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Zarah’s inviting me over for a puppy playdate? Baby does well with other animals, and she’d be thrilled to chase after other dogs on a property of that size. I’m not surprised Zane and Stella have dogs sniffing around. They probably have armed guards too, lurking in the woods bordering their house.
She likes other dogs. What were you thinking?I ask against my better judgment. Didn’t I just finish convincing myself I didn’t want to have anything to do with Zarah Maddox?
Why can’t I tell her no?
Because I have the same problem every male that has a pulse has. Look into her deep brown eyes and I’m fucking toast.
What are you doing?
Baby’s still nosing at the thin layer of snow behind my apartment building.
Nothing.
Drive out now and stay for dinner.
It’s an offer I can’t resist.OK. See you in an hour.
I must have made her happy because smiley faces pop up on my screen.
“Want a playdate?” I call to Baby.
Her ears perk up. She knows the word “play.”
I want a playdate, too, but chances are a hundred percent that while Baby gets to roll around in the snow, I won’t be as fortunate.
Cursing my too-vivid imagination, all I think about on the road is lying Zarah back into a snowbank and kissing her as if both our lives depended on it.
I pull up in front of her house and Zarah’s already waiting outside. My heart does this stupid little patter thing when I see her, and that’s how I know I’m really and truly fucked.
Baby’s going crazy on the bench. She remembers Zarah, and she’s curious about the dogs Zarah has by her side. They’re two of the most gorgeous German shepherds I have ever seen, andthey sit at her feet like they were born to serve her. Just like any male of any species.
I park and kill the engine.
Baby scrambles out of the truck and bounces neatly onto her feet. She cautiously approaches the dogs and they sniff politely at each other. Not only are the dogs beautiful, they’re also well behaved, and they only need a few seconds to grow comfortable with each other and move on to the play portion of the date.
“Thanks for asking Baby, too,” I say, my boots shuffling through the fresh snow.
“Sure. Do you have to use the bathroom before we go? Stella told me to remember to ask because the drive is long.”
I want to chuckle at her earnestness, but I’m afraid that would embarrass her. She’s trying to be polite. “No, I’m fine, thanks.”
“Okay.”
The dogs are hunched in anticipation waiting for the okay to run, and the second Zarah says, “Go then,” the shepherds zip off. Baby waits for me.
“You can go, too.”
Baby’s paws dig into the thin layer of snow, and she dashes after the others, catching up to them in record time.
Zarah and I ease into it a little more gently, wandering away from the house toward the woods.
“What are their names?”
“Sansa and Arya. They were the governor’s dogs. Stella made friends with them the night of the fundraiser, and she wanted to keep them. She went to Florida get to know her parents, and after she came back, Zane called Governor Guthrie. He didn’t want to give them away, but my brother wore him down. Zane gives her whatever she wants.”
“The governor’s aGame of Thronesfan. Did you watch the show?”
Zarah shakes her head. “I read the books.”