The greeting came from behind me. I turned to see Rule standing inside, the towel draped over his very impressive shoulders, his hair slicked back, his beard glistening with water droplets. At his feet, Waldo sat, his tail thumping on the floor with eager anticipation.
“Hi,” I said, aiming the greeting at the dog but sparing Rule a quick glance while refusing to admire his very, very nice physique.
I crouched down, and when I did, Waldo looked up at Rule. He gave a hand command, which released the dog from his sitting position, and the next thing I knew, I was on my butt with sixty pounds of wet dog squirming all over me. I was pretty sure I hadn’t laughed that hard in my entire life. I’d never had a dog of my own, nor did any of the few friends I had growing up. This opportunity was the equivalent of opening the only gift you’d ever wanted on Christmas morning.
It took effort to get Waldo to chill enough that I could sit without being knocked down, but he seemed content as long as I was petting him.
“Let me guess, he flunked out of obedience school?” I said, peering up at Rule.
Rule canted his head slightly. “He’s mastered sit and stay. The rest is a crapshoot.”
Waldo licked the side of my face in agreement.
“You’re so cute,” I told Waldo, hugging him when he put his head on my shoulder. “Don’t take offense, but I think I’m in love with you.”
Waldo licked my face again.
A knock sounded, and I looked up to see Jinx getting Rule’s attention. He held up the egg carton.
“Nah. I’m good. Thanks.” Rule looked down at me. “You two meet?”
“We did.” I scrubbed a hand over Waldo’s back. “His name’s Jinx. He doesn’t speak, but he texts. And he cooks.”
Rule’s smile was barely there, but I swore I saw it. “I’m gonna shower. We’re getting married at one.”
Ah, so that was still on the agenda. Good to know.
He moved past me, and I took a moment to admire his muscular legs and the dark hair that covered them.
“Should I wear anything specific?” I asked.
“What you’ve got on is fine,” he said without looking back.
“I’ll do it,” I warned. “Don’t tempt me.”
This time, he chuckled, and my ovaries started doing the cha-cha.
* * *
Jinx
Not a single word had passed mylips since I was eight years old.
At thirty-four, I wasn’t sure my vocal cords even worked anymore. I didn’t have the urge to speak, and in those instances when it was necessary—dealing with the police, for example—my anxiety made it impossible.
Hence, the reason I hadn’t spoken in twenty-six years.
Yet, the moment I laid eyes on Laikyn Quinn in the flesh, I swore sounds were going to creep their way up and out of my mouth.
Only they didn’t.
And yet, it didn’t seem to faze her one bit. In fact, that girl acted like it was every day she met a grown man who didn’t communicate outside of his cell phone.
In all fairness, I’d known there was something special about her since I first typed her name in a search engine. Back when Monica Quinn approached Rule about her daughter, I’d been keeping track of Laikyn, learning every nuance about her existence that I could. I’d seen pictures taken by media outlets hellbent on getting the front page story, as well as those Rhyan and the twins captured when they were sent to keep an eye on her. Still, I hadn’t been prepared to meet the woman face to face.
And now, as I watched her eat the eggs I’d prepared with my own two hands, there was this strange sensation fizzing in my chest. I’d never put a name to that sensation, but it was very similar to the one I got when I was around Rule or Waldo. I wasn’t sure I’d go so far as to say it was love, but if I were to lay claim to an equivalent emotion, that would be it. It was the sort of feeling that assured you things were going well, that you were safe, and there weren’t any demons lurking in the shadows.
Not that I would ever tell Rule that I loved him. He would think I was fucking psycho. Maybe I was because no one in their right mind would love a man as hard and guarded as Rule.
