“Yeah.” Gordon stopped at the side of the bed and scratched the back of his head, looking as sheepishly adorable as the puppy on her lap. “Sorry, he snuck in when my back was turned. I just took him for a walk, so he’ll run around like a madman for a few minutes.”
Isabelle looked down at the dog that lay across her stomach, tail wagging and tongue hanging out. He was still a puppy, but he seemed like he was going to get big. Really big. His paws were ridiculously oversized for his small body. He had bright brown eyes, floppy ears, and was as soft as silk.
He was also quite possibly the cutest thing she’d ever seen. “He’s yours?”
“Yeah.” Gordon sat down on the bed. “He was at my buddy’s house last night, since I was out watching you. He’s the one who bought him for me. Supposedly owning a dog is good for ex-soldiers trying to readjust to life in the civilian world. They offer love, therapy, and whatnot.”
She froze, her hand on the pup’s head. “You were a soldier?”
“Yeah,”
he said, the one word hard and simple…yet somehow saying so much. He looked down at a scar on his shoulder—one she hadn’t even noticed last night. “Marines. Got this as a souvenir.”
Reaching out, she traced the puckered skin, keeping her touch light. Dark swirls of ink surrounded it, and if anything, it only made him all the more beautiful. In her country, soldiers of any kind were treated with the upmost respect. “Are you all right?”
“Yes, the wound is old.” He caught her hand, pressing her fingers against his skin. “I’ve been fine for a long time.”
“Physically, yes.” She bit her lower lip. Princesses don’t pry. “But are you having a hard time adjusting to life? Being around people?”
Aaand there she went. Ignoring the rules again.
“Does it look like I am?” he asked, brow up. “I think I made it pretty clear I’m perfectly fine being around others last night.”
Her gaze locked with his. “But that doesn’t mean you’re okay. Appearances can be deceiving.”
Nodding slowly, he reached out and touched her chin. Skimming his thumb over her bottom lip, he leaned in—but didn’t kiss her. “Yeah, they can. Look at you.”
“Me?” She stared down at the dog, feeling uncomfortably on the spot, and played with his floppy ear. Georgie’s eyes rolled back in his head, and he let out a shuddering sigh. “I’m fairly straight forward. What you see is what you get.”
He let go of her chin. “Sure. If you say so.”
“It’s true.” She shrugged. “No deep, hidden torment. No sadness or torture in this heart of mine.”
Except about the whole marry a stranger thing, her inner voice oh-so-kindly reminded her. You don’t like that.
“Funny, because I just saw a shadow cross over you like a dead man’s noose. You might not want to talk about it, but something is clearly bothering you.” He stood up and rubbed his palms on his jeans. “I have no right to ask you what it is, but if you need to talk? I’m a good listener. So is Georgie.”
She smiled, oddly touched by his offer. Sure, they’d done some pretty dirty things last night and had gotten to know each other on an intimate level. It had been sex, though, and nothing else. But this? It was different. It was personal.
It made her want to open up to him.
“Have you ever been expected to do something you didn’t want to do?” She played with the pup’s ear again, not lifting her head. She couldn’t look at him right now. “Something you wished you didn’t have to do, but knew you would do it anyway?”
He picked up her bra, which must’ve been knocked down to the floor, then tossed it back on the bed. “Yeah, when I was in the military, I felt that way all the time. Not so much anymore, though. Now I do what I want and don’t give a damn what anyone else thinks.”
“There’s this thing I have to do.” She couldn’t bring herself to say what. Not yet. She had to meet the guy first. See if they would work. “I know it’s something I’d possibly hate, know I want more than what I’d get if I do what’s expected of me…but everyone else needs me to do this thing. It’ll make everyone around me happy.”
“Everyone but you?” he asked softly.
She nodded once. “Everyone except me.”
“Life’s too short to worry about everyone else in the world. You’ve just gotta worry about you.” He crossed his arms. “If it’ll make you miserable, then fuck them.”
She choked on a laugh. “I wish it were that easy.”
“It is.” He swiped the puppy off her lap. “You just don’t do it. But now, we have to get you back before people realize you’re missing. My replacement will be showing up at the hotel soon, too.”
She didn’t want a replacement. She wanted him. “When will you be back?”