Searching for Always (Searching For 4)

Pinky walked quietly across the floor and sat in front of the door, blocking his way.

"Oh, you think you're smart, huh? Well, guess what? If I did take you, you'd freak out because there's a pit bull over there. You'd probably go into convulsions and I'd have to turn right back around. You have to stay home, and I'm not giving up getting lucky just to watch football with you tonight."

Pinky sighed.

How had this happened? How had a half-catatonic dog suddenly become a manipulative, mushy, demanding pet? Sure, he'd spent a lot of time at the shelter talking to her. Sure, he'd given her a quiet, safe home to heal again, and finally let her sleep in his damn bed. Sure, he took her with him almost everywhere because he couldn't stand the idea of her crying. But this? Messing up his sex life?

Not gonna happen.

"Move out of the way. I bought you a new bone--it's the chewy kind, 'cause I know you hate the hard stuff. Probably because you still have baby teeth." Pinky stared. "For real, you are definitely not a man's type of dog. If the guys at the station other than Devine caught sight of you, I'd be fucked. And not in a good way. Not like I'm getting tonight."

Pinky cocked her ear.

Stone grabbed his coat and stomped over. "Go sleep. I left the TV on, and I'll be over at the crack of dawn again to take you out." The accidents were hardly happening anymore so somehow, the dog had been trained. Stone tried not to think that the dog had had a good life before she was dognapped or lost to the scum in the world. Hated to imagine she'd once had a family and children to love, and that she was still struggling to process it.

He grasped the doorknob and made a mistake.

His gaze met hers. In those brown puppy eyes, staring from beneath tufts of crazy hair, above her rat nose and strangely proportioned face, he saw it.

Adoration.

She looked at him with pure love, making low sounds of need in her throat, only wanting to be near him. And just like that, the big bad wolf fucking retired to become the wimpy grandma who liked cookies.

"Ah, crap. Fine. But I swear to God, if you give me problems, I'm gonna lose it."

She wriggled with joy, knowing she'd won, and he scooped her up into his arms.

ARILYN OPENED THE DOOR. Wearing a sexy black camisole, stretchy pants, and bare feet, she was both comfortable yet a bit naughty. She always preferred cotton to lace anyway, and Stone seemed to agree. Ready to jump into his arms and throw him off his game, she dropped her voice to a seductive whisper. "Why, Officer, are you coming to arrest--oh!" She blinked. He filled her doorway, dressed in his usual jeans, a faded blue-and-green-checked flannel shirt, and a fierce frown. His midnight-black hair slid over his brow in tousled disarray, setting off the intensity of his narrowed dark eyes. Waves of irritated male energy beat from his aura. Tucked under his muscled arm, peering out from beneath the cuff of his shirt, was Pinky.

"Look, I'll leave her in the car if she can't deal with Robert. The little rat fink was freaking out about me leaving again, so I broke. I told you this would be a disaster, Arilyn. I don't know why you were thinking I could take care of a dog."

And that's when it happened.

The great sex turned into more. Arilyn looked at this massive, pissed-off male cradling the tiny Chihuahua, with her pink collar and soft brown eyes that had come back to life, and did the dumbest thing in the whole wide world.

She tumbled into love right then and right there with Stone Petty.

He loved Pinky. Oh, yeah, he fought it and hated the idea, but he loved her so much, he didn't want to leave her alone. That was just the type of man he was. He didn't fall gracefully or willingly, but when he did, Arilyn knew he belonged to you for life. God, how she wanted him to belong to her like that.

What had she done?

Swallowing past the lump in her throat, she fought for composure, swearing to bottle up the tide of crazy emotions to deal with later. Smiling through the sting of tears, she reached out and took Pinky from him, murmuring soothing nonsense to her. She shook slightly in her arms, looking back to Stone with an imploring look. "Don't be silly, I'm glad you brought her. The worst-case scenario: she can stay in the bedroom. But let's see how she does meeting Robert." She turned at the sound of front paws skittering over the wood floors and kept Pinky safely tucked in her arms. "Here's my good boy. Robert, we have a special guest tonight. Her name is Pinky, and she's been hurt. But she's a fighter like you."

Robert's tongue lolled out in excitement, but he stayed quietly in front of her, waiting for the go-ahead.

