Hero chuckled. “The man is tough as steel but put a puppy in his face, and he’s like a new person.” He reached out to scratch Brody behind his ear and smiled.
“Pretty sure the same can be said for you,” I smirked.
“I’m gonna go pay the lady, yeah?” Greta laughed. She wandered back around to the front of the house to where the woman said she would be.
Indiana leaned back on her hands and smiled up at me. “I am happy but extremely tired.”
“That’s because Moose came in today, and he lives up to his name,” Reva laughed. “It took you and me both to wrestle him into the tub.”
“He was named properly, at least,” Indiana laughed. “I’m going to assume that Great Danes don’t really like water.”
Reva smiled wide and scratched Bones chest. “At least not Moose.”
Greta walked back around the house and brushed her hands on her jeans. “All right, fuckers. We are good to go. I gave her Meg’s phone number, and she said she’ll send her pictures of the boys growing until you guys pick them up. Let’s pack it up.” She pointed at Reva and Indiana. “No trying to smuggle the puppies home with us. They need to be with their mama for
the next three weeks. Helps with their socialization and whatnot.”
Ten minutes later, we managed to rip the puppies away from King and the girls. Greta rode on the back of King’s bike, while Reva was with Hero, and Indiana was at my back.
“This is so much fun!” Indiana yelled over the roar of the engine and wind.
“Good,” I yelled back.
She wrapped her arms tightly around my waist and rested her head on my shoulder.
The forty-five-minute drive to the see the dogs had flown by fast, but now that we had seen them and weren’t in a rush anymore, King led the way down the highway without driving like a bat out of hell.
Having Indiana on the back of my bike was just as good as I imagined it.
Last night, she had knocked out before I even got to her room, and this morning, I did manage to sneak a kiss when she handed me a plate filled with French toast and sausage.
Tonight, I was hoping to sneak a whole hell of a lot more than just a kiss.
*
Chapter Ten
Indiana
“Hey, what are you doing out here?”
I whipped around and hid the cigarette behind my back. “Uh, nothing?” The cloud of smoke dissipating around me disagreed.
Frost waved his hand in the air in front of me. “Yeah, nothing,” he chuckled.
“It’s a shitty habit, I know.” One I fully intended to stop. I just needed to stop being stressed out.
Puppies were a good stress relief, but that didn’t last for long.
Royal was still missing, and there was still a killer on the loose. Both things stressful on their own, but when they were happening at the same time, well, I needed a smoke.
“Not judging, darlin’. Just checking to make sure you’re okay. Last time when you came out here for a quick smoke, your ex suddenly appeared.”
I cringed. “Ugh, can you please not mention Grit. Like, ever again.” Grit was a part of my life I never wanted to pop up again. As soon as we got the Royal situation sorted, I hoped like hell he slipped back into my torrid past and stayed there.
“You haven’t said much about him, but deducing from the fact you aren’t with him anymore and just his general attitude, I have to assume things between you two weren’t sunshine and rainbows.”
I shook my head. “Only for about the first three weeks we were together. After that, Grit morphed into his true, inner asshole and made my life a living hell for five years.”