Page 17 of Take Me
“I figured.”Erika eases her weight back against me.
I’m sure she’s just faking some casual, physical ease between us, but the heat of her plush, perfect ass just fans the flames.This shouldn’t be hot.I’m discussing dogs with the woman who dumped me while settling my hands on the hips of the fake girlfriend who dared my ten-year-old self to eat two pounds of gummy worms in an hour.
For the record, I rocked it.Then I barfed for three hours, but it was worth it.So was that kiss just now.
Get it together, Mason.
Annabelle keeps right on talking.“I know you kinda loved the idea of a bulldog shih-tzu mix, and I don’t have one of those.”
“No bullshit?”I swallow the sweetness of Erika’s kiss with my brain in a tailspin.Does Annabelle know that was fake?
My dick doesn’t seem to be getting the message.Go down, go down, go?—
“I have something better than a chiweenie or a bullshit.”Annabelle beams.“Ever heard of a horgi?”
“A whore what?”I’m not even trying to be funny, but she laughs.
“A horgi—a cross between a husky and a corgi.”She gets out of her car, her curly, dark ponytail trailing behind her.“Someone dumped him at my clinic with a snoot full of porcupine quills.”
“Oh no!”Erika gasps and peers through the window.“Poor baby.”
“It’s awful, I know.”Annabelle opens the car door.“At least they didn’t try to pull them out—that’s torture for a dog, since porcupine quills are barbed, plus he had several hidden ones near his eyes that got infected.I removed them under anesthesia and dosed him with antibiotics.He’s doing great now, and I was on my way to take him to the shelter when I saw you.Isn’t he just perfect?”
I peer into the backseat to see the world’s most bizarre-looking dog.Blue eyes peer from a pure-white mask fringed in silvery black.Dark fur trails down his sides and back to a thick, plumy tail in dull cream.Below this curious assortment of canine parts, I spot four legs the approximate length of golf tees.His shaggy white feet turn out to the sides like this dog can’t decide which direction to go.
“Woof!”His bark sounds like a spoon got stuck in the dishwasher.
“Woof to you, too,” I say back.
His tongue lolls out to one side, and a thick trail of drool streams onto Annabelle’s backseat.She doesn’t seem to notice as she leans in to scratch the dog’s ears.“I had to pull a few teeth,” she says.“The slobber issue should stop once he gets used to not having them.”
“He?”Erika bends to peer at the dog.Her ass bumps my still-throbbing junk, setting off fresh waves of fireworks.
Did I really suck face with my best friend?
“Definitely a male.”Annabelle declares it proudly, though I’m guessing Erika’s seen for herself.Orfelt, if we’re talking about me.
We weren’t, were we?
“I neutered him, too,” she continues, so okay—not talking about me.
“He’s really cute.”Erika looks up at me, her forehead crunching a little.“You okay, Mace?”
“Huh?Yeah, I’m good.Great!”I drag a hand down my face and try to regain my composure.“Does the dog have a name?”
“Not yet.”Annabelle smiles.“If you adopt him, you can name him whatever you want.”She laughs as the dog licks her hand.“Like I said, someone just dumped him at my clinic.No tags, no ID, not even a note.”
“Who would do that?”Erika scratches his ears, and the dog leans into her hand.“What a handsome boy.”
“People dump pets at my clinic more often than you’d think.”She sounds so sad I want to take her in my arms and—no.“I’ll show up in the morning to find a box full of kittens or a dog tied to the door.I finally installed an awning to keep them out of the rain.”
“That’s awful.”Erika shifts to a two-handed scratch.“I’m so glad she saved you, buddy.”
I manage to swallow with an audible click.“He looks like somebody put a bunch of dogs in a blender and glued random parts back together.”
Annabelle chuckles.“I knew you’d love him.You’ve always had a thing for the odd ducks.”
“That’s the weirdest damn duck I’ve ever seen.”I’m trying for lighthearted humor, but my voice sounds shaky.
