Fool for Love (Believe #2) (12 page)

“D
AMN, DAMN, BLOODY DAMN!”
I mumble erratically, banging my head slightly behind me as I’m in the elevator to my home. That wasn’t supposed to happen; but it was inevitable, I guess. I needed the physical connection with Morgan.

Sighing, I rub my eyes and walk out of the elevator when it reaches the third floor.

“No more,” I whisper. I insert my key into the lock, and push it open.

I haven’t walked more than a step inside when a loud bark stops me. My eyes widen as I see a large dog bounding towards me. I brace and wait for it to attack me – but it doesn’t.

“Rufus! Sit!” Garrett commands from the left of me. The dog’s bum hits the floor with a low thump. I relax and take in the beauty before me, slowly reaching out my hand for him to sniff it.

“Good dog,” I murmur. I can’t stop my wide smile when I see its tail waving back and forth, its entire body vibrating, but it stays put. I sit down on my haunches and then he jumps me, causing me to fall flat on my arse.

Laughing, I try to avoid his tongue licking my face, all the while stroking his fur. My eyes meet Garrett’s brooding ones from his seat at the bar. He’s holding a coffee cup halfway to his mouth, and he’s wearing jeans and a t-shirt that hug the hard planes of his body.

He’s not smiling, of course; he simply stares, deep frown in place. I smile cautiously at him before my attention is grabbed by the brown Lab in front of me again.

“Okay, that’s enough,” I mumble as I move to stand up. He hangs his head, and the wagging tail slows. I keep rubbing his ears, and he leans his body into my legs until I walk closer to the kitchen.

“Hi,” I greet Garrett. He nods at me but doesn’t seem inclined to speak.

Grumpy. Probably still hungover.

I’m not going to mention the moment we shared last night. For one thing, I’m still not sure if it actually happened, and for another, there’s no point.

“Had a good day?” he asks me before taking a sip of his coffee.

I shrug as I remember that I’m still jobless. “Sort of. You?”

“It was quiet, until this guy came home.” Garrett looks down and pats Rufus, whose body starts to wriggle underneath his hand in ecstasy. I chuckle.

“I bet he missed you while you were away.”

For once, Garrett’s eyes fill with warmth, and I’m glad to see the affection shining in them when he looks at Rufus.

“Yeah. I missed him, too.” I almost fall under a spell when Garrett’s lips lift in a warm smile, but then I remember that I just left Morgan naked in her bed, and immediately, the guilt sets in.

I unzip my coat and walk back to take it off and hang it on the peg inside the door before a thought enters my mind.

“I forgot to ask you if my rent will change now that you’re back?” I walk back to the bar and put my hands in my back pockets.

He doesn’t answer, but stares intently at my chest instead. Alarmed, I look down and gasp when I see that my bra-covered boob is peeking out of the V-neck I’m wearing. Cheeks flaming, I turn my back on Garrett and quickly get my clothes straightened out. An almost hysterical giggle bursts from my mouth, and I try to quell it by biting down hard on my lip.

“Ooops.” Slowly, I look back at Garrett, only to find that horrible coldness in his brown eyes has returned, and a shiver runs down my back.

“So will it?” I blurt out, trying to get us back on track.

He shrugs. “Of course. I don’t expect payment from you. It wouldn’t be fair.”

“Hang on, I still want to pay
some
amount,” I protest at his hidden meaning. “I make my own way.”

He shakes his head. “The answer is no,” he persists.

My temper begins to flare up.

“I won’t accept that,” I fume. “If you refuse, I’ll…I’ll…”

My mouth opens and closes like a fish a couple of times, and he smirks at me, clearly amused when I can’t come up with a flippant remark.

“Well, I’ll think of something. This isn’t the end of our discussion.” Deflated, I walk to grab some coffee from the machine. “I don’t want any special treatment.”

“I guess that’s just tough shit,” he grumbles from behind me. “Listen, I have to head down to my restaurant. Are you comfortable with staying here alone with Rufus?”

I turn back to face him, and the way Rufus is snoring at Garrett’s feet makes me go all gooey inside.

Meeting Garrett’s questioning gaze, I nod before taking a sip of my coffee. “No problem. Will you be back late? Do I need to take him for a walk down to the park before bed?”

Garrett opens his mouth but seems to hesitate.

“It’s fine by me,” I reassure him, putting down my cup on the counter separating us. “I don’t mind. I just need to know.”

“Well, then yes. That would be great. The leash is on the peg there,” he points to the door, my eyes following and I nod in understanding. “And,” Garrett continues, “he’s very obedient; eager to please. He knows the most basic commands, like
‘heel’, ‘sit’
and
‘stay’
, so you shouldn’t have any trouble controlling him.”

I take another sip of my coffee and smile quickly. “Sounds good to me. I’ll take good care of him,” I reassure him.

