Her smile was sweet and maybe a little sad. “Is he the one?”
“The onewhat?”he asked, sitting on the edge of the sofa where she’d curled up with a throw blanket.
“The guy you’re in love with?”
Magnus nodded, unable to lie to Ava. While he didn’t see her nearly as much as he’d like to, Ava had become important to him over the years. He wasn’t sure whether it was the physical attraction he had to her or some warped hero complex that drove him, but he found he liked when she came to him. He just wished she would stay longer and her visits didn’t coincide with a beating from her bastard husband.
“How does that work?” she prompted, shifting so she fully faced him. “I thought you said you couldn’t be with only a guy or a girl. That you wanted both.”
Magnus leaned back against the cushion, repositioned her legs so that they were across his thighs. “I do.”
“But you love him?”
He nodded, not sure he wanted to say the words aloud.
“Does that mean you’d give up the need for someone else?”
Magnus shrugged. He wasn’t sure what it meant. Trey Walker had torn through his little world like a tornado, disrupting everything, making him consider things he’d never thought he would. Namely, an exclusive relationship with a man.
“Is he bisexual?” Ava asked.
“Not that I know of.”
“So he’s never been with a woman?”
“No.”
“Hmm.”
Magnus looked over at her. “What does that mean?”
She giggled, then winced when it pulled at her swollen lip. “I just figured if you ended up with a guy, it’d be one who also wanted a woman. Then y’all could do that sharing thing.”
Magnus’s eyebrows rose. “What sharing thing’s that?”
She smiled again but not as wide. “You’re not gonna get me to say it out loud, Magnus Storme.”
God, he loved how innocent she was. But it was her curiosity that intrigued him most. He suspected that if Ava weren’t married, he would’ve made a move on her long ago. Problem was, he figured, like Trey, she would have the power to change his life, shift his priorities. He wasn’t sure he could handle two of them, but he couldn’t deny he’d like the opportunity to find out.
Magnus remained silent for the twenty-minute drive from Coyote Ridge to Camp K-9. When they finally reached the sign that guided people to the camp, he felt some of his tension ease. When the house came into view, he noticed the police cars were gone and another level of tension faded away. Once they pulled up to the house, Magnus motioned for Trey to park between the house and the Camp K-9 building.
He opened the door, stuck one foot out. “Thanks for the ride. I’ll … uh … I guess I’ll see you around.”
Without waiting for a response, he shut the door and headed for the camp building. He first had to check on the dogs currently in residence. Six were boarded overnight, plus twelve more were scheduled for day camp. At this point in his day, he would’ve already assisted in cleaning things up, getting breakfast and lunch delivered, the morning playtime underway, administering meds if needed. If all were well, the dogs would be tucked in for an afternoon nap by now. Thanks to the police, his entire routine was wrecked.
“Hey, Gia, how’s it goin’?” he asked his trainer when he stepped into the building to find her looking at the computer.
Her eyes were filled with concern when she looked up at him. “Are you okay?”
“No,” he said truthfully. “But right now, it doesn’t matter. Everything good—”
The door opened, and Trey walked in, all big and brooding and distracting. Gia glanced over at him, her eyes wide. Magnus could tell she had no idea what to say, although she was usually adept at greeting strangers.
When her gaze swung back to him, Magnus forced a smile. “This is Trey Walker. He works for the OTB Task Force. Trey, this is Gia Billingsworth. She’s one of my staff trainers and fills in on overnights when we have dogs staying with us.”
Trey gave a chin nod and a clipped, “Hey,” in greeting.
Gia smiled, but it didn’t quite reach her eyes. “You’re with a task force? Doing what?”
