She couldn’t believe that she’d actually liked having him hold her.
Dawg wasn’t an ugly man, nor was she immune to his … charm.
Damn it! She wanted him.
She did, and that was what made her even angrier. He wasn’t a good guy. Spooning another scoop of soup into a bowl, she smiled at the man in front of her, who bowed his head and went to sit at the table. Feeding the homeless had given her a bigger insight to the world. Not only did she realize how lucky she was, but it also helped for her to pay off her guilt.
This was where she’d first heard of Dawg Hampshire, legendary crime lord and all-around asshole. She’d learned about him a long time before she’d even met him. Of course, in her mind she’d seen him as more of a monster than anything else, and that hadn’t been what she’d seen.
Yes, he was a cocky asshole. He had that air about him that said he was used to getting what he wanted and women falling at his feet. She wasn’t like most women, and didn’t intend to fall at his feet either.
In fact, she intended to steer well clear of him. She had no intention of falling for him. He thought she was going to be begging for him for sex? He had another think coming.
Hell would certainly be freezing over before she got near him, and that was that.
Even as she thought it, she couldn’t rid her mind of the feel of his arms wrapped around her, nor the way he kissed her neck as he settled in against her. Her body had come alive at his touch alone.
Part of her had wanted him to do something when she’d gotten naked in the bathroom.
He’d done nothing.
He’d been the perfect gentleman, and that only served to make her want him more. The rest of her shift at the homeless shelter went by without a hitch. It didn’t help to clear her mind though. Knowing she was going back to a place that had the object of her confusion only served to make her more anxious.
Leaving through the back entrance, she paused when she caught sight of Dawg leaning against the car door. He looked in control, dangerous, and the leader.
No one told him that he was illegally parked, and she noticed a lot of people gave him a wide berth. Were they afraid of him?
She should be afraid, and yet to her he’d not posed any danger.
He opened the car door for her without a word, and she climbed inside. She saw the driver, another man in front, and then Dawg climbed in the back beside her.
“Lori, I’d like you to meet my brother, Paul.”
He pointed to the man in the passenger seat. She held out her hand, and shook it.
“It’s nice to meet you.”
“I see living with my brother hasn’t completely stolen my manners.”
She smiled as Paul kissed her hand.
“I didn’t know you had a brother.”
“We have different mothers,” Paul said. “I’m the youngest one in the clan.” He winked at her, and it made her smile, but nothing else.
She sat back and glanced out the window, aware of the man beside her. His hand had touched the base of her back, and she’d felt the heat of his touch against her. She didn’t want him to let her go, and again, she was torn between her head and her body.
Her heart wasn’t allowed to come into play. She refused to listen to it.
“Did you have a good day?” Dawg asked.
She heard one of the men wince.
“What?” Dawg asked.
Lori looked at him and saw him glaring at his brother.
“How can a woman have a good day after watching men and women beg for food? That’s not a good day.”
“It was fine. I like doing it. Some of them like to be on the streets rather than deal with the stress of being part of it all.” Most of them didn’t want to be homeless though.
Rubbing at her temple, she tried not to think about the man beside her.
Paul and Dawg began to talk about something else, and she didn’t really pay attention to either of them, as she wasn’t interested in whatever they had to say.
The journey came to a close as they pulled up Dawg’s driveway. This time she waited, and it was Paul who opened the car door.
Making her way toward the main one, she saw it was already open and made her way inside. She didn’t linger as she went straight toward the shower, needing to wash off this craving that was building inside her.
She wouldn’t allow herself to fall for a man who had a life that killed people. Leaning against the wall, she pressed her face to her hands and saw the blood. With her eyes closed, she saw the mess, the pain, the destruction, and bit her lip to contain her whimper. She would not crumble. She would not fall.