Page 43 of Sneak Attack

“Silly me,” she teased back.

I hugged Jasper one more time and he let go.

Thiswas when we worked well together. At least she was doing it now, which meant I sent him off with his mom feeling better.

Hopefully yesterday was just an off day.

It happened.

At least, I hoped so.

* * *

I washed the dishes when I went back inside, cleaned up the living room and tossed in a load of laundry before taking Bongo out back for his morning playtime where we were throwing the ball around the backyard. I’d drop a tennis ball into the holder and fling it as far as I could. The ball was back in the trees, and Bongo tossed leaves every which way as he shoved his nose under them, hunting for the ball. He charged at me, ball halfway out of his mouth, fur flying out behind him, and I crouched down so he could bring it to me. At the last second, he weaved, almost making me fall from the surprise. Coming from the front of the house, I heard the purr of a car’s engine.

“What the hell?” I muttered, as Bongo took off toward the house. “Bongo!”

Damn it.

I ran after him, barefooted, and prayed I didn’t step in any of his dog piles in the yard. The engine noise was too quiet for a delivery truck, but it was rare I had visitors.

Maybe Selma forgot something for Jasper?

I made it to the front corner of the house and spied a silver, 4-Runner parked on the driveway. Bongo’s tail was visible from the driver’s side, in front of it.

I shoved my fingers into my mouth and whistled. At the piercing sound, he ran back to me, smiling, at least as much as dogs could smile. But our visitor had clearly made him happy.

He barked at me, jumped on his back feet, and ran back to our visitor, who was just standing from the other side of her SUV.

Eden.

Her blonde hair was piled on top of her head, and she had the bottom corner of her lip tucked in between her teeth.

“Is Marley okay?” I ignored the rapid kick to my heart at the sight of her looking slightly rumpled in an oversized, wrinkly blue T-shirt and that lip between her teeth. There was only one reason she’d be here. Why would she seek me out.

“She’s good. Really good this morning actually. I…um…well…your mom came and talked to me last night.”

I stopped in the driveway. Bongo ran and barked between the two of us like he wanted us to play. Eden held up the ball he must have brought her as a welcome present and with a questioning look toward me, she chucked it to the other side of the house.

Bongo took off, giving us about three seconds of quiet.

“What’d you say?”

“Your mom. I was on Marley’s front porch last night and she stopped by to talk.”

“Okay…” Knowing my mom, it could go one of two ways. Knowing how we left things at the lake yesterday, I could only imagine. “And you came to tell me that?”

She shrugged, looking adorable and lost and so damn sexy in that shirt that swallowed her body—at least her upper half because she still hadn’t walked around the front of her vehicle so I could see all of her.

Please. Please let her be wearing shorts beneath that shirt that would make it look like she had nothing on at all.

Or maybe not. Probably not what I should be wishing for.

She stepped, then, like she knew the trail of my thoughts and I didn’t know whether to curse or thank God as I took in her legs. Long, tanned, and trimmed, they disappeared beneath the hem of that shirt that hung to her mid-thighs.

Not a pair of shorts in sight, but I imagined them perfectly. Tiny, tight little booty shorts, the kind girls wore to work out or for yoga were most likely hidden beneath them. Or frayed cutoff denim shorts, the kind that would only be visible if she was sitting in my truck, bare feet pressed to my dash like I’d so often wanted her all those years ago.

I blinked, shook the runaway train of thoughts away.

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