That Dating Thing (8 page)

He dropped his head slightly, shrinking the distance between them. “I was trying to impress the idiot dog. You’re admiration is a bonus.”

Their gazes tangled across the table and she welcomed the delicious spark of sexual tension flaring between them.

“Well,” she cleared her throat, “you managed both.”

“Is that why you agreed to our…dating thing? Because of my impressive handling of a wild animal?”

She grinned into his laughing blue gaze. “Of course. But what really impressed me was that you didn’t scream like a girl when Pippin knocked you on your ass.”

He chuckled and she sat back, picking up her wine glass. “The point is with the right handling, Pippin will make a great family pet.”

“For a family of lion tamers, maybe.”

“I shouldn’t laugh since I’ve had the same thought. Oh, not that he needs a lion tamer, but he
will
need someone assertive enough to handle his size and zest for life. I’m not sure assertive applies to his owner. Mrs. Wilson is intimidated by him.”

“Why would she choose such a monster if she’s afraid of him?”

“I have no idea, although he wasn’t a monster when she got him.”

“What will happen to him if she decides he’s too much for her?”

“I won’t let anything happen to him. Though I try to avoid emotional attachments with my charges, I have to admit, Pippin has wormed his way into my heart. If things don’t work out with the Wilsons, I’ll find him another home.” She cocked her head, studying him. “He likes
you.
In fact—”

“Oh, no.” Coop shook his head, shutting her down. “The only member of The Canine Academy I’m interested in is its owner.”

“Hmmm…” She made her sigh a subtle tease. “Well, that’s too bad. Handling a wild animal may impress me, but I’m a complete sucker for a guy with a dog.”

His low laugh brought about the return of that electrical charge she’d experienced yesterday, and her nipples pebbled beneath the confines of her blouse and bra. She marveled at his ability to touch her without lifting a finger, but his next words almost made her spew wine across the table.

“How did you come to be raised by Sil?”

Well, crap. That didn’t take long.

What had she been thinking? They would proceed with this dating thing without any of the usual get-to-know-you questions? Cutting her losses and walking away before the whole situation blew up in her face would be the best course. But damn it, she didn’t want to walk away. Not yet. Evasion was her best option.

“Sil and Adam were the only family I had left,” she said, and then quickly asked, “What about you? Sil says Elliott and you moved around a lot while you were growing up. What was that like?”

****

“I wasn’t implying we should stop seeing each other, Cooper. I was upset. You know it was a big night for me. Even Giovanni wondered where you were.”

“Did you tell him I was in Chicago, making sure a murderer doesn’t walk free?”

At her irritated sigh, Coop wondered, and not for the first time, why either of them allowed their association to continue so long. Other than the sex, in the two years he and Ashley Connor dated, they hadn’t seen eye-to-eye on much, including the amount of time he spent doing his job. Frankly, there were times he wasn’t sure she even liked him.

After having spent time with Rylee, with her easy smiles, sarcastic wit, dark-secret eyes and gut-wrenching walk, he had to admit, he didn’t particularly like Ashley either. The cynical convenience that defined his and Ashley’s relationship left a bitter film in his throat. His connection to one of the most sought-after women on several continents had been a stroke to Coop’s ego. For Ashley, Coop’s political connections were the main source of appeal. But using wasn’t the same as caring.

Exclusivity played no role in their relationship. Unlike Rylee, the word wasn’t in Ashley’s vocabulary. On the road more often than not, Giovanni’s favorite model seduced men worldwide, and too many beautiful women wandered the streets of Manhattan for Coop to be content twiddling his thumbs while awaiting Ashley’s return.

“Why don’t you ask Giovanni to take you tomorrow night?” he suggested. “He’ll know everyone and I’m sure he’ll enjoy himself more than I would.”

“He’s already going,” she snapped. “Besides, he’s gay, darling,” she added more evenly.

“And your point is? It’s an industry event, not a candlelit dinner for two.”

“Why are you being difficult? I said I was sorry.”

“I’m being reasonable. I don’t see the point of dragging this out when we both knew all along what we had together was never going to go anywhere.”

