The heat in his eyes makes my nipples tingle. I push away from the counter and turn to watch Otis. “Hey, Otis! Should we show Easton your tricks?”
“Tricks?” Easton moves out of the kitchen, also holding a mug. “Wow.”
“Okay, not really. I might have taught him to sit. That’s about it so far.”
I pull the bag of treats from Otis’s bag and he gambols right over. With one in my hand, I hold it out and say, “Sit.”
He doesn’t sit. His stubby tail is quivering.
“Sit,” I repeat. “Remember? Bum down. Sit.”
Miracle! He sits!
I feed him the treat. “Good boy!”
“Otis! You the man!” Easton grins.
His pleasure makes warmth bloom in my chest.
He helps me work on a few other simple commands with Otis and we give him lots of praise and treats. Easton is surprisingly patient. Why is that surprising? Maybe because he’s always bursting with energy, so alive with a masculine vitality and strength, always moving.
Sitting on his living room floor, I lean back against the couch and lift my coffee cup to my mouth to finish it. “He’s getting it. He’s smart.”
“He is. With his, er, issues, I was wondering.”
“Many of us have ‘issues,’ ” I say dryly. “Doesn’t mean we’re not intelligent.”
“What are your issues, Lilly Evans?” He too leans back against a chair, his knees bent, bare feet on the carpet. His feet are big. Long and lean, dusted with dark hair.
I drag my attention away from them.
“I’m not going to tell you all my issues,” I drawl, with a casual smile. “You’re a client.”
He smiles. “Oh, come on. We can be friends.”
“Hmmm.”
“Is it business problems?” he asks.
“No. And thank you for the referral. I met with your friend and I’ll be walking Loki.”
“Great.”
“My friends and family think I’m crazy to be doing this.” Oh hell. Why did I blurt that out?
“Doing this? Starting a business?” He lifts one thick eyebrow.
“Yes.” I peer into my coffee mug. “They think I should be trying to find a job with a steady paycheck.”
“Well, there’s something to be said for that, I suppose.”
I roll my eyes. “As if you have to worry about money.”
He shrugs. “I know I’m lucky that way. There’s also something to be said for doing what you want. Following your dream. That, I do know something about.”
He sounds serious. I eye him. “Was it hard? Following your dream?”
“Yeah. Not in the ways you might think, though.”
I tilt my head. “I guess you have to be really dedicated to get to play in the NHL.”
“Oh yeah. It consumed my life since I was about twelve years old. Then…” He stops. “Then it was all I had left, so it was even more important.”
My forehead tightens. “All you had left?”
He waves a hand dismissively and I get the feeling he said more than he intended to also. “If walking dogs is your dream, go for it.”
Back to me. Hmmm. “Well, I can’t say it’s been my lifelong dream, but right now it feels good. It’s what I want to do.”
“Then do it. Don’t let anyone discourage you.”
“It’s just that…” I drop my gaze again. “I have…obligations…and I feel like I might be letting people down.”
He’s silent. Then he says, “I don’t know what that means, so I can’t really comment.”
“That’s okay.” I finish off my coffee and scramble to stand. “I should get going. Thanks for the java.” I hold up my empty mug.
“No problem. Thanks for the training help.” He too stands, towering over me in a way that’s…exciting.
God, I have to get out of here.
He takes my mug and strolls to the kitchen counter. “Do you have another job right away?”
“No. Not until two. Apollo.”
“Let’s go grab lunch.”
I blink. My eyes flick to a huge clock on one of his walls. It’s nearly noon. “I thought we went over this.” I hit him with a level stare and an arched eyebrow.
“I’m a slow learner. What did we go over?”
“Going out with each other.”
“Oh right.”
He knew exactly what I was talking about. My lips try to smile and I shake my head. Dammit, he’s so attractive, and as I get to know him, he’s not as annoying as I thought he was. But I still don’t think it’s a good idea for us to get personally involved if we’re going to have a business relationship.
“It’s just lunch, Lilly,” he says with a guileless expression.
“If I say no, will you fire me?”
He frowns. “No! Of course not. Why would you ask that?”
“Because when it’s a business relationship, that could happen, and that’s why it’s not a good idea.”
He stares at me, then sighs. “You’re right.”
Damn. I kind of did want to have lunch with him. But this is for the best.
“You’re right to be cautious about that,” he continues. “But I assure you that our business arrangement has nothing to do with whether you go out for lunch with me.” He sets his hand on his chest. “I can be a cynical asshole, but I’m not petty or vindictive.” His smile makes my panties dampen. “You can find that out over lunch.”
I laugh. “Oh my God. Okay, fine. Let’s go have lunch.”
Chapter 9
Easton
“Yes!” I give a small fist pump and enjoy the pleasure that passes over Lilly’s face. “This time Otis stays home. Sorry, boy.”
Otis lifts his head from where he’s now lying on the rug, then lowers it again.
“I’ll be right back.” I head down the hall to my bedroom to put on socks and shoes and a sweater. I return to the front foyer carrying my phone and wallet. Now Otis pays attention, jumping up and trotting over to us near the door. When I pull a jacket out of the closet, he starts whining.