Read Online Bite Me if You Can by Lynsay Sands - Free Book Online Page A

bit, his greeting seemed friendly enough. Relieved that she needn’t fear having her throat ripped out—again—she eased one hand forward and patted the dog awkwardly in greeting. Leigh knew it had been a bad move the moment she heard the thump of his tail on the floor as he tried to wag it in greeting.
    She squeezed her eyes closed, hardly aware of the tongue slapping wetly across her cheek this time, though it was hard to ignore the doggy breath.
    “I should be out helping to hunt down Morgan.”
    That mutter caught Leigh’s attention and she stilled under the dog’s tongue. Hunting down Morgan? Then he wasn’t a cohort of Donald and the man who’d bit her?
    “Instead, I’m stuck here babysitting a—” There was a pause as the man apparently became aware of the thumping sound of the dog’s tail. Leigh raised her hand to her face to block the dog’s tongue and opened her eyes in time to see the feet by the door turn slowly back to face the room. Just as she noted that the tip of the dog’s tail was sticking out from under the bed, the man snapped, “Julius! What the hell are you doing under the bed?”
    Leigh groaned inwardly and watched the bare feet move closer. They stopped beside the tip of Julius’s protruding tail, then a pair of knees and the skirt of his apron came into view as he knelt at the foot of the bed. A bare arm followed, then his face appeared, still hidden behind the kerchief. His eyes, however, were not hidden, and she felt her stomach clench as she stared at the silvery blue as he glared under the bed. It took her a moment to realize he was glaring at the dog, then his gaze shifted to her and he blinked in surprise.
    “Oh. There you are.” The glare softened, but there was still irritation in his eyes. “What are you doing out of bed? Don’t I have enough to do?”
    Leigh had the most ridiculous urge to apologize, but bit her tongue to keep it back. She had no idea who he was, or where she was, or—
    Her thoughts scattered as the dog gave her face another lick. Either he believed she was a doggy popsicle or they were going steady now, she thought, her sense of humor returning as the ridiculousness of the situation sank in. Her hiding spot had been a decided failure, yet she was still in it. And she wasn’t even sure she needed a hiding place. If the man was hunting Morgan... “The enemy of my enemy” and all that.
    Leigh was about to roll out from under the bed when her hand was suddenly caught in a rubbery grip and she was dragged out. She managed a gasp of shock, then found herself scooped up into strong arms and carried to the bed she’d struggled out of just moments ago.
    “You shouldn’t be up and about yet. You’re too weak,” the man scolded as he straightened, his kerchief billowing against his lips with each word.
    “I—” Leigh began, but he’d noticed her arm and interrupted.
    “You’ve torn out your IV. Now I’ll have to put it back in.”
    Leigh watched wide-eyed as he grabbed the tube from the IV, found the end of it, and began to remove the tape to examine the tip. Most of her fear was easing away. He seemed harmless. A little batty, she decided, taking in his eccentric costume, but harmless. She barely had this thought when her gaze was drawn to the dog. He was finished dragging himself out from under the bed and leapt up onto it to settle at her side.
    Leigh eyed him warily, afraid he would start licking her again. Now that she could see all of him and tell how big he was, she was very, very grateful that he seemed a friendly mutt, but not so grateful that she wanted to be covered in doggy spit from head to toe. Fortunately, it seemed he was done with that. He spread out on the bed beside her, dropped his head onto his front paws, closed his eyes and appeared to go to sleep.
    A discouraged sigh drew her attention back to the man in time to see him send an irritated glance her way. “You broke it.”
    Leigh blinked. “I did?”
    “Yes. Snapped the