“I don’t doubt that for a minute. It’s clear he’s already got you entirely smitten with him.” Garrett smiles briefly at me, eyes dancing, and I bite my tongue before saying something incredibly stupid like,
‘So have you.
’.

“I don’t expect to get home late tonight, but you never know. It’s the first time I’ll be there after I’ve been…away.”

Garrett stands up and picks up his leather jacket from his seat. The minute he walks away, Rufus wakes up and lifts his head, eyes eager and hopeful. I almost feel sorry for him.

Garrett pats Rufus quickly on the head and gazes into his eyes.

“Remember, no jumping on the furniture, buddy. Got it?”

Heart. In. A. Puddle.

Rufus gives a soft woof, and I giggle loudly. Garret stands straighter and gives me one long look before he walks away.

“Have a good night,” I call out just as the door closes behind him; I’m not sure he heard me, though.

I look back down at Rufus, who seems so lost somehow. When I give a low whistle, his ears perk up, and I clap my thigh, hoping he’ll come closer. As he bounds up and trots to me, I bend down on my knees.

Rubbing his ears, I murmur, “So, big guy, what’s it to be?
‘You’ve Got Mail’
or ‘
French Kiss’
?”

He lifts his paw for me to shake, tongue lolling, and I nod while trying to keep a straight face.

“I think we’ll become great friends, Rufus. ‘
French Kiss’
it is, then.” I straighten up, pick up my cup of coffee, and, dog in tow, walk to the couch.

Something, or someone, shaking my shoulder lightly wakes me from my deep sleep.

“Garrett?” I mumble, my voice groggy. I rub my eyes before opening them and stare directly into the brown, intelligent eyes of Rufus. Waking up fully, I try to take a deep breath, but his heavy weight on my chest prevents me. Only a small wheeze leaves my lips.

“Down, Rufus,” Garrett mumbles. He does as his master says, albeit grumbling.

Wait, he’s a dog. He can’t grumble.

Inhaling deeply, I carefully sit up. Garrett is sitting on the coffee table in front of me, and I quickly look down to check that my nightie is covering all my important bits. I changed my clothes not long after I came home after taking Rufus for his walk, trying to get more comfortable. When I got out of the walk-in closet, I found Rufus hogging almost the entire couch. He had a sheepish expression in his eyes, and I swear he looked guilty; he
knew
he wasn’t allowed on the furniture. I didn’t have the heart to scold him, though, so I just sat down next to him and finished watching the movie.

“I guess I dosed off,” I mumble and stretch my arms above my head.

“I guess so. You must have had a rough day.” Garrett sighs and I take in the exhaustion on his face. He looks a bit pale, the lines on his face more prominent than earlier, and a small pang of worry hits me in the chest.

“Are you alright?” I ask him, resting my head back.

He nods. “Yeah. Just tired, I guess.”

“What time is it?” I ask him, and he glances at his wristwatch.

“Only eleven pm.”

I nod and just stare unseeingly out the windows behind the TV. My mind is addled by sleep, and I can’t focus on anything.

I raise my hand and point half-heartedly in the direction of the bed behind us.

“I’m just going to go to bed,” I mumble and stand up.

“Sure. Before you do…” Garrett’s voice trails off and I look at him, my brows raised in question.

“Yes?”

“I need your phone number.”

I frown. “Why?”

“Because we’re living together, and if we need to get a hold of each other, it’s easier to do if I have your number. No more notes.” His stare is fixed on me, and there’s a stubborn set to his mouth.

I nod once and shrug lightly. “I guess it makes sense. Do you have your mobile on you?”

He takes it out of his back pocket, and I rattle off my number. He presses a few keys before swiping the screen.

“I just sent you a text so you have mine.”

“Great.” I yawn loudly and quickly cover my mouth.

Garrett’s lips twitch into a crooked half-smile, and my heart skips a beat.

Dang it.

“Goodnight,” he whispers. I smile quickly and turn my back on him.

As I get under the covers, my smile returns when I hear him call Rufus to him. I glance surreptitiously at him, and my heart melts when I find him standing up, Rufus on his hind legs and Garrett holding onto the front paws planted on his chest. It kind of looks like a man hug – just with a man and a dog instead.

“What did I tell you about the furniture?” Garrett mumbles, but Rufus’ tail only increases in speed. “You’re impossible.” He shakes his head but grins as he does it, eyes crinkling at the corners. This is just too freaking much for me.

Garrett quickly kisses Rufus on the head before releasing him, and my heart drops to my feet when his eyes meet mine. I look down quickly and turn on my side, my back to him. I hope like hell that he can’t hear the way my heart is racing away just now. Realistically, I know that he can’t, because of the distance between us, but it beats so loudly, I’m not entirely sure. My ears pick up on his feet walking away from me, and I sigh as quietly as possible.

Damn you, Garrett. Why did you have to show me that you have a heart?