Searching for Always

Luther nodded. “Thanks. I understand better now.”

“As for you, Officer,” she said, tone hardening, “do your best to keep up.”

Eli snickered.

“Let’s begin.”

The routine was long, hard, and messy. She kept her attention on all three men, making sure they weren’t experiencing any health issues or emotional blockages that sometimes radiated through such a cleansing process. She was surprised at the loosening of Stone’s hamstrings and biceps during the transitions. Funny, it was almost as if he was doing something different. His body was more relaxed and limber than before. As she moved into Downward Dog, Stone tossed off his tank. The sight of his bare chest gleaming with sweat, muscles bunching as he moved, caused her to miss a step and almost fall on her ass.

By the end of the session, she was wet in many places.

They completed circle time and broke for the weekend. Luther and Eli chatted with her awhile as Stone helped stack the mats in the corner. He checked his phone and waited for them to leave. Finally, the room was empty.

Her heart pounded. Her skin prickled with awareness. He stalked her slowly, those lush lips twisted down in the familiar sensual sneer that made her hot. “Slade warned me about your tendency to torture men with hot yoga. You enjoyed that, didn’t you?” he asked.

She took in his hard, sweaty body and smiled with promise. “Slade is right. And yes, I did enjoy it.”

“Payback’s a bitch, little one. Everything you do to me in this room will be done to you later on. In private.”

Her gaze deliberately raked him from head to toe. She dragged her tongue across her bottom lip as if imagining his taste. He growled low in his throat in warning.

“You’re a lot of talk, Officer,” she answered coolly. “Not much action.”

Sexual tension squeezed between them. Arilyn tried to keep up her demeanor even though her core throbbed painfully and her nipples begged for release, hardening with anticipation. Excited to see what he’d do, she studied him in silence, the obvious challenge in the air sparking like an electrical current gone crazy.

“I’ll be at your place by eight tonight. Then you’ll get your action. And your lesson.”

Disappointment cut through her. She craved his kiss, his touch, but as if he knew what she wanted, he dropped one eyelid in a wink and sauntered out the door. “What if I’m busy?” she called out.

“Don’t be.”

He shut the door. Arilyn tried not to sulk. He thought he could play sex games with her, huh? Well, wouldn’t he be surprised when she countered with her own demands tonight.

Bring it.

STONE PUT HIS HAND out and shook his head. Hard. “No way. I already took you to work twice this week. Tonight I’m getting laid.”

Pinky walked quietly across the floor and sat in front of the door, blocking his way.

“Oh, you think you’re smart, huh? Well, guess what? If I did take you, you’d freak out because there’s a pit bull over there. You’d probably go into convulsions and I’d have to turn right back around. You have to stay home, and I’m not giving up getting lucky just to watch football with you tonight.”

Pinky sighed.

How had this happened? How had a half-catatonic dog suddenly become a manipulative, mushy, demanding pet? Sure, he’d spent a lot of time at the shelter talking to her. Sure, he’d given her a quiet, safe home to heal again, and finally let her sleep in his damn bed. Sure, he took her with him almost everywhere because he couldn’t stand the idea of her crying. But this? Messing up his sex life?

Not gonna happen.

“Move out of the way. I bought you a new bone—it’s the chewy kind, ’cause I know you hate the hard stuff. Probably because you still have baby teeth.” Pinky stared. “For real, you are definitely not a man’s type of dog. If the guys at the station other than Devine caught sight of you, I’d be fucked. And not in a good way. Not like I’m getting tonight.”

Pinky cocked her ear.

Stone grabbed his coat and stomped over. “Go sleep. I left the TV on, and I’ll be over at the crack of dawn again to take you out.” The accidents were hardly happening anymore so somehow, the dog had been trained. Stone tried not to think that the dog had had a good life before she was dognapped or lost to the scum in the world. Hated to imagine she’d once had a family and children to love, and that she was still struggling to process it.

He grasped the doorknob and made a mistake.

His gaze met hers. In those brown puppy eyes, staring from beneath tufts of crazy hair, above her rat nose and strangely proportioned face, he saw it.

Adoration.

She looked at him with pure love, making low sounds of need in her throat, only wanting to be near him. And just like that, the big bad wolf fucking retired to become the wimpy grandma who liked cookies.

“Ah, crap. Fine. But I swear to God, if you give me problems, I’m gonna lose it.”

She wriggled with joy, knowing she’d won, and he scooped her up into his arms.

ARILYN OPENED THE DOOR. Wearing a sexy black camisole, stretchy pants, and bare feet, she was both comfortable yet a bit naughty. She always preferred cotton to lace anyway, and Stone seemed to agree. Ready to jump into his arms and throw him off his game, she dropped her voice to a seductive whisper. “Why, Officer, are you coming to arrest—oh!” She blinked. He filled her doorway, dressed in his usual jeans, a faded blue-and-green-checked flannel shirt, and a fierce frown. His midnight-black hair slid over his brow in tousled disarray, setting off the intensity of his narrowed dark eyes. Waves of irritated male energy beat from his aura. Tucked under his muscled arm, peering out from beneath the cuff of his shirt, was Pinky.