AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Lincoln
Eric and Muffypassed out on the sofa in my study.
In front of the painting.
I crooked my finger at Lexie.
She’d slipped off her heels some time ago as we set up Muffy’s things. Seeing her barefoot and comfortable in my home was . . . not as awkward as I always thought.
It was one thing for Beau and Teague to move about as if this were their place—because it was. I didn’t allow anyone else here with the exception of a housekeeper and an occasional maintenance person. Definitely not a woman I was interested in.
She trailed me to the living room and flopped on the sofa as if she’d been here a million times.
“Drink?” I held up a decanter of whiskey.
“No, thank you.”
I put the bottle back in its place and joined her.
“I believe that dog has more possessions than I do.”
Lexie snickered. “That is a lot of stuff for just a vacation.” She tucked her legs up under her. “Why is he here? It’s odd they’d ask you to keep him.”
I leaned my head back. “I’ve come to realize this is my brother’s discreet way of giving me a best friend.”
She looked at me incredulously. “And you let him do it?”
“When it comes to my siblings, apparently no isn’t in my vocabulary.”
“Damn it.” She snapped her fingers. “That means I have something in common with you.”
“The horror,” I said dryly.
“What are you going to do with Muffy?”
I sighed. “Return him in a few days. Pepper will likely come get him when she realizes Teague unloaded him on someone who knows nothing about dogs.”
She fiddled with the leg of her pantsuit. “I’m pretty sure she already knows that, if the list of instructions I found is any indication. It’s hour by hour.”
“That will save me lots of time in research.”
She snorted. “‘Hey, Pepper. How do you feed a dog?’ ‘Hey, Pepper. When does he go outside?’ ‘Hey, Pepper. Why does he keep licking my face?’”
The more she mimicked me, the more I felt my cheeks loosen. “Is that what I sound like?” I pretended to be affronted.
“Hmm, maybe a little more stick-up-your-behind. But it’s close.”
I lolled my head toward her. “And to think I was about to tell you hello.”
She shifted and the slightest pink tinged her face. “And to think I was about to give you advice on feeding Muffy. Forget it now.”
The tease in her voice, the relaxed demeanor, just her presence . . . I couldn’t recall why I hadn’t wanted her here in the first place. The piece of me that had an unnatural attachment to her was calm. Soothed.
“I’m glad my brother meddled.” I placed a hand on her thigh. “Miss Adeline has been an influence on him.”
“She has that effect on people.”
Which was why I had Lexie, Eric, and a dog in my apartment. An apartment I should be working to make sure stayed in my possession. Instead, sitting on the sofa with Lexie was far more appealing. Kissing her was also incredibly appealing, but something wasn’t quite right with her. And there were so many things I wanted to know.
