I'm Not Your Enemy (Enemies 2)

“So…” Sebastian inched closer and kissed my shoulder. “It was unfair of me to turn you into the competition when, in reality, you’re what’s been missing. In more ways than one.”

“Damn, darlin’.” I had to clear my throat when it suddenly felt thick. “I don’t know what to say.”

But it fucking sucked that he couldn’t sleep here tonight. I wasn’t the best with words, and I had to express what I felt somehow.

One thing was for sure, though. Every part of me had left Georgia for this place. I wanted to face my future with Sebastian by my side.

“You don’t have to say anything.” He handed me the towel as I shut off the water. “I just wanted to get it off my chest.”

I gathered a tiny, soppin’ wet Percy in the towel and held him to me. “Can we spend the night tomorrow? I’m better at showing than telling.”

I would’ve demanded to go with him tonight if I didn’t have to get up early tomorrow. Dylan was stopping by at six to pick up the RV, and I would drive his company car to his office, after which he’d drive me home again. Then I was taking Teddy to his regular school because Soph had a checkup with Bella.

“What’re you gonna show me?” Sebastian’s mouth twisted up a fraction, a slight movement that somehow turned him even more sinfully attractive. He had a way about him. As soon as it was about sex, he was all power, dominance, and savagery.

“Oh, you know,” I responded casually. “Just some worship.”

He rumbled a rich, sexy laugh and pulled me closer. “Tomorrow—it’s a date.” Instead of giving me a kiss, he dipped down and dropped a smooch to Percy’s forehead. “Take care of Daddy until I get my hands on him tomorrow, little one.” It was finally my turn after that, and he gave me a warm, firm kiss. “We’ll talk before then, but make sure to call me after you’ve met Nala.”

Fuck, don’t remind me. I was meeting her and her owner tomorrow at two.

“Will do,” I replied. “And thank you, you know, for sayin’ all that earlier.”

He cupped my cheek and kissed me again, and I closed my eyes, savoring the too-brief moment.

Man, it was too easy to fall in love with this hippie beast.

It was too easy to fall for Nala too.

Her owner, Sam, was a nice fella who lived up in Westslope with his wife and two kids, surrounded by forest and mountains. Despite the cold and the pouring rain, we stayed out on the wraparound porch, which seemed a bit odd, but I didn’t dig. I wasn’t here for an invitation for coffee and to get chummy with a human.

While Sam sat on a bench and chitchatted about the misfortune of discovering his youngest was allergic, I’d gotten comfortable on one knee on the floorboards. Nala soaked up the attention I gave her and seemed full of energy.

She was a beauty. The rich brown color of her fur put her in another category from the dominant breed in her, German shepherd. According to Sam, she was part Lab and Treeing Cur too, which explained her shinier and softer coat, not to mention it made her more slender.

Gorgeous brown eyes, expressive ones that showed she was alert and paying attention. Bless Oppy and Percy, but they weren’t working dogs. I’d trained them in discipline as well as I could, and the rest… I mean, they were like children. I could already tell Nala was different—more like Rosie and my previous companions.

I listened as Sam told me she’d been very healthy so far, no problems with her parents either, and she’d only needed to see a vet twice, once for a sprained leg, once when she tore a nail right off.

After the practical things, like her medical history, vaccines, and ID chip, Sam asked about me and my experience with dogs and hunting. And I was all too happy to talk hunting and pups.

I was in the middle of a story of when Rosie tracked the biggest buck I ever brought home when the front door slammed open and a woman stepped out with a screaming toddler in her arms.

I stood up automatically and removed my hat.

Picking up on the woman’s mood and some weird tension between her and Sam, I assumed introductions were out of the question. I watched Nala instead, who darted over to the woman and sniffed on the toddler’s foot. Tail wagging, huffing, chatting. She wanted to be a part of whatever was going on.

Sam and his wife exchanged some quick words. The wife was ready to go to work, and he had to hurry up because she couldn’t do “everything on her own.” The kids were hungry; the laundry was piling up.

When she disappeared inside again, Sam turned to me with a tired smirk and told me never to get married.