Someone was home!
I felt all the color drain from my face.
Oh my God.
I need to get the hell out of here!
Panicking now, I looked for a place to leave the hair clip. Finding nowhere suitable, I balanced it on the top of the doorknob, thinking someone would either see it or, if they didn’t, it would fall to the floor when the door opened and snag their attention.
Then I started to haul ass back down the stairs. My heart was pounding so fast, it felt like I was running from the scene of a crime instead of doing a good deed returning a little girl’s favorite hair clip.
I made it only a few steps when I heard a clanking sound from behind me—the sound of a lock opening. Freaking out, I kept going . . . until a deep voice stopped me in my tracks.
“Hey. You. What are you doing?”
Oh. My. God.
I closed my eyes. That voice. Of course, I’d only heard Sebastian Maxwell speak briefly at the carousel, yet I was 100 percent positive it was him. That deep, rich, sexy baritone rasp totally went with the rest of the package.
When I didn’t respond, he snapped again. The second time louder.
“I said, where are you running to?”
I took a deep breath, realizing I was going to have to face the consequences of my actions, and slowly turned around.
Jesus Christ. Sebastian was even better up close. It looked like he’d just gotten out of the shower. His hair was wet and slicked back, and he had on a simple white T-shirt and gray joggers. Standing so close, I became mesmerized by the color of his green eyes—they were so unusual, not hazel or the green color that most people have, which resembles jade or moss, but the bright color of a brilliant emerald, and the areas surrounding his pupils were filled with flecks of gold.
“You’re late,” he barked.
“Uh . . .”
“The bell isn’t working. I have to fix it this weekend. So you’re going to have to knock a little harder and be on time if you want this job. I have to leave for work in five minutes.”
“Job?”
“You are the dog trainer, aren’t you?”
His beautiful eyes were boring into me, and it made me more than a little nervous. In the moment, I felt like he could see straight through me and was going to think that I was some sort of a crazed stalker of his ten-year-old daughter. I mean, I was, of course, but there was no way I wanted him to think that. So I panicked.
“Umm. Yes. Sorry I’m late. Umm. Traffic.”
What the hell am I doing?
He motioned toward the house. “Well, hurry up. Let’s go. I don’t have all day. I’ll introduce you, and then you’re on your own. Have him back in an hour. The babysitter will be here by then, and she’ll take him when you return. Whatever commands need to be learned for homework, teach them to Magdalene. She’s here more than I am anyway.”
I hesitated but began to walk back up the stairs again. My knees shook more and more with each one. When I got to the front door, Sebastian was already inside. I took a few cautious steps into the vestibule, and out of nowhere, I was attacked.
Alright. So “attacked” might not be the right word. But I was suddenly knocked on my ass, with two giant paws pressed to my chest holding me down. And the biggest tongue I’d ever seen began to slurp the side of my face.
“Marmaduke,” Sebastian yelled. The giant black-and-white-spotted Great Dane looked over his shoulder and practically laughed at the big, angry man looking down at him. He then proceeded to go back to licking my face.
After the shock wore off, I was somehow able to push the behemoth off me. I wiped the saliva from my face and climbed to my feet, only to find Sebastian looking not so happy. What the hell? I was the one who had just gotten pillaged, not him.
He put his hands on his hips. “I seriously hope that wasn’t a demonstration of your training skills. You had less control over him than I do.”
I got annoyed. “What do you expect? He knocked me over without warning. Nice of you to extend a hand to help me up, by the way.”
Sebastian scowled. “You don’t look German.”
I dusted off my pants. “Well, that’s probably because I’m not.”
He squinted at me. “Then why do you teach your training commands in German?”
Oh shit. “Umm.” I blinked a few times before pulling an answer out of my ass. “Please don’t start questioning my methods already. If you don’t want me to train your dog, who clearly needs training that you’re not capable of providing, then say so, and I’ll just be on my way.”