“You’re right,” she sniffed. “I’d prefer attending alone to spending another interminable evening with a workaholic bore who can’t tell the difference between discount catalog and couture.”

He chuckled at her peevish tone. “Point taken. Take care of yourself, Ashley.”

“You’re dumping me?” Incredulity rang in her clipped demand.

“I thought we came to that mutual decision the last time we spoke, but if it makes you feel better, consider me the dumpee in this case.”

“Oh, I do, you bastard.” Her hard-won cultured accent disappeared beneath a nasal Bronx snarl. “Nobody dumps Ashley Connor.”

The call clicked off, and knowing Ashley, she’d be picking up a new phone to replace the one she just shattered against the wall of her Park Avenue townhouse. Pissed, her ego tweaked, she would fume for a while, but a new man would be warming her bed before the end of the week. He put her out of his mind, an easy task since the moment he’d knocked on Elliott’s door and gotten an eyeful of Rylee Pierce.

He’d endured several teasing comments from Tim this week, remarking on his preoccupation with the sultry dog trainer. His friend lifted a knowing brow when Coop requested Tim include Rylee in his investigation after all.

“The bigger they are, the harder they fall,” he insisted, laughing.

Coop didn’t bother correcting Tim’s assumption. The truth was, she intrigued him, and not just because he desperately wanted her in his bed.

Rylee Pierce had secrets.

At lunch earlier in the week, she displayed a warm and funny personality, and showed genuine interest when the topic turned to his career. A smartass dog trainer one moment, a sexy seductress the next, he was charmed…until the moment he inquired as to how she’d come to be raised by Silvia. Her eyes went flat and she looked as though she wanted to bolt. She changed the subject, her evasion clumsy, and he let it go. For the time being.

As a prosecutor, he understood appearances could be deceiving. Most people had something in their background they would rather not have exposed to the public, but he couldn’t imagine what that something might be in Rylee’s case. A straightforward woman with a giving nature, she hadn’t set off any of the internal alarms he’d come to trust after dealing with scumbags for so long. Still, she was hiding something. By nature and profession, he needed to discover what that something was.

Negotiating in her kennel, she insisted their
dating thing
end when one of them decided to walk away. When, at the end of their lunch, she once again expressed her doubts about their association, he suspected she planned to make use of their walk-away-as-friends clause sooner rather than later. She balked, but eventually agreed to a second date, for dinner the next night.

As skittish as she was, his best plan of attack would be to slow things down and avoid those topics that set her off. He hadn’t mistaken the sensual expectancy in her eyes, despite the occasional flash of panic. Desire to keep her secrets battled with old-fashioned lust, and while he suspected the private side of her considered cutting and running, the sensual side responded helplessly to every carnal lure he tossed out, leaving him all but sweating in anticipation.

Gaining her trust was the key to overcoming her wariness, and if that meant pulling back and letting her call the shots for the time being, he’d do it. In the meantime, he was beginning to detest cold showers.

****

Emily Wilson jumped and her startled yelp echoed across the yard when Pippin bumped her thigh.

Rylee gritted her teeth. “Pack leader, Emily. Remember?”

The academy’s morning class had ended ten minutes earlier. Sil returned upstairs to check on Elliott, while Rylee remained for some one-on-one time with Pippin and Emily. So far, the exercise produced nothing but anxiety for both dog and owner. The tiny brunette clutched the leash so tightly her knuckles were white. Pippin all but danced at her side.

“He’s gotten so big,” Emily complained, tugging at his leash. “I just can’t handle him.”

“He’s a Great Dane. Of course he’s big.”

Rylee moved toward them while giving Pippin the signal to stay. His visible quivering broadcast an imminent mutiny. A horrifying vision of Pippin dragging Emily Wilson across the exercise yard like a rag doll tethered to the tail of a manic kite flashed in Rylee’s head. She hurried her steps, not surprised when Emily thrust the leash into her hand and scrambled back.

“Dogs don’t stay puppies forever, Emily. What were you expecting?”

“I guess I didn’t think it through,” she admitted, her face pale in the morning sunlight.

Rylee didn’t bother agreeing with the woman’s understatement. “Why would you choose such a large breed if his size is a problem?”

