Page 85 of Brutal Knight

So I leave thoughts of children behind in the car and focus on what’s right in front of me.

I can hear the dogs barking as soon as we step into the back. It’s a nice place, and they all seem energetic and happy. Several puppies are playing with each other, the older dogs lazing in the sun. It’s a paradise to me, a scene I never thought I’d be able to see.

Connor’s hand rests on my waist, holding me close to him. The weight of it is reassuring as he talks to the man at the desk. I’m barely paying attention.

When we walk through, I feel like I’m about to cry. I still can’t believe this is happening, that I could have something like this.

“Do I—?” I break off, looking up at Connor.

“Whatever you want,” he answers, smiling. “Pick any one you like.”

I nod and swallow past my tears, crouching to watch the dogs play and come up to us.

One in particular catches my eye. It’s not a puppy, not quite old. It might be two years old, a terrier with a red coat and ears that fold over at the top. It looks up at me with big brown eyes, sniffing around, tail wagging.

My heart throbs once, and I know this is it. There’s no question in my mind. When I look up, Connor sees it in my eyes, and he waves the man from the desk over.

It’s all a blur. There’s paperwork and money, and then someone leads the dog out on a leash. I can hear them saying it’s a male, that his name is Teddy. I feel like a kid. I barely care about what they’re saying. I just can’t wait to hold him.

The second I have him in my arms, I can’t help the tear that slips out. Teddy licks my face, and I laugh, burying my face in his body.

“Hey, that’s my job,” Connor growls playfully, scratching between the dog’s ears. “I’ll let it slide just this one time.”

I laugh and follow Connor out. We’re back home in the blink of an eye, and I let Teddy off the leash, watching him romp around the house. He sniffs everything, tail wagging a mile a minute as he bounds around.

Watching a dog explore the house with Connor at my side, I feel like my chest is about to explode. There’s so much happiness in me. I’ve never felt this before, don’t know how long I can hold it in me.

This is nothing like my old life. It’s nothing like the pain and fear of living with Dmitri. It’s so far from that, I almost can’t believe I’m still me. It feels like I died that night I overdosed, like everything since then has just been a perfect dream.

Even if it is, I don’t care. I don’t want to wake up from it. I want to stay with Connor forever, right here, in a place where I’ve felt happier than I ever have before.

* * *

The days pass blissfully. I end up forgetting to count, forgetting to measure the amount of time I have before there’s an inevitable disaster. When I was with Dmitri, I’d count the days between his explosions. I’d form a pattern and he’d break it.

Now, I don’t think about anything. I just enjoy my life and time with Connor.

And Teddy.

I help Connor take care of the dog, go on walks with them and feel the sun on my skin. It’s glorious. It’s incredible to just go out whenever I want to, and to have someone by my side every time.

A few days after we come home with Teddy, Connor asks me to come out with him. I’m sitting on the couch in the living room in the early evening, a book in hand, the dog asleep at my feet.

“We’re all going to another one of our businesses,” Connor explains. “A bar we own.”

“Okay.”

I put my book down and step away from the couch, heading upstairs to get ready. When I’m done, I look at myself in the mirror and see a woman I barely recognize. I have a healthy glow from being in the sun and my hair looks shiny and soft. I’m no longer uncomfortably thin.

I look like a woman, a powerful and happy woman. And the dress helps. It’s a blue that matches my eyes, low-cut in the back, the front higher. It drapes perfectly over my hips and hits just the right length.

When I come down the stairs, there’s hunger in Connor’s gaze. He smiles slowly, holding his hand out for me to take.

When he helps me down the last stair, his hand slips to my waist and he pulls me in for a kiss. I almost moan, feeling his hand burn through the fabric of my dress. His hand slides along my neck and I wish he’d pull my dress up and fuck me right here and now.

Instead, he pulls back, his thumb swiping along my lower lip. I’m sure my lipstick is smeared.

“Let’s go, then,” he says, his voice husky and low.

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