Page 81 of The Penalty Shot (Totally Pucked 5)

She giggles and wiggles her hips. “Well…you told me once if I wanted something to take it.”

Leaning down, she brushes her lips along mine and trails them lower and lower, down my chest to the ridges of my abdomen. I’m loving how comfortable and confident she’s gotten with me, physically and emotionally.

“I’m confused, am I losing or winning this argument?” I rasp.

“I’m not against a pet, per se. I just think we need to be clear on the responsibility, and I think we should adopt one at a shelter. I hate that there are so many animals with no home there. I would bring them all home if I could.”Her big blue eyes shine with sincerity.

My girl, and her heart. Sometimes I can’t believe that she chose me, and that I get to spend my days with someone as inherently good as Auden.

“Then we’ll go to a shelter and pick the ugliest mutt there.” I sit up and flex my hips against her hot center, then quickly unknot the towel that’s around her. It falls away, leaving her bare for me.

“Deal. I call this a win, win.” She smirks while her hand snakes into the waistband of my sweats.And, for the rest of the afternoon, I show her just how competitive I can be. Multiple times.

By the time Alex gets home, and we make it to the shelter, they’re thirty minutes from closing, which greatly stresses Auden.

“It’ll be fine, Killer. We’re a little late, but I think that they’ll want one of their pups adopted.” I pull her to me and lace my fingers in hers as we walk through the front door of the shelter.

“I’m so excited!” Alex says. He’s bouncing from one foot to the other, unable to sit still.

I’m not gonna lie: I am too. Not just because I’ve always wanted a dog, but because I’ll feel better about leaving Alex and Auden when I have away games. I already told Auden that I was going to have a better security system installed.She wanted to argue, something about her being independent, but I quickly explained that it was my job to take care of her and Alex, that we’re partners now, and I was going to do that no matter what. And…I may have distracted her by lowering myself between her thighs and eating her until she agreed. But still.

"Hi! You must be Asher and Auden? My name is Emilie and I’m a volunteer here at Chicago Animal Alliance.” A young girl, with coppery blonde hair and a wide smile full of braces, walks into the room wearing a volunteer shirt.

“Hi, yes. I’m Auden, and this is Asher, and Alex. Sorry we’re so late. It’s nice to meet you.”

We all shake her hand and wait while she grabs a clipboard from the reception desk.

“Oh, it’s not a problem,” Emilie smiles sweetly, “we spoke on the phone briefly about you and your family adopting a dog, are you still interested in doing that?”

Alex nods enthusiastically. “Yes, we are! Can we see them?”

I laugh. “Very interested.”

I squeeze Auden’s hand tightly in mine and offer her a playful grin, which she returns. When she does, I realize how much she’s been smiling lately. And fuck, I love it.

There’s nothing more that I want than to see my girl smiling all the time. To know that I helped put that smile there. As much as I hated things happening the way we did with her parents, I feel like it was the best thing for Auden and Alex both. To let them go. She’s seemed more relaxed and confident ever since.

“Okay, perfect, if you follow me this way, I’ll show you where we keep our puppies and where we keep our older dogs.”

Alex sprints behind Emilie, while I keep Auden tucked against my side, and together, we trail closely behind them as she guides us down a hallway lined with individually-fenced kennels.

“Mom, Asher, look at him!” Alex stands in front of a kennel at the very back with his fingers curled through the chain-linked fence. In the back, there’s a full-sized brown Labrador asleep on a worn bed.

I can practically see Auden melt in front of me. She drops my hand and squats in front of the cage, calling out to the dog.

“Hi buddy, oh gosh, you are so cute.”

The dog lifts his head and his tail begins to wag. Next, he’s barreling off of the bed toward Auden and Alex, licking their fingers through the fence.

“This is Groot. He’s two-years-old, and he’s been with us for a while…Most people opt for puppies, so the older dogs sometimes get left behind. So, he’s our buddy. He has a great temperament. He’s very affectionate and calm,” Emilie says.

“He’s the cutest! Asher, mom, can we get him?” Alex asks, his hands clasped together in a plea as he glances between us.

My laughter echoes off the hall around us. “Kid, he’s the first one you’ve met. You haven’t even met any of the other dogs yet.”

His face falls as he glances back at the cage, and Auden looks up at me. “Asher’s right, baby, let’s meet the others first, okay? And if he’s still the one you want to adopt then I think we should get him. He’s a sweet little guy.”

“His name is Groot. After my favorite Guardian’s character! It’s meant to be, Asher,” Alex whines.

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