love.
There was no danger of that with Trey. There'd be no surprises. No illusions. No disappointing betrayal at the end.
She had a business to get off the ground and she spent a lot of time running it. She didn't have time for a relationship. But she was lonely. A little companionship would be nice. After a short and pleasant affair, they would part as congenial enemies with happy memories. It was perfect.
He was perfect.
Trey glanced at her, and then looked more closely. He gave her a puzzled smile. "You okay, Dakota? You look hungry."
Warmth poured over her cheeks as embarrassment burst to life under her ribs. "Starved," she choked out, turning toward the window.
The truck coughed to life, rumbling around her like a geriatric beast. "I'll get you something to eat as soon as we get out of town," Trey said.
His neutral, brotherly tone reminded her that she'd made him promise not to come near her. Apparently he'd taken her order seriously. Now what?
He was attracted to her too, she was certain of it. Guys couldn't control things like that.
He was definitely the perfect candidate for a little R&R. All she had to do was talk him into it.
If she could just scare up the nerve.
* * *
"Pull around to the back of the restaurant." Dakota leaned forward to peer through the wind shield.
Something was up with Dakota and Trey couldn't figure it out. He couldn't figure out a lot of things like how the hell he was going to talk her into coming back to work for Jamison.
Usually he didn't have any trouble finding the weak link in a person's armor and figuring out how to exploit it. Dakota was different. She didn't seem to fit any mold. One minute she was a sophisticated and elegant woman mildly flirting with him over dinner, the next she was barely able to look him in the eye.
He felt like a squirrel on ice in a strong wind. Nothing short of luck was going to get him to solid ground.
Trey rolled up next to her VW bug. Dakota hopped out of the truck with her bag of leftover food before he'd even come to a complete stop.
She fumbled to unlock her car door. That's when he saw the dog.
It was rangy, but big. Some kind of spotted, scruffy lab mix...maybe. It came charging around the corner of the dumpster and headed straight for her at full speed.
Sheer panic shot through him. "Dakota!" He banged open his door and jumped for the hood of the truck, rolling across it and landing on the other side. He tackled the dog just before it got to her.
Grabbing it around the chest, Trey tucked his body and landed hard on the ground. The animal squealed and started yelping like he was killing it.
"Hamlet!" Dakota screamed. "Trey, are you crazy? You're hurting him!"
She dropped to her knees next to him and the dog struggled frantically to get at her.
"Get in the truck, Dakota," Trey snapped, squeezing down on the animal so it couldn't get away.
"Let go!" Her fingers dug into his arm and she pulled on him like she was trying to break his grip. "That's my dog!"
Was she serious? "It attacked you!"
"He was greeting me. He'd never hurt anyone."
"It has a funny way of showing it."
"He's not vicious."
Trey stared at her over the thrashing animal. "If it kills you, don't come crying to me."
"Okay." Was that an edge of humor he heard in her voice?
Irritated that she might be laughing at him, he let the dog go. It scrambled off him and took off.
Dakota watched it go and sighed. "It took me a long time to get him to trust me. I hope I don't have to start all over again."
Trey sat up. "Why does your dog live behind a dumpster?"
"My landlord doesn't allow pets." She stood up and brushed off the knees of her jeans. "I can't afford to live anywhere else, so don't even start on that."
Trey got to his feet, his heart still pounding from the scare her dog had given him. "How was I supposed to know it--"
"He."
"Was yours? All I saw was a stray charging you down like it...he wanted to rip your throat out."
She
There was no danger of that with Trey. There'd be no surprises. No illusions. No disappointing betrayal at the end.
She had a business to get off the ground and she spent a lot of time running it. She didn't have time for a relationship. But she was lonely. A little companionship would be nice. After a short and pleasant affair, they would part as congenial enemies with happy memories. It was perfect.
He was perfect.
Trey glanced at her, and then looked more closely. He gave her a puzzled smile. "You okay, Dakota? You look hungry."
Warmth poured over her cheeks as embarrassment burst to life under her ribs. "Starved," she choked out, turning toward the window.
The truck coughed to life, rumbling around her like a geriatric beast. "I'll get you something to eat as soon as we get out of town," Trey said.
His neutral, brotherly tone reminded her that she'd made him promise not to come near her. Apparently he'd taken her order seriously. Now what?
He was attracted to her too, she was certain of it. Guys couldn't control things like that.
He was definitely the perfect candidate for a little R&R. All she had to do was talk him into it.
If she could just scare up the nerve.
* * *
"Pull around to the back of the restaurant." Dakota leaned forward to peer through the wind shield.
Something was up with Dakota and Trey couldn't figure it out. He couldn't figure out a lot of things like how the hell he was going to talk her into coming back to work for Jamison.
Usually he didn't have any trouble finding the weak link in a person's armor and figuring out how to exploit it. Dakota was different. She didn't seem to fit any mold. One minute she was a sophisticated and elegant woman mildly flirting with him over dinner, the next she was barely able to look him in the eye.
He felt like a squirrel on ice in a strong wind. Nothing short of luck was going to get him to solid ground.
Trey rolled up next to her VW bug. Dakota hopped out of the truck with her bag of leftover food before he'd even come to a complete stop.
She fumbled to unlock her car door. That's when he saw the dog.
It was rangy, but big. Some kind of spotted, scruffy lab mix...maybe. It came charging around the corner of the dumpster and headed straight for her at full speed.
Sheer panic shot through him. "Dakota!" He banged open his door and jumped for the hood of the truck, rolling across it and landing on the other side. He tackled the dog just before it got to her.
Grabbing it around the chest, Trey tucked his body and landed hard on the ground. The animal squealed and started yelping like he was killing it.
"Hamlet!" Dakota screamed. "Trey, are you crazy? You're hurting him!"
She dropped to her knees next to him and the dog struggled frantically to get at her.
"Get in the truck, Dakota," Trey snapped, squeezing down on the animal so it couldn't get away.
"Let go!" Her fingers dug into his arm and she pulled on him like she was trying to break his grip. "That's my dog!"
Was she serious? "It attacked you!"
"He was greeting me. He'd never hurt anyone."
"It has a funny way of showing it."
"He's not vicious."
Trey stared at her over the thrashing animal. "If it kills you, don't come crying to me."
"Okay." Was that an edge of humor he heard in her voice?
Irritated that she might be laughing at him, he let the dog go. It scrambled off him and took off.
Dakota watched it go and sighed. "It took me a long time to get him to trust me. I hope I don't have to start all over again."
Trey sat up. "Why does your dog live behind a dumpster?"
"My landlord doesn't allow pets." She stood up and brushed off the knees of her jeans. "I can't afford to live anywhere else, so don't even start on that."
Trey got to his feet, his heart still pounding from the scare her dog had given him. "How was I supposed to know it--"
"He."
"Was yours? All I saw was a stray charging you down like it...he wanted to rip your throat out."
She
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