Page 9 of Puppy Love

The further we get, the more people are out walking. Some with dogs, some with kids, some just getting their steps in. I’m impressed that Ace only wags his tail when people compliment how cute he is. I feel a sense of pride, even though he’s not mine.

A family is coming toward us. The mom is pushing a stroller and the dad is walking closely by his son who is riding a bike.

Ace begins pulling and I tell him to stop. He doesn’t though and it’s getting harder to hold him back. I don’t understand why because we passed plenty of families, but he wants to run toward this one, badly.

“Ace, stop pulling so hard,” I hiss, tightening my hold on the leash.

It’s pointless because in the next second he pulls away from me and runs toward them. That’s when I realize, it’s the bike. He wants to chase the bike.

“Fuck,” I whisper, running at him screaming his name.

It’s too late. He runs in front of the bike and the dad grabs the kid, so he doesn’t fall as the bike crashes to the ground.

“Oh my God, I’m so sorry. Is he alright?” I ask, grabbing Ace’s leash.

I’m panting from running and humiliated.

“He’s fine. You might want to train your dog though,” the father says.

What can I say? Ace almost knocked his kid off the bike. There’s no excuse I can give, it’s fucking wrong.

“I’m so sorry,” I whisper, tugging Ace.

We head back toward the house. I’m pissed and embarrassed. I should’ve asked Jayden if anything set him off, but I didn’t think about it. I thought we were going to have a great bonding moment.

“You seem to love getting me wound up,” I say, sighing.

He just happily walks, sniffing around like nothing happened. Like he didn’t just run into a little kid’s bike.

Once the house comes into view, I loosen my grip on the leash. Of course, he starts pulling again and I try to hold him back. He stops and stares. That’s when I notice a squirrel running across the grass.

“Oh come on,” I groan.

He pulls so hard, that I get like a rug burn from the leash. My coffee mug slips out of my hand and spills down my shirt as he darts after the squirrel.

“I’m done.”

I walk up to the door and as if he can sense it, he turns his head and runs toward me. He waits next to me for me to open the door.

“Oh, now you want to behave. If you think I’m not telling your father, you’re crazy,” I hiss, opening the door.

Jayden is standing in the kitchen and smiles when I walk in until he sees my shirt. “Shit, what happened?”

I toss the mug in the sink and spin around. “What happened is your dog is fucking crazy. He ran at a little boy riding a bike and knocked it over. He ran at a squirrel and made me spill my coffee. Not to mention I got this burn from his pulling the leash. I thought we’d have some bonding, but I’ll never take him for a walk again,” I say, putting my hands on my hips.

He tries to fight a smile but loses terribly. My eyes widen and he laughs. “I’m sorry, Cambri.” He moves to stand right in front of me and rests his large hands on my shoulders. “He gets overstimulated on walks sometimes and he thinks bikes are giant toys. I usually make him sit until the biker goes by.”

I search his eyes and I feel my heart begin to race. The images of seeing him earlier come crashing back into my mind. The thoughts of having that incredible body on top of mine, have me swallowing nervously. I feel my neck beginning to heat up and he grins.

I clear my throat, sighing. “He doesn’t listen to me. He only listens to you.”

“He isn’t used to having someone else around. He’s testing you.”

I shake my head, keeping my eyes locked on his. “I’m failing.”

“Oh, no you’re not,” he says, wrapping his arms around me.

I close my eyes and enjoy the feeling of his hard chest against my cheek and his strong arms holding me close. His scent engulfs me, and I fight not to moan.

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