“When I was growing up the woman in the next apartment owned a Great Dane. They always looked so regal together. A Great Dane makes a statement.”

“A dog isn’t a statement. A dog is a commitment and a member of the family.”

“I realize that. Now.” Emily’s guilty grimace set off warning bells in Rylee’s head. “Unfortunately, that member-of-the-family part is a problem,” she added.

“How so?”

She rested a hand on her belly. “Bob and I just discovered we’re pregnant. We don’t think we’ll be comfortable having Pippin in the house once the baby comes.”

Though not unexpected, the announcement angered Rylee. Too often people took on the responsibility of an animal then cast that responsibility aside when things proved complicated. Normally she took this type of thing in stride, but this was Pippin. She glanced down at him and anger bumped into dismay at the plea in his soulful, brown eyes.

She doesn’t want me.

Rylee scratched at a spot behind his left ear, the way he liked. “What are you going to do with him?”

Emily’s eyes held embarrassed anticipation. “We were hoping you’d have a suggestion.”

As though following the conversation, the Great Dane leaned against Rylee’s thigh and she sighed. “I’ll need his papers.”

Emily’s shoulders slumped with relief. “They’re in my purse.”

“You brought them with you?” Rylee shook her head.
What? Did she have
“Sucker for troubled Great Danes”
written on her forehead?
“What would you have done if I’d said I couldn’t help?”

“To tell you the truth, I’m not sure. I’ve been in touch with a woman at a local Great Dane rescue, but I wanted to speak to you first. You’ve done wonders with him and I can see you love him. Despite what you think, I love him, too.”

When Pippin pressed even closer, Rylee looked down to find him watching her.

She doesn’t love me enough.

“Are you sure about this, Emily? The birth of the baby is a long way off and he’s smart. With a little bit of effort on your part—”

“I’m sure,” she interrupted. “Bob and I agree this is for the best.”

“Well, then. We may as well go get those papers.” Emily fell into step at Rylee’s side. Angry despite the resignation, yet admittedly a bit relieved, she cast a disgruntled glance Emily’s way. “I’m not refunding his tuition.”

“I wasn’t going to ask.” Emily met her gaze and smiled. “Thank you, Rylee. I know you’re angry and you have every right to be.” She rubbed Pippin’s sleek back. “He really is a sweetheart. I’m kind of hoping you’ll decide to keep him yourself, but if not, I know you’ll find him a good home.”

Twenty minutes later, Rylee tossed her cell phone on her desk and flopped back in the chair. “Don’t look at me like that.”

Across the room, Pippin stared at her, accusation shining in his eyes.

“It’s not like I’m tossing you out. I’m just making inquiries. You need a family. One with a little boy, maybe, who’ll need you to take care of him and love him as much as he’ll love you. If I kept every dog I came across who needed a home, I’d end up on the news like one of those crazy animal hoarders.”

But, I’m special
.

She sighed. Yes, Pippin was special. Her connection with certain dogs was more intense than with others, a distinction she contributed to the animal’s intelligence. The whispering, as people referred to her unusual ability with dogs, normally manifested as a vague impression of the animal’s emotions. The link she and Pippin shared held no such ambiguity. His thoughts were as clear as if he spoke them aloud. Brian’s Doctor Doolittle comment wasn’t far off the mark in Pippin’s case.

As a nod to her responsibility as a professional dog trainer, she’d made the calls, inquiring after suitable placement, but she’d simply been going through the motions. Just as she’d anticipated the Wilsons’ ultimate decision to let Pippin go, she’d known she couldn’t do the same. Sil would roll her eyes, but she wouldn’t be surprised to learn Pippin would be joining the family.

Rylee pointed at him. “I’m pack-leader, buster. What I say goes.” Joyful hope gleamed in his eyes. Rylee glanced toward the doorway and a vision of Pippin pinning Coop to the floor flashed through her head. “If you’re going to be sticking around, there are rules. And number one is no more jumping!”

He immediately came to his feet, padding around her desk to rest his muzzle against the crook of her arm. He brushed his large head against her in his version of a hug.

I love you
.

A fatalistic smile curved her mouth and she leaned down to rest her forehead against his.

“I love you, too.”

Chapter Eight