“Am I always going to have this pen in my bedroom?”
“No. In time, you’ll be able to keep her in the crate without the pen. It will become her safe place. Dogs are den animals. She doesn’t want to relieve herself in her kennel and we want to keep it that way. Yet, we can’t crate train her like we would with a puppy because she may have never known life outside of one until she escaped.”
Something was perplexing me about CC. Her ears were cropped and her tail, docked. It wasn’t likely a mill would go to the trouble with their breeding stock because the buyer would never see the dog. Which meant CC was either born in the mill and they docked and cropped her because they had planned to sell her as a puppy. Or, she came from a decent or backyard breeder and somehow ended up in a puppy mill.
“When the new kennel arrives, we’ll be able to start working on housebreaking. As long as you’re home, let her wander with you and explore. If you need to use the treats again to get her to follow you, that’s okay, too.”
“Treats are my friend, yeah?”
“For now. After a while you won’t have to use them anymore except for new things. Before I leave, we’re going to put on her collar and leash. She’ll scratch at the collar but don’t take it off. We’ll try taking her outside, too, to see how she does on leash. I’m also going to give you a few basic commands to start working on.”
I put a hand on his shoulder and the hard muscle beneath flexed tight. “There will likely be setbacks, Brody. This process is two steps forward and one step back for most dogs. Some dogs make leaps and bounds. Some take baby steps. Some never recover, but I’m quite sure CC is going to be okay. She’s smart, motivated, and starved for contact she didn’t even know she wanted.”
He pushed his huge body up on the sofa with his triceps, let his elbows rest on his knees. Shaking his head, his voice was nearly a whisper. “I just...what the hell is wrong with people? I’ll never understand how they can be so cruel. For the sake of money.” I understood the sentiment more than he knew. CC curled into a ball between his spread ankles. This man...there was so much worry and concern on his face. Maybe not all the time, or for everyone, but when it came to his dog, Brody was a softie.
No, I didn’t want to know this side of Brody. This face. It made me want to let my guard down. To see the man underneath.
“This is why I work with dogs,” I reminded myself and told him at the same time. “Dogs are loyal. Guileless.”
“Truth.” Brody’s chuckle set CC’s ears to twitching as her nub tail gave a wiggle. She liked the sound of his laugh.
I did, too. Which meant it was waaaay past time to wrap this up.
After I brought up the ex-pen and spare crate, I offered to help him set them up before I left. Miiiiistaaake, I thought, as he pushed the door open. The scent of fabric softener, men’s soap, and unicorn tears hit my nose. His bedroom was large. Of course, it would have to be to accommodate the bed...which I couldn’t stop staring at. All garnet and charcoal sheets with a gray leather headboard. In the corner, next to a floor-to-ceiling window, sat a buttery leather recliner of the same color. Next to it, a table stacked with books.
I could see him there, shirtless—no, naked—on top of the sheets with it all hanging out as he air-dried from the shower and watched Sports World on the ridiculously expensive TV across from the bed.
Jesus, I needed to get out of there before I threw myself at the man and rode him like a horse at the Kentucky Derby.
As I squatted to adjust the pen’s gate, I heard a thick inhale and shot upright realizing I’d just made my ass his focus. Brody stood at the end of his bed, feet spread, biceps bulging, arms crossed over his chest. The expression on his face was not flirty Brody. But damn if the promise of filthy sex wasn’t written in every shadow and contour. From the lined forehead to the clenched jaw. A quick glance at the sheets, however, and all I could imagine was blond hair fanned over his crimson pillow.
Brody’s smirk turned downright dirty. Yeah, no. Time to go, Lily. I not-subtly-at-all rolled my eyes. “Stop.”
“Stop what?” His grin grew.
“I am not that girl, Brody. I’m not the leggy blonde I was just picturing there.” I pointed at the pillow. “And you are in a shit-ton of trouble as it is for sticking your dick into a few too many women. Frankly, I’m not sure where that thing has been.”
His mouth fell open and he barked out a laugh, but I kept on. “Rather than dancing around it, I’m going to come out and say it. Yes, we have chemistry. Yes, you’re shit hot and you know it. But, if you’re going to help me find this mill, there isn’t a chance in hell we’re getting into that bed.”
“Oh, darlin’. First, nobody but me has ever been in that bed. Second, my dick is immaculately clean. I get it, though. You see things on TV, or hear it through the grapevine. I’m not going to say it wasn’t true at one time.” He shrugged a massive shoulder. “People grow up, Lil.” Brody turned and walked to the doorway, giving me a shot of that spectacular ass. “However, I happen to agree with you. If I’m gonna help you find this mill, us sleeping together is off the table.”
He refused to give me an inch to get through as I slid through the doorway. I had to choose—I could contort like an idiot to avoid touching him and give him the satisfaction of watching me try. I could ask him to move, essentially letting him know I didn’t think I could control myself if I touched him—which, to be honest, was a real concern. Or, I take his dare, and either rub my boobs against him or brush my ass against his junk.
Boobs, it was.
“But...” He glanced down at my nipples pearled against his rib cage as I attempted to shimmy by. “Don’t think for a second that I’m not gonna enjoy every dirty thought I have about you.”
Chapter Four
Whoever said diamonds are a girl’s best friend never had a dog.
Lily
After arranging another session with CC in a couple of days, I headed home for a shower to finally get the dog pee off. Thankfully, CC gave me a lot to think about on the drive, other than Brody, and I was grateful.
I’d gotten the collar and leash on her with minimal fuss and a handful of treats, which led me to believe that her biggest issue was all about trust. She hadn’t trusted Brody until today. The sitter had only made things worse. Sigh. Stupid humans. Another handful of treats got her through the door and out to a walking path surrounded by grass that belonged to Brody’s building. That had aroused another suspicion.
I showed Brody a couple simple commands he could practice with her, but she already knew Sit and Down. She also peed twice and pooped. As an aside, Jesus H, I was glad Brody’s hands were bigger than mine, because he was going to need them in order to get that dog’s poop into a baggie in one shot. I would have needed both. But besides the massive piles that come with having a massive dog, I thought maybe CC wasn’t born in the mill. Someone had worked with her on the basics. I’d have to ask Brody if the emergency vet scanned her for a microchip.