AllFreeNovel
Share Us
The surprise I’m feeling vanishes as I watch the tiny, cute as hell puppy run around, getting closer and closer to the street.
“Samuel,” I scream out, running for him. Julie, the Cocker Spaniel I’m also holding, thinks we’ve started to play a game and runs forward too. Bounding for my legs as she runs around me. Grant isn’t faring much better. His dogs also think a game is being played, but instead of joining my furry crew, they’re running in the opposite direction, tugging Grant along with them.
My attention keeps darting from Samuel to the street, watching out for cars. He is keeping away from the street for the moment, but this wild beast could do anything. I’m running in circles, arms outstretched as I call for Samuel in my sternest voice. After about the fifth circle, where he stills and then dodges past me, I start laughing. He’s running away from the street now, thank goodness. Now hereallythinks we’re playing a game. He nears a trash can on the opposite side of the park and I spot my opportunity. While he’s distracted by the smell of rotten food, I circle around him, so he doesn’t see me approaching. I’m a couple feet away when I step into a puddle of mud that is deeper than I anticipated. Thesquishof my boot doesn’t stop me, but as I take my next step, nothing happens. Stumbling, I fall onto one knee. The momentum twists the ankle that is stuck and a sharp pain radiates up my leg. Hitting the ground hard, I grunt. Two wet noses instantly prod my face and I hear Grant call out my name. Pushing through the pain, I grab Samuel and shimmy the leash until I have the clasp in my hand. Finding another hook, I lock him in. Our grand chase is over.
Grant is only a couple feet away when a crack of thunder rolls through the sky. All of the dogs bark, scared at the loud noise. I’m just thinking how lucky it is that it’s not raining during this chaos when the sky opens up. Ice cold pricks of water hit my skin, causing me to curse. With water dripping down my face, I look back to Grant only to see what happens next in slow motion.
Startled by the thunder and the sudden pouring of rain, the two big dogs that Grant is leading begin to panic, darting around him. Around and around the dogs run, tightening their leashes around his legs. Frantically, Grant tries to wind the leashes around his waist in the opposite direction, trying to avoid disaster. But he’s too late. His legs lock, the dogs dart in different directions, and Grant falls to the ground.
“Oh fuck,” Grant says as he lands in the wet grass. Then he doesn’t move.
As he fell, a laugh had been bubbling up in my throat. We were a dog walking disaster. Of all the times I’d walked dogs in bad weather, nothing like this had ever happened. We were complete messes. But when Grant doesn’t move or say anything after his fall, my laughter instantly stops.
“Grant.” Nothing. “Grant,” I yell louder.
When he still doesn’t respond, worry fills me. What if he’s really hurt? He needs me. I start to get up, only to be stopped again by my foot being trapped in mud. Ignoring the pain in my ankle, I wiggle my foot until it pops out of the boot. I’ve sunken deeper into the mud with my hurried movements and can’t find purchase. Screw it, I need to get to Grant now.
Army crawling, I continue to call out Grant’s name as I slide across the wet ground. When I’m close enough to him, I see his eyes flutter open and he lets out a low groan. He looks like he’s about to be sick. “I’m okay,” he grumbles out. “Landed on my shoulder funny.”
Ice cold fear instantly overtakes me. Did I just take down the captain of the Toronto Sixers? Did I just fuck up the shoulder of a multi-million-dollar athlete? Oh no. Oh God, I was so fucking screwed. I just ruined a life.
“Why do you look like that? Lexi? Are you okay?” Pushing up into a sitting position he reaches for me, his hand going behind my neck.
“I’ve ruined you,” comes out in a whisper. His eyes soften at my words and something I don’t understand crosses his face. The hand that is holding my neck squeezes, I don’t know in agreement or comfort.
“Pixie, I’m fine. Just a little bruised. Nothing Advil, a hot shower and a stretch can’t fix.”
“Are…are you sure?” My lip is quivering now. I hoping he thinks the tears slowing running down my face are rain drops.
“Yes.” He doesn’t let go of me, seeing that I’m seconds away from losing it. I don’t know why I’m on the verge of crying. I never cry. Tears never solve any problems. They never stop people from leaving or help pay the rent. They’re a wasted emotion. Yet here I was, on the brink of tears because Grant could be hurt.
I blink up at him, confused. He must see the war in my eyes and hate it, because seconds later his lips are on mine. His hand grabs the back of my head, pulling me over him. I fist the fabric of his wet shirt as our tongues dance in a hot kiss that makes me forget. The rain continues to pour down, but we cling to each other. Fanning the small sparks of desire into a raging inferno.
“Not here,” Grant says between kisses. “I don’t want anyone else to see you like this but me.”
His words sink in as I try and follow his retreating lips. Reality hits me as cold as the rain. Of course, we can’t do this here. Anyone could be watching us.
We break apart on a laugh, covered in dogs.
“Okay. Okay,” I chant, smiling at the dogs, begging for our attention. It takes a couple minutes for us to untangle the leashes again and right ourselves. As we make our way back to the dog daycare, Grant and I exchange shy smiles. My ankle is hurting a little, but I feel…good. Like, really good. Grant is surprising me at every turn. Each time we’re together, he’s showing me his true self. Not the guy the media portrays or the preconceived ideas I had about him, but the real man.
When we turn into the front garden of the daycare, I lead us off to the side this time. We’re way to dirty to be walking through the main doors, trailing mud. The dogs beat us to the door, pawing at the clean surface. I wince, thinking about how long the clean-up is going to take us. And that’s just the dogs. Grant and I would have to walk back to my place as mud monsters.
The mud room is relatively clean when all six of us enter but in moments it becomes a disaster. The dogs aren’t thrilled to be getting another wash down. They wiggle and jump, trying to evade our sudsy hands as we lift them into the tub. By the time all the dogs are clean and happily eating in the massive playroom the daycare has, I feel very gross. And I’m pretty sure I smell permanently like wet dog.
Calling to Amber that I’m done for the morning while signing out, Grant follows me out the back door. The walk to my apartment is quiet but we both seem to be walking as fast as possible. For once, I don’t feel the need to fill the silence with empty words.
When my building comes into view, Grant grabs my wrist, pulling me towards the parking lot.
“I need to grab a change of clothes. I have some clean workout stuff in my car.”
Oh, right. It’s a reasonable idea but now I can’t get the image of Grant walking around in only a towel out of my head. Damn, that would have been nice.
Once he’s grabbed the largest duffel bag I have ever seen in my life, we head back to the main doors. Then, for the second time that day, something truly wonderful happens. As we enter the lobby of my apartment complex, the one working elevator dings and the doors open. A couple people walk out, eyeing me from head to toe. Giving them all a strained smile, I shift my eyes over to the waiting area. No one is there. Scrunching up my face in shock, I look to Grant.
“Quickly,” I say, skipping to the open elevator doors. As soon as we’re both in, I hit my floor. The doors close with just us inside. “Whoa” I breathe out, “this never happens.”
“It’s certainly been an eventful morning. Karma must see we’re complete wrecks and is throwing us a bone.”
