Page 47 of Beautiful Distraction

“And me.” I run my hands through Sniper’s coat, then beginto rub his ears.

“It took me half a year to get him to let me touch him,”Kellan remarks, watching me with a strange expression. “He’s a military dogwith PTSD. I adopted him. So no, it’s not normal.”

“Everyone likes me,” I mumble.

His brow shoots up, his usual arrogance returning. “Noteveryone.”

His statement hits me like a slap in the face. My head snapsto him. “What the fuck’s that supposed to mean?”

He shrugs and moves closer. His fingers curl around my upperarm, and before I know it, I’m back up on my feet again, Sniper instantlyforgotten.

Kellan’s standing close, looking down at me, his hot breathwarming my lips.

“I don’t like you,” he whispers, his expression dark, hiseyes hooded.

What. The. Fuck?

As I stare at him, I realize he’s probably jealous.

Jealous that his dog likes me.

“Are you always this blunt?” I shake my head and yank my armout of his grip. “Wait, don’t answer that. I think I know the answer.”

“Trust me, you don’t.”

The air around us seems to have cooled down a few degrees.

What’s with this guy, blowing all hot and cold? Why can’t hejust be like a normal human being and at least pretend to be charming untilhe’s deceived his way into my panties?

“I don’t like you either,” I say and turn around to leave.His grip on my arm holds me back.

“Ava?”

“What?” I snap at him for no reason. It’s such an immaturereaction, but I can’t help feeling hurt. Hurt that he doesn’t like me. Hurtthat he’s jealous when it’s not even my fault. Hurt that he can’t be happy thathis dog likes me.

“I don’t like you,” he says again.

“You made that part perfectly clear.”

“No, you don’t understand.” He takes a deep breath and letsit out slowly. “You’re not unlikeable. I don’t like you because I want you. Youshould take that as a compliment. The women I didn’t like were always the bestlays.”

My mouth opens and closes.

“You’re such an asshole, you know that?” I say throughgritted teeth.

“Why? Because I just told you that I want you?”

“No, because you’re implying that I could be just anotherone of your conquests. That’s all I am for you, right?” My eyes are ablaze as Istep forward and poke a finger into his hard chest. “Did you ever ask thosewomen whether they liked you?”

He steps back and smiles at me, the kind of smile I wish Icould smack right off his face. ”No need to. Their screams always said it all.”

With that, he heads back to the horses, whistling for Sniperto follow after him. The dog doesn’t. Panting, he sits on his haunches andlooks up at me, waiting.

“Now, that’s a good boy,” I say, smiling, and pat his head.“I don’t like him. And I bet you don’t like him either.”

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CHAPTER TWELVE

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