Page 39 of Will Bark for Pizza
From Beckett.
“Sit,” Beckett said, his voice soft but stern as I peeked around the doorway.
Husker plopped his bottom down immediately, staring intently at the piece of bacon Beckett held between his pinched fingers.
“Good boy,” he said, a smile gracing his lips that caused a quiver low in my belly. He still hadn’t shaved, and I secretly hoped he wouldn’t any time soon. I’d bewilling to bet Beckett with a full-on beard was even sexier than Beckett with three-or-four-day stubble.
He turned his attention back to his plate, and nearly caught me peeking. I quickly spun, hiding behind the doorway, my back plastered to the wall as my pulse raced erratically.
I couldn’t face him. Not before I had my morning coffee—and at least two more hours of sleep. I needed my wits about me, and my shields up.
Because I shouldn’t be flirting with a man who consideredbothmy brothers his closest friends. The same man who’d made himself at home with my grandparents for the past threemonths. Everyone in this family loved him. That much was clear.
The last thing I needed to do was go and mess that up.
Or make a complete and total fool of myself when he rejected me.
But the way I felt seen last night was screwing with my senses. That, and my severe lack of sleep.
Beckett hadn’t pushed me to say a single thing more than I wanted to as we sat by the firepit. He didn’t trick me into revealing my deepest, darkest fears so he could later weaponize them against me. There were no passive-aggressive digs. He simply accepted what I had to offer, and expected nothing more.
And he definitely flirted back. Exhausted or not, I didn’t misread that.
Since Travis, I’d wanted nothing to do with men. My heart was wrung dry after that nightmare. I never wanted to wonder again why my love wasn’t enough. I didn’t need to feel the painful sting of rejection that left me lost andhumiliated. I recognized it now for the manipulation it was, but that didn’t mean I’d be signing up for it again.
I was safer on my own, just Husker and me.
Yet all Beckett Campbell had to do was flash me one of those easygoing, sexy half smiles, and I had to fight the urge to fling myself at him. Oh God, how I wanted to crawl right into his lap last night to see if he’d kiss me breathless. He seemed like a man who knew exactly how to work those lips.
“It’s all gone, Husker,” Beckett said, a low chuckle escaping his throat. I stole another peek and found Beckett rubbing the back of my dog’s neck with vigor. As though he didn’t mind at all if he was covered in dog hair for it. My nipples tightened, reminding me I wasn’t wearing a bra beneath my oversized T-shirt.
Husker tilted his head, and caught sight of me.
I flung myself behind cover again, but the jingle of his collar warned me he was coming.
Shit.
I couldn’t be seen like this, with yesterday’s makeup no doubt smeared all over my face. I hadn’t even bothered to brush my hair that was strangled in a ponytail holder, and I was wearing a pair of Scooby Doo pajama shorts I had since college.
I took the stairs two at a time, Husker dead on my heels like it was a game of tag, and hurried down the hall.
Husker hopped onto my bed, and I closed the door.
“Bubbies, you traitor,” I teased.
Husker rolled onto his back, disguising the demand for belly rubs as submission. I crawled back into bed, and gave in.
I didn’t know at what point I fell back to sleep, only that I woke to repeated chimes from my phone. The sun was higher in the sky, and my stomach was rumbling in objection. I wondered if there was any bacon left. How long had it been since I had a homemade breakfast that wasn’t a protein shake?
Wiping sleep from my eyes, I unlocked my phone.
Lila: Are you up?
Lila: Please tell me you’re up!
Lila: Kira?
Lila: I’m too excited to wait, but I don’t want to wake Growly Kira.
