. I looked again. Too busy eye-fucking my husband, I missed an obvious detail.
“Park the car, Gabriella.”
But all I could do was stare at the wriggling, wiry lump with spindly legs sticking up in all directions. That was a dog. Why was Liam holding a dog! I blinked hard, trying to process what I was seeing.
A car honked behind us.
Liam shot a death glare past the tail SUV. The creature in his arms thrashed violently. Its snout knocked the mobster’s elbow, and the phone clattered to the ground.
The rustle crackled through the speakers. I shook myself, pulled into a parking spot, and the second SUV of guards glided in beside me. Grabbing my ancient crossbody bag, the one I’d had since I was fourteen, I launched from the car.
“What is this?” I walked up to the Irish crime lord, who seemed grumpier than usual.
Liam adjusted his hold on the animal, angling his arms toward me. “What does it bleeding look like?”
“It looks like you’re holding a puppy.” I didn’t know if I should reach out so that the small, spastic thing could smell my fingers or cross my arms to keep them safe from the gnashing teeth.
The strangest thing happened. Liamstuttered. “I, um, I got you something.” He thrust the lanky mass at me. “Here.”
I let out an incredulous breath. Words failed me this time. “I don’t know what to do with it.”
“He’s just energetic,” Liam grumbled. “He won’t hurt you, cailín.”
The mobster jerked his arms insistently.
The pup seemed to realize there was another person. Rich, brown eyes rimmed with black turned on me. The puppy yapped excitedly. It wriggled harder. I reached out and offered my fingers for a sniff. I’d never seen a dog quite like this. It had a beard, wiry hair that stuck out in all directions from its face. The fur on his back, however, was deliciously soft.
“I haven’t had a dog before,” I said under my breath.
Liam gave me a funny look. “You haven’t?”
I roused myself and shook my head. “Nope.”
“Oh, well, I thought….” His voice strangled. “Here. A present.”
He thrust the creature into my arms.
The puppy nipped at my hair.
I balked, tried not to drop the squirming bundle, and let instinct guide me to hold it differently. A hand around the rump, the other cradling the front. The pup stopped trying to escape.
There. Just like a baby.
It only wanted security. My heart gushed with warmth.
