The doorbell rang a second time. It was Chloe. Ithadto be. "I've gotta go," I said and ended the call before he could ask any more questions.
But I still didn't move. Not yet. A minute – that's all I needed, or so I told myself. I was still trying to fit the pieces together. The guy was married. Was that good? Or bad? Maybe it meant nothing. Maybe the guywasnothing, just a random door-knocker who had nothing to do with me or Chloe.
I frowned. Or maybe, he was the reason that Chloe had practically hung up on me last night.
Stalling, I headed for the kitchen and shoved a bag of doggie treats into the front pocket of my jeans. I'd have done it anyway, but it was good to buy myself a few more seconds.
My head was full of ugly images. They all starred Chloe, except she wasn't alone.
And it wasn't just the guy from this morning. Not too long ago, I'd seen another guy at Chloe's place. The douchebag. He'd offered me girls for a price. High-end girls. Girl-next-door types. Nice and sweet.
Like Chloe.
I shook my head. No. I wasn't going to believe that. Not about Chloe. There was another explanation. There had to be. I just had to figure out what it was. And this time, I'd do it without making an ass of myself.
I took a deep breath and strode toward the door.
Don't mess this up.
But I did.
Bad.
Chapter 40
I opened the front door, and there she was, dressed in jeans and a basic blue sweater. I gave the sweater a quick glance. No lacy tank-top for me, huh?
Damn it. Stop being a dick. She looks great, and you damn well know it. Shit, she could be wearing a dirty sweatshirt, and you'd still be all over her.
Dumb-ass.
At her feet, Chucky was spazzing out, just like he always did. He lunged toward me, whining and pawing at my legs. For some stupid reason, it made me feel better. Because it was distraction? Or because it was nice to know thatsomeonewas dying to see me?
I crouched beside him. "Hey Buddy," I said, ruffling his fur. "I know whatyouwant." I stood and pulled out the bag of doggie treats. When I shook it, Chucky went so nuts that I almost smiled in spite of my shitty mood. I pulled some treats from the bag and crouched down to give him some.
I glanced up and saw Chloe watching me. When our eyes met, I managed to say, "I'm glad you're here."
She gave me an odd look. "Is something wrong?"
Now, that was a funny question. Maybe I should askherthe same thing – except she wasn't a big fan of questions, was she? I stood and brushed Chucky's crumbs off my jeans. "Nope."
She glanced toward the street and said, "Still up for a walk?" She hesitated. "Or maybe you wanna do it another day? I mean, if this is a bad time for you–"
"It's not. Wanna come in?"
She glanced down at Chucky, who was still spazzing. "I'd like to come in, but do you care if we walk first?"
"Nope." I held out my hand, palm up.
She eyed the palm, and her eyebrows furrowed.
What now? She didn'twantme to walk her dog? I felt my jaw clench. Why? Had the other guy done it already?
Yeah, right. A guy like that? He wouldn't be walking her dog. He'd be pounding her pussy.
At the image, I felt a murderous rage sweep over me. Trying to shove it down, I said, "Leash?" When she still didn't hand it over, I made a sound of impatience. "Unlessyouwant to take him."
"Oh," she stammered. "Sorry." She handed me the leash, and as she did, our fingers brushed. I sucked in a quiet breath, wondering where those fingers had been.
