Page 21 of Almost Strangers

I wanted anything that kept Master there and let me soak up the praise and soothing touches he gave out so generously. I backed up hesitantly, afraid he’d leave if I went too far, then crawled over and took the ball I’d set out earlier into my mouth.

Cautiously, because Master had only said we’d practice with the leash, I crawled over and laid down. I tucked my arms and legs under me awkwardly, holding the ball in my mouth.

“Good boy.” Master’s voice was soothing when he repeated the words, and I drank them in as eagerly as I had every other time he’d spoken them. They didn’t lose their luster, their appeal. It was easier to slip deeper into the peace of the moment and quiet the voice in my head that always warned of everything.

He crouched down in front of me, coming face-to-face with me. There was something startlingly intimate about the moment. If we were anything other than master and puppy, it would’ve been impossible to tell in that moment. He reached for the ball, and I bit down on it a little harder, tugging a little.

It felt natural when a peal of laughter escaped him, relaxed and rich, and he tugged a little more — not hard, but enough to be insistent. “Is that the game you want to play?” he asked, a smile lingering on his lips.

I pulled back a little and shook my head, teasing him and tugging on the toy again. Master laughed and sat down on the floor, legs crossed, just shaking his head. “I can’t throw the ball if you won’t let go, Pup.”

He would throw it?

I let go and crouched back, happiness flooding through me, and I watched as he waved the ball back and forth. When he finally tossed it across the room, I scrambled to chase after it. Master was playing with me. Nothing else mattered and nothing else intruded on the moment.

There was just pure joy as I watched it bounce and heard him laugh.

When I finally caught it, I quickly crawled back over to him and dropped it in his lap. Master reached out and stroked my head, running his fingers through my hair and down around my collar. He traced the edge of the leather. I could see him looking at it, but I wasn’t sure what he was thinking.

I didn’t want to think at all. I wanted him to laugh, and I wanted to simply be his pup and have nothing else matter.

Lying down in front of him, I stretched my head and nudged the ball with my chin before looking up. Master looked worried, and his hand stilled. Had I done something wrong?

I sat up and gave him another little bark that was starting to come so naturally. That seemed to pull him back, because he smiled again and reached for the toy.

I wasn’t sure how long we played, but eventually, I got tired and chasing the ball seemed like more work than I was willing to do. Master started to pick up the ball again, but I just pushed my head onto his lap and curled up beside him, closing my eyes.

Master tensed for a split second before relaxing, leaning against my bed frame. He started running his fingers through my hair, and I was almost asleep when he gently nudged me after several minutes. “All right, Pup,” he murmured, brushing his fingers along my cheek. “Let’s get this off of you so you can get some sleep.”

I was tired, my legs ached, and my knees were sore, but moving away from him was the last thing I wanted to do. I hadn’t felt that safe and relaxed for a long time. Moving meant I was going to lose it.

With his hands starting to take off the collar, whining didn’t seem right anymore, although I wasn’t sure what made it right to begin with. When the leather was gone from my neck, the blissful feeling of being worry-free quickly faded.

Real life sucked.

Maybe that was why people wanted to be puppies.

Reading about it online and seeing the happy pup in the video had been one thing, but honestly, the relief that came from not having to worry or think was even more incredible than I could’ve imagined. Sitting up, I looked down at the floor. Would things get weird now?

I hadn’t meant it to go that far, and I doubted Owen had either. He didn’t even seem to like me most of the time. That was starting to change, but I wasn’t sure what direction it was in or how. He’d said he was going to help me, but that probably hadn’t meant cuddling me and holding me.

Had it?

Owen reached out a hand to me. I took it, searching his expression like that would give me the answers to questions I wasn’t even sure how to ask. He was as closed off as always, and the ease he’d shown as Master had faded.

I felt a pang. It had been nice seeing him like that, too.

I rose with his help, and he nodded to the bed.

“C’mon. You need some rest after that,” Owen said, and his lips finally quirked into a grin — not the mocking one I’d been half-afraid of, but one that reminded me of his relaxed smile. “Want me to tuck you in?” Maybe even more surprisingly, the words didn’t seem like a joke.

I wasn’t sure why I blushed. Ignoring it was probably the best idea, but something about the way he looked at me and the images that it put in my head were more intense than I was expecting. “I need a shower. It was harder work than I thought it would be.”

It wasn’t what he’d asked, but I wasn’t sure how I should have responded to the question. Did I want him to tuck me in? Was it even a real question?

Owen shrugged. “All right.”

I hadn’t expected the disappointment when he dismissed it that easily, even though it was probably for the best. It was less confusing this way.

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