Page 52 of Heartless

I finally allowed myself to glance down to her body and I found her dressed in a midnight blue combination of lace and silk. The neckline revealed just the right amount of skin to make me want to push the thin straps off her shoulders to bare her chest for me. The hemline sat high on her thighs, showing off her long legs.

Desire stirred inside me at the sight of her, but I was her bossandher secret fake boyfriend. Acting on the attraction seemed like a terrible idea, but I couldn’t stay away. Not that night at least. Not after that gasp.

“I didn’t buy the dog.” I forced my eyes up to meet hers. “Your brother did. For Hannah. That’s where we went when we left Clem’s bakery.”

Her throat bobbed with a swallow at the mention of our encounter. I stared at her long, delicate neck, but she brought me back to the conversation. “I thought he was helping you with something.”

“We lied. It’s her Christmas present. The previous owner is going out of town and wanted to get rid of the puppies, so Tyler had to take him now. I offered to hide this little fellow until Christmas.”

“And I thought that pets weren’t allowed at The Gem.”

“I’m pretty sure that if there was a person who could break the rules around here, that would be me.”

She tilted her head to the side examining my face. “And I need to know all of this because…?”

“I don’t want to keep him locked up alone the entire day tomorrow.”

“Oh, no.” Madison shook her head. “No. No. No. If Tyler wants to get Hannah a dog, that’s his problem. If you decided to help Tyler, that’s your problem. I’m not taking care of that.” She pointed at the dog.

“Come on. He’s fun to be around.”

“Yes, it will be fun. Until he chews on my shoes or pees on the carpet.”

“Then you’ll just have to keep a close eye on him,” I replied with a cheeky grin. “It’ll be like having a cute little security guard following you around.”

I saw the hint of a smile tugging at her lips before she pursed them together. “I don’t need a security guard.”

I couldn’t argue with that. If anything the rest of us needed protection from her silent but deadly wrath.

“He’s just a baby, cupcake,” I teased her. “He has been with his mother and the other puppies and now he has to be alone all day long while I work. Doesn’t that just break your heart?”

“I’m heartless, remember?”

I looked her straight in the eye. “I don’t think you’re heartless. I think you want to be.”

There was a moment of silence, then she opened the door wider and invited me in. “If he destroys anything, you’re paying for it.”

“I already am. That’s my villa.”

“I was talking about my shoes.”

A laugh escaped me. “Of course you were.” I gently left the dog down on the floor. It immediately ran over to Madison and started sniffing her legs.

She bent down to pet it. “This is so Tyler. An idea pops in his head and then someone else has to take care of his mess. Is it a beagle?”

I nodded and watched in amusement as her expression softened while the dog jumped around her hand playing with her.

“You have a soft spot for him already.”

Madison’s cheeks flushed slightly. “He’s sleeping at your place. I will help when I can during the day, but that’s it.”

I smirked and crouched down next to her and the puppy. It wagged its tail enthusiastically and licked my hand before turning back to Madison for more attention.

“We have a deal, cupcake.” She ignored the obvious tease, but I wasn’t ready to leave just yet. I wanted to talk to her more, so I tried another tactic. “Aren’t you going to offer me a drink?”

“All I have is water.”

“That’s fine.”

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