Total pages in book: 115
Estimated words: 107376 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 537(@200wpm)___ 430(@250wpm)___ 358(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 107376 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 537(@200wpm)___ 430(@250wpm)___ 358(@300wpm)
“Jesus—”
Lyra sucks in a breath, attempting to brace herself, and I put my hand out, ready to catch Smooch before he completely bowls her over, but he comes to a screeching halt and looks up at Lyra, as though he’s seeing an angel right from Heaven.
He moves in closer and starts to sniff her, but that quickly morphs into full-blown obsession. He rubs himself against her legs, whimpering as though he can’t possibly get enough of her attention. And honestly, same.
He presses his side protectively against her, and she drops to her knees, fully enamored with him. She scratches and rubs him all over, and I become overly jealous of my dog.
With Lyra on her knees, Smooch is easily able to cover her face with sloppy kisses. She immediately begins to coo at him, head over heels in love with my baby. “Who’s a good boy? Oh, you are such a sweety. I love you already. Yes, I do. Yes, I do.”
Smooch eats it up just as I knew he would, and when I reach down to pet his head, he ducks away, not giving a single flying shit about me.
I let out a huff and glare at Smooch. “Traitor.”
Lyra glances up, beaming from ear to ear. “What’s his name?”
“Smooch.”
Her brow arches and she gapes at me. “Smooch?”
“Yeah, well . . . It’s actually Bingo Baby Smoochy Bum, but it’s a bit of a mouthful, so it’s Smooch for short.”
“I, umm . . . I don’t know how to respond to that.”
I laugh and stride deeper into my home, flipping on a few lights. “Nobody ever does,” I say, leaning against the back of the couch as I watch Lyra love on Smooch. “Hmmm. Interesting.”
She glances up again. “What’s interesting?”
“He usually doesn’t like people. Actually, that’s not quite right. He hates people. Despises them.”
“Wait. But you said he’s just a big puppy who wants love?”
“He is, but . . . just not usually from strangers. He’s more attack dog than loveable puppy. Left some nasty scars on one of my friends, but wishful thinking and all that.”
“You’re telling me this thing could have actually bit my face off?”
“Oh, yeah.”
“What the fuck is wrong with you?”
I shrug my shoulders and grin. “I wouldn’t have let him hurt you. I mean . . . Well, it was a fifty-fifty chance. But it’s all good. He loves you.”
Lyra shakes her head as her hand slowly drags down his big body. “Well, at least we know he’s got good taste.”
I grin. “Seems I trained him well.”
An hour later, we’re sprawled across my oversized couch, eating melted Cookies ’n Cream ice cream while my oversized dog lays sprawled across Lyra’s lap. He hasn’t left her for even a second, and honestly, I’m nervous about the moment when she decides to head home.
The room is quiet, and I lean back deeper into the couch with my arm slung over the backrest, gazing at this stunning woman across from me. “You’d help me bury a body, right?”
Her hand stops in Smooch’s fur and she looks up at me, her brows furrowed. “Depends. How big is the body?”
“Uhhh . . . big,” I say with a nod.
She considers it a moment. “All that dead weight sounds heavy,” she muses. “Could we hack it up into travel size pieces?”
“I’m sure we could arrange that.”
“We’d need a room with a drain and some saws. Not the cheap shit, either. Maybe medical-grade to get through the bone. And not a chainsaw. That seems like it’d be messy. Harder to clean evidence, you know? Maybe we should get something to line the floors. Easy disposal. I’m not a big fan of cleaning up.” She drags her spoon through the ice cream again before her head snaps up, her eyes wide. “Oh, also. How are we supposed to transport all the pieces? I’m thinking of coolers, but if you have a better idea, I’m here for it.”
I just stare at her and slowly put my spoon down. “Fuck, I am so in love with you.”
She barks a laugh, waking Smooch, and his head lifts off her lap, glancing up at her and making sure she’s good before settling back into a deep sleep, a loud snore ripping out of his furry body.
Lyra grins at me. “Do you always fall for random women you screw in back alleys?”
“Nope. This’ll be a first.”
She rolls her eyes, assuming I’m just laying it on thick and not realizing just how fucked up she’s got me. She holds my stare, and I indicate with my chin for her to climb that sweet ass over here.
“Come here,” I murmur through the silence.
Lyra purses her lips, but not a moment later, she’s squeezing out from under Smooch and climbing across the couch until she’s straddled over my lap, her arms thrown carelessly around my shoulders.