"She's scared, especially of pit bulls, so we need to show her how to trust again. Just like Stone did."

Robert looked up at Stone as if giving him a doggy high five.

"I want you to stay. I know you're happy for some company, but don't move. Understood?"

Robert dropped his head to his front paws and stilled.

"Damn, he's smart," Stone muttered. "Good boy."

Arilyn smiled and slowly knelt. Pinky began to shake with mini convulsions, a high-pitched whining beginning from her throat and growing into a panicked howl. Arilyn settled her on her lap, her hands stroking her small body, and allowed her to get used to Robert's presence. The howling went on for a while, but Arilyn never moved, and neither did Robert. As if he understood how important it was to remain completely still, Robert barely breathed, keeping his submissive posture.

Finally, the howling stopped. Pinky stared at Robert, who didn't make a move to attack her, and calmed.

Stone let out a breath. "My ears won't recover."

Arilyn kept soothing the dog and whispering low nonsense. "It's the only thing she had left, I think. Her voice. They're going to be okay together, but I think we'll keep Pinky separate for a while. Build up her level of safety. Can you take Robert to his bed and give him a dog treat? His purple bunny squeaker should be there, too. Tell him to stay."

Stone followed her instructions, and Pinky's body finally relaxed as Robert trotted off.

Arilyn pressed a kiss to her tiny head. "You did so good. You were very brave. Now, I have an extra dog bed so I'll set you up where you'll feel safe."

They fixed up the separate spaces and finally both dogs were happily settled. Stone went to the refrigerator and pulled out an IPA. "I'm sorry, Arilyn. I shouldn't have brought her. Do you want wine?"

"Yes, please." She let him fix both drinks and leaned over the counter. "I'm glad you brought her, Stone. She's doing so much better. Because of you, she gets to have a real life."

"Well, it's only a week left. I guess I can handle one more week."

She didn't answer, just sipped her wine. His voice held a tinge of regret, and Arilyn knew he wouldn't give her up. But he didn't realize it yet. He needed to figure it out on his own. "How was work?" she asked.

He tipped the bottle back and drank. Wiped his mouth. "Fine. We found a stolen car, which was so fucking exciting I thought Devine was gonna have a heart attack." She laughed. "Anyway, ended up being a kid dared by his friends, but for a while it was like being back in the Bronx, having a car chase."

She traced the rim of the wineglass with her finger. "Do you miss the Bronx?" she asked. "I mean, I know it was tough, but you got used to being challenged all the time. You nabbed real criminals, made a difference. Would you ever want to go back?"

He scratched his head. "Hell, no. Sure, it fed my ego a bit. I was always on, the rush of adrenaline kept pushing me for more. I worked around the clock, needing the hit like the junkies I busted. But I like Verily. I like what it represents. I have a real life here I wouldn't want to give up."

Happiness flooded her. She kept her head down so he wouldn't catch how much his words meant to her. "I'm glad."

"Are you?" He studied her thoughtfully and placed his beer down. "Why?"

She shifted her weight. "Because you're good for this town."

"Anything else?"

"Because I want you to be safe and like where you live."

"Hmm. I think there's more here y

ou're not telling me." Her breath got trapped in her chest and she fought for oxygen. "There's a selfish reason you want me to stay."

She opened her mouth to answer, gave a squeak, and tried again. "Nope. Just want you to be happy."

His eyes held amusement. Slowly, he opened the freezer, took a cup, and began filling it with ice. "I think you like torturing me. Forcing me to exercise in a hundred-degree room while I watch you parade around half-naked. Tempting me with your gorgeous body on display, flaunting what I couldn't taste and touch, while you called me 'Officer' in that snotty tone."

Her skin heated. She watched as he took the half cup of ice and set it on the counter. "I didn't think you liked beer with ice."

"I don't. I have another use for this. You'll see in a minute." She looked at the cup. Worry creased her brow. There was something almost threatening about his tone of voice. "You were hot in that room with me, weren't you, Arilyn?"

"Yes. That was the point. Pumping the temperature helps release the toxins. I bet you felt amazing afterward."

"After a cold shower, I did. Will you take off your clothes for me?"

She stared at him. A shiver of trepidation raced down her spine. "Am I going to be naked again while you're dressed?"

"Yes."