Page 24 of Irresistible

“You mind repeating that last sentence?”

Oops. She hadn’t meant to let that slip out. Seeing his features harden and the look of sexual satisfaction disappear let her know she was in for it. “You heard me. My stalker should still be locked up.”

“You say that like there’s nothing to be worried about. Why is this the first I’m hearing about it?”

“Don’t get your boxers in a twist. The poor woman has been locked up for a couple of years. Ruth has a form of schizophrenia and is prone to delusions. Bless her heart.”

“How can you be so casual about this? How serious were the threats?”

“On a scale of one to ten, I’d say a ten. She broke into my house, held me at gunpoint, and then tried to set the house on fire. Thank God Popcorn got out and went crazy until he interested someone enough to come see what was going on. The whole thing was over in a matter of hours.” Brock looked like he was about to blow a gasket. She probably should’ve left the last part out. “It’s over and done with, and I have no reason to believe she’s a threat anymore.”

He ran his hand down his face and then shook his head. “You and Popcorn are moving in with me, and I’m not going to let you out of my sight. Also, I’m going to make sure that you’re proficient with a gun.”

Standing, she shook her head. “None of that’s going to happen.” Popcorn came back in and was soaked from the rain. “If you want to make yourself useful, go grab a towel from the laundry room and dry him off.”

Huffing, Brock stood up and gave her a long look before he stomped off to do as she asked. “This conversation isn’t over,” he called over his shoulder.

“Didn’t think it was.” Walking into the kitchen, she let out a sigh of frustration. Brock wasn’t going to give her a moment’s peace about this until he was satisfied that all precautions had been taken. Experience told her that his ideas and hers about what was reasonable would be very different.

As she stirred the pot and looked out the kitchen window, she realized there was going to be no break in the storm for a while. After she was satisfied that her stew was heating properly, she grabbed a loaf of bread out of the freezer and put it in the oven.

“Popcorn’s dry and I filled his bowl with food,” he said as he came into the room.

“Thank you for taking care of him.” As he came closer, she noticed that his temper had cooled and he had himself under control. “You ready to eat?”

“Yes. Thank you for fixing lunch for us. I wanted to take you out, but this weather isn’t cooperating.”

When he wrapped his arms around her, she ran her hand along his arm. “I’m enjoying our lazy day at home. I haven’t spent that many hours in bed since I had the flu last year.”

“After you’re done telling me about your stalker, I’m hoping we can go upstairs and start all over again.”

She groaned. “I knew you wouldn’t let it go.”

“I’ve never let anything go in my life. I see no reason to start now.”

“Go sit down, and you can start interrogating me after we’re done eating.”

“Yes, dear.” He winked and scooted out of her reach before she could sock him in the arm. Shaking her head, she filled their bowls and tried to come up with an edited version of the story. If he ever heard the whole thing, he would glue himself to her side and she wouldn’t have a moment’s peace.

***

With one eye on his back, she packed up the leftovers and wondered when he was leaving. He put the last glass in the dishwasher, dried his hands, and then wiped off the counters. After she dug out a bag and put the containers of food inside, she waited for him to finish. “I’ve got the leftovers ready for you to take home.” Holding the bag up, she grinned. “Here you go.”

He took the bag from her hand, gave her a quick kiss, and then put it in the fridge. “I’m not leaving until you give me the full down-low on your stalker.” Leaning his hip against the island, he crossed his arms. “Nice try, though.”

“I can see that you’ve not lost any of your stubborn ways over the years.” Turning around, she walked over to the couch and sat. “In fact, they’ve probably gotten a whole lot worse.” It took him about ten seconds to plant himself next to her with a self-satisfied smile that wore on her last nerve.

“Quit trying to start a fight,” he said. “It’s not going to work.”

“If you give me about five more minutes, I bet it will,” she replied with sass. When he wrapped his arm around her shoulder and tugged her close, she knew he was up to no good. “Don’t try to seduce me, Brock. It won’t make me do what you want.”

Laughing louder than was necessary, he tipped his head back. “Girl, you have never done anything you haven’t wanted to, and I don’t expect that to change.”

“As long as you understand that, then we’ll get along just fine.” Looking out the window, she noticed the storm had stopped and the sun was peeking through the clouds. “Let’s take a walk while we can.”

“Okay, you want to walk over to the shops and grab a hot chocolate and some dessert?”

“Sounds perfect. Let me put Popcorn’s raincoat on and then we can go.”

“Are you dressing that poor dog up?”

Standing, she fixed her sweatshirt. “He likes it.”

“He’s a working dog. He’s not meant to have outfits like a poodle.”

“I’m going to ignore you because you have no idea what he likes. I’m his mama and I know what’s best for him. For your information, he’s not your typical Australian shepherd and doesn’t like exercise much. It’s a good thing that I got him because if he ended up on a ranch, he would’ve been kicked out. He wouldn’t herd a thing if his next meal depended on it.” Popcorn got up from his bed and wandered over. She ran her hand over him and kissed his head. “We’re the perfect match for one another.”

“You’re right, honey. After all, he saved your life.”

“He did indeed.” She walked out of the room with Popcorn following her, and she wondered if she had succeeded in avoiding the stalker discussion. Years ago, she’d been pretty adept at distracting Brock, and she hoped that was still true. If the old distraction techniques didn’t work, then she’d take his clothes off and have her way with him. Smiling to herself, she pictured him at her mercy and let out a small laugh. She might just do it anyway. Seeing that man lose control was long overdue.

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