Page 17 of Slow Burn
"Maddie."
"Please, Jennah? It's not like I'm playing hooky." It was half an hour before closing time. But I just needed to get out of there. To get away from feeling like a disappointment.
With narrowed eyes, my sister regarded me for what felt like an eternity. A million questions were floating around in those irises and I thanked every deity I could think of when she didn't voice a single one.
Instead, she bent down and snatched my purse up before sliding it to me. "You know I'm here if you need to talk, right?" I didn't. Jennah and I weren't close. We hadn't been in years. Besides how could I explain to my sister—who couldn't set a foot wrong in my parents' eyes—that I felt smothered. That it seemed as if I didn't fit in with the rest of them.
While they were happily trotting along living the lives they knew they were going to have, I was the one who wanted more. And it didn't necessarily mean I didn't want to live in this town. I just wanted to feel fulfilled. To make a difference. To not feel stagnant.
"Thanks. Give Tommy a hug for me, okay?" Feeling as if I might break at any moment, I rushed to my car. I had no idea how I made it home in one piece, but I'd never been as grateful to walk into my home as I was right then.
Until I saw Sheldon's crate.
His empty, dog-less crate.
My heart stopped cold right before it picked up at an alarming speed. "Sheldon?" His name came out all wobbly as I sprinted from one corner to the next. Even the smacking noises I made with my lips sounded shaky. Darting up the stairs, I kept calling him. Opening closet doors and searching under the beds.
Panic set in, my lungs and my throat seized up. Many people would look at him and see only a pet. But he was my companion. The one thing that made me feel less alone in this damn world. I'd gotten him at a shelter when friends were few during my short stay in New York.
The bond between us had been instant, and I couldn't imagine my life without Sheldon in it.
Thick, hot tears spilled down my cheeks before I even realized I was crying. Of course, this would happen. Today of all days. With my fingers laced behind my head, I stared at my bedroom ceiling. In all the time I'd had him, Sheldon had never run away. Not once. I had no clue where to even begin my search.
With a few angry swipes, I wiped away the tears and sprinted down the stairs. Maybe, just maybe, my pup was somewhere on the beach. I made it all of three steps out of the house before I skidded to a stop. It was so abrupt,momentum threw my body forward and I almost fell flat on my face.
Ambling toward me was my grumpy ass neighbor… with my dog tucked under one of his thick arms. The one covered in ink. His face a picture of determination as those powerful legs of his took long sure strides toward me.
I tried to swallow but my mouth felt dry. Too dry. My gaze bounced from his legs to his broad chest, along his tatted arm before settling on Sheldon. Who looked happy as can be. I couldn't blame him though. The arm holding him looked quite capable.
In the space of a breath, I had a vision of those arms tightly wrapped around me. Holding me so close that I could barely breathe. Making me feel comforted and safe. I blinked and the vision, or whatever the heck that was, was gone.
In its place, an angry-looking man glaring down at me. A very tall and incredibly sexy man. Dark, dark eyes peered at me down the length of a slightly crooked nose. Those impossibly full lips curled into a snarl.
I wasn't supposed to find any of it appealing.
"Your damn rat was at my place again." How was it even possible for a voice so low and gritty to be filled with so much disdain?
"Sorry," was my weak reply. In my defense, having him all up in my space like he was was a little bit unnerving. It also gave me the perfect opportunity to notice things I hadn't before. Like the fine lines framing his eyes or the light dusting of freckles that spread fromone cheek to the other. And then the stubble covering his jaw that seemed to have a mixture of dark brown and golden strands.
I wanted to drag my palm over it and feel if it was as prickly as his personality. My gaze slipped to the scars on his neck. The thick welts covered his left side and disappeared into his shirt. A quick glance confirmed that they spread all the way to his left elbow.
What happened to you?
The question was there on the tip of my tongue. It was a damn miracle I didn't voice it.
"Did your momma never teach you it's rude to stare?" His voice boomed, pulling me out of my musings. I blinked once, twice, then two more times. The jaw I'd been studying seconds ago was set, the muscle ticking away like a timer of a bomb.
Then his words registered.
Squaring my shoulders, I tilted my head back and gave him a glare of my own. "No. Just like yours never taught you any manners."
A thrill danced down my spine when his eyes widened just a smidge at the tone of my voice. I was pretty sure Mr. Big and Intimidating wasn't used to people calling him on his BS.
Like he'd done the other day, he thrust Sheldon into my arms. Our hands touched for a fraction of a second, but it was enough to set my pulse on fire.
"Next time I see him on my property, he won't be so lucky," my grumpy ass neighbor growled.
I hugged my dog closer, feeling a mixture of relief and something else I couldn't quite put my finger on. "If you hurt him, I'll hurtyou."
