And now I’m hard.
I slam my eyes shut.
“Okay, don’t talk to me. Same old story, Hammond.”
My eyes fly open.
“This where you have all your conversations, Tennison?”
She huffs a laugh. “Not usually, no.”
A little of the tension defuses.
Then she sighs, and the sound goes straight to my cock.
Fucking hell.
I rinse off and dress quicker than a man ever has before. Without a word, I stalk for my room, leaving Tennison to shower by herself.
Like I should.
I lay down to catch a few hours before the next shift takes over. But after tossing and turning with an erection that won’t let up, I give in and pad downstairs to the gym.
Pushing through the door, I find Sandy on the shoulder press and Heids on the rowing machine.
“Can’t sleep, Cap?” Heids says.
“Never saw the point, actually,” Sandy says. “Only to wake up and go home to bed.” Despite his words, he looks exhausted. We all do. The last few hours of a twenty-hour shift are brutal. Things will be a little easier when the sun comes up in... two hours. Until then, I’ll occupy myself.
Anything is better than a boner over a probie.
On that inappropriate thought, I up the weights on the leg machine before dropping into the seat.
I pump the plate up with a vengeance, hoping the more reps I do, the further it will push London Tennison from my goddamn head.
Before long, I’m drenched in sweat again.
So much for my damn shower.
The second I cross the threshold, a furry, trembling mass flies at me.
I drop my bag to the floor and squat. “Hey, girl. How was your first night alone?”
I may have started off tentative about this new relationship, but after Tennison’s meltdown over my poor pup-parenting abilities, I’m determined to make this wor?—
Ah, shit.
Literally.
The second the smell registers, I scan the room, finding not one little—well, not so little—surprise, but two.
“You couldn’t wait, hey?” I stand and head for the kitchen. To the paper towel and disinfectant spray.
A few minutes later, I’m holding a bag at arm’s length, a leash in the other as we make our way to the dumpster behind the building before heading to the playground across the street from my apartment block.
The morning is bustling with small kids playing on the equipment, running across the grassy area, and moms pushing strollers back and forth, chatting away or scrolling on their phones.
Petal trots toward them like they’re her damn people. I have to redirect her to the grassy area away from the strollers.
