Oh, great, it was bad enough that he was bringing me home because of a concussion. Now I had to sit in a car with what had to be a Victoria's Secret model named Moon or Diamond or something equally glamorous and ridiculous.
“I just need to let my boss know what happened so I can file out an incident report,” I said.
Oh god, that was going to be so embarrassing. Noticing my pink cheeks, Machine gave me a devilish smirk, no doubt imagining what I’d have to say to my boss.
“I can lend a hand with that,” he responded while attempting to hide his smile.
I let out a growl before trying to get up. When that didn’t work out, I let Machine help me.
I went through the motions of getting dressed, the last of my dignity going out the window when Machine helped me step into my leggings. We walked to the back office, where I hastily filled out the incident report for our higher-ups and refused to look at Chief, before making our way to Machine’s blacked-out Dodge Durango.
While Machine navigated the New York City traffic, I imagined what I’d say to the future Mrs. Machine.
“Oh jeez Badger, how did you get a concussion?”
“Oh, you know I actually walked in on your boyfriend taking a shower and almost got shish-kabobbed on his monstrous cock!”
Then I would proceed to question the woman’s well-being and if her organs were okay, given that she must be getting stabbed with that thing regularly.
Machine pulled up to a doggy daycare and went inside. Great, so she was a saint who made a living helping animals. Killme now. A few moments later, Machine opened the passenger back door and a large dark mass jumped into the vehicle.
Before I could comprehend what was happening, I came face to face with the largest Rottweiler I had ever seen. Its nose pressed up against my shoulder and slowly made its way up to my face before giving me a sloppy kiss. The dog’s front paws dug into the leather center console as it licked and whined at me.
“Luc, enough, Badger doesn’t need a make-out session,” Machine said before climbing into the SUV and pushing her into the back.
I wiped my face off, spitting fur out of my mouth. The dog whined before huffing and plopping down over the back seats. Her body took over the entire row.
I looked over at Machine, who was trying his hardest not to laugh at my shocked face. “Sorry about that. Lucy tends to go overboard when she meets people. I try to tell her that not everyone wants to be attacked with love, but, well, as you can see, she has impeccable listening skills.”
I blinked rapidly as the reality of the situation caught up with me and I realized just how wrong I’d been. His girl—the one I’d been building up in my headed and getting all worked up over thinking it was a woman… was actually a dog. I had just gotten worked up over a dog. An adorable one. I must have hit my head harder than I thought.
I gave Machine my address and remained quiet as he drove. I didn’t miss his look of confusion when we pulled up to the women’s shelter. But instead of saying anything, he kept to himself.
My head throbbed as I sent a text to Nellie, asking her to come out. Within a minute, she was out front with confusion and concern etched on her face. I knew I would get a million questions. Not only was I with a strange man she had never seen before, I was injured.
Machine went to open his door before I stopped him. “I’m good, my roommate is right there to help me.”
Machine looked at me as if he were fighting his instincts. “Are you sure?”
“Positive. You’ve seen enough today, don’t you think?”
A smirk spread on his face as he slowly looked me up and down. “I think I could see more.”
I scoffed before opening the door and slamming it shut. This man was a pain in my ass! I heard the car door open and then close, and before I knew it, Machine was at my side.
“I really don’t want you walking by yourself,” he said.
“My roommate is right there,” I protested before letting out a sigh. “Thank you for driving me home, Machine.”
He squinted at me, perplexed. “How hard did you hit your head?” He started to inspect my hair, and I swatted him away. “Not Tool or Hammer? Easy there, or I may just fall in love with you.”
I gave him an eye roll and then a wince, the motion hurting my head.
“Take it easy, Badger.” He gave me a brief nod and went back to his car.
I held my head and made eye contact with Nellie, who looked like she was about to murder him.
“He didn’t do anything,” I said before she had a chance to do anything.
