Tears fell down her face and he witnessed real pain. This wasn’t a trick. The tears were real. Milah’s heart was breaking as the seconds ticked on by.
“I’m not going to let you kill this girl. She has done nothing wrong. She wants to live, I can see that. Please, let me keep her. I will do anything.”
Damon knew he had what he wanted. The first part of his plan, which wasn’t how he intended it to happen. Her finding a stray animal and being willing to protect it wasn’t part of any of his plans, but he also wasn’t going to pass up an opportunity to exact his own kind of revenge.
“What will you give me in return?” Damon asked.
Milah lifted her head. “What?”
“You heard me. Nothing in this life comes for free. If I get you a vet and that … puppy lives. What do I get out of it?”
“The pleasure of knowing you helped save an innocent?”
“I don’t care about that, Milah.”
“What do you want?” she asked.
He smiled. That was what he wanted. Her at his mercy. “You.”
“You have me.”
“Not completely. You, naked, in my bed, whenever I damn well please, and you cannot come as a victim, but as a woman who wants to be there. You have to beg me for it.”
“You’ll get your way eventually,” she said.
“All the fucking time.”
Milah looked down at her puppy and nodded. “Fine.”
This did surprise him. “You’d do this for a pup?”
“Yes.”
Milah had surprised him again. “But you must have the vet here today, and this pup must survive,” she said. “Otherwise, it is only for one night.”
“Deal.”
Even if he had one night, it was all he needed.
He called out to James to arrange for a vet to be brought to the house immediately. Rather than leave, he took a seat in the only available chair in the bedroom.
“You’re not leaving.”
“I’m going to make sure this pup lives.”
Milah snorted.
She looked at the animal in her arms with so much love. Damon had never seen such true affection on her face. Not even when she was cooking the meals her mother loved. Milah was usually so heavily guarded.
The pup had awakened something inside her. She wasn’t cold.
“Would you like to see her?” Milah asked.
“It’s not a child.”
“No, but it is a precious little pup. She is so … sweet.”
He hated that he felt even a twinge of jealousy for the dog. This wasn’t like him.
James came back two hours later with a vet.
Milah had no choice but to let the pup go and take a step back. Damon used the opportunity to pull her into his side, taking hold of her hand and watching as the vet got to work.
Damon didn’t have the first clue what he was doing.
He’d never owned an animal outright. His father kept dogs in the kennels, which had been empty for the past couple of years. With his father’s death, the dogs had mourned their master. When they passed away from old age, Damon didn’t have it in his heart to train new dogs.
The vet finished his assessment and came toward them.
“She is … a very healthy little puppy. I don’t think she was too far from home. She is very young.”
“Wait,” Milah said. “You think there are more?”
“There is not too much damage. Warmth, food, and tender loving care will see this one bouncing off the walls in no time. I believe there are more pups somewhere.”
Milah looked toward James. “Please get Glory for me.” She stepped toward the vet and threw her arms around him. “Thank you. Thank you so much.”
Damon glared at the vet, and the man instantly moved away from Milah’s embrace. So she would go around hugging any random stranger but he had to manipulate his way into her bed?
This pissed him off.
Glory arrived seconds later as the vet was making his way out.
“Before you leave, I want to just check. If she hasn’t gone far, that could mean there are more pups out there, right?” Milah asked.
“No,” Damon said.
Milah moved toward him. She grabbed his hand. “Please, don’t be cruel. I will take care of them.”
Damon pulled her close, gripping the back of her neck and placing his lips near her ear. “You’re mine. No argument. No fighting. Willingly. Every single time.”
She tensed, but he felt her head nod in agreement.