Page 27 of Hate the Game (Playing Dirty #1)

***Ryder***

Imanaged to get Tony comfortable enough with me that he let me get him out of the van and into a private kennel inside.

I sat with him in the kennel, taking a corner of the space and giving him the rest of the room.

He wasn’t thrilled with me but he wasn’t going for my throat so I counted it as a win.

I rested my arms on my knees and tore off a piece of chicken to toss to him.

“There you go, man. Eat the chicken. Good boy, Tony.” I kept my eyes forward and tossed him another piece.

I continued talking to him like I had been the entire time.

“You ever meet a woman that makes you a little insane? She’s a pain in the ass, right?

I’m pretty sure she was built by satan for the sole purpose of fucking with men.

Maybe that’s why you’re so grumpy. I bet your girl was something fancy, too. Like a poodle.”

From the corner of my eye I saw Tony tilt his head at me. He ate the next few pieces of chicken I gave him and laid down, his eyes still focused on me.

“We’re going to be hanging out until you learn that not every human is a piece of shit like your last owner.

You’re going to find someone who loves the shit out of you.

I bet you find one of those women who have stickers on their car about their dogs.

They’re going to turn loving you into their whole personality.

Shit, you might even get one of those women who will teach you how to talk with buttons.

” I slid less than an inch closer and gave him more chicken.

“You should see the memes about white women rescuing dogs like you.”

Tony and I both heard the light shuffling of fabric outside the kennel and I hesitated when I looked up and saw Savannah on the other side of the door.

She moved slowly and gently sat in front of the kennel door with her eyes on my shoulder and not Tony.

I didn’t want her there. I wanted her as far from me as I could get her until I got myself under control.

It wasn’t a great idea to introduce someone or something new to Tony while I was sitting in the kennel with him but I stayed completely still and he just stared at Savannah with his ears back.

Savannah spoke quietly and gently without looking at either of us in the kennel. “Jillian and Miss Kay asked me to tell you that you need to call it for the day. The volunteers are gone and you haven’t eaten all day.”

The strangest thing happened. Tony sniffed the air and crawled closer to the door. He was still keeping his distance but he was interested in Savannah.

“Keep talking.”

“That won’t be too hard. I’ve had several hours to think about how you were an asshole earlier and I’d like to tell you some of the things I’ve decided.

” She shot me a dirty look but kept her voice sweet.

“I didn’t assume this was a date. Even if you would’ve asked me out I would’ve said no. I just meant-”

“Why?” I shouldn’t have cared. I did, though. She was a traitor and an awful person but I still didn’t like that she would’ve said no to a date with me.

“Why would I have said no? Maybe because you hate me. Or maybe because being around you makes me mean. I’m nice to everyone else around me, even some people with pom poms who don’t deserve it.

With you, I can’t help myself. I want to bite you.

I know it sounds nuts but when you talk at me, and I do mean at me, I just get this urge to sink my teeth into your arm or something.

” She looked towards Tony. “I bet you get it, boy. You probably know exactly what I’m talking about, don’t you? Why’d you choose the name Tony?”

“Scarface.” I watched as Tony crawled a few inches closer to the door. “You want to bite me?”

Savannah leaned closer to the door and whispered.

“Hi, Tony. You’re a big, beautiful boy, aren’t you?

And just like the jerk in the kennel with you, you’re a bite first and ask questions later kind of guy, huh?

I bet you’re soft under all that grumpy exterior, though.

Aren’t you? Look at those sweet eyes, baby.

Hi. You want some love? I bet you do, huh?

Come here, boy. Come over and let me love you. ”

My heart hammered painfully in my chest as I watched Tony slowly stand up on shaky legs and take unsure steps towards her.

Did she not think I had anything soft beneath my hard shell?

Did I? Shit. I wasn’t sure anymore. I knew I liked the soft, sweet way she talked to Tony and wanted it directed at me.

That was an issue. When she leaned forward, though, her eyes big and full of warmth, it was hard to remember she was the same person who’d come to sabotage us.

“Careful.” I held my breath as Tony got to the gate and she offered him her fingers to sniff.

“I don’t think you’re a Tony. I think you’re a Bubba. Or maybe a Sunny, because I think you have a long, bright future. Isn’t that right? You’re not going anywhere, are you? Come here, baby. Let someone love you.”

I watched Tony melt. He went flat on his belly and I saw his tail wag for the first time.

Savannah giggled when Tony licked her fingers.

I rubbed at the ache in my chest, hating that I wanted to scoot forward and lick those graceful fingers, too.

Especially while she said the same things to me. It was sick.

“I want to come in.” She looked at me with a fierce determination in her eyes and calmly pulled herself to her feet.

She saw me narrow my eyes and start to hesitate and held up her hand.

“Shut up, Ryder. I signed the waiver. If Sunny decides he wants to take a chomp out of me that’s on me. But he won’t.”

“Goddammit, Savannah, stay out. If you get bit, it’s on me and I don’t want your broken body on my conscience .”

She took advantage of the fact that I couldn’t move very quickly for fear of scaring Tony, or Sunny as she’d decided to call him.

She opened the gate and expertly wedged her body through a small gap so the dog couldn’t escape.

Then she went down to her knees and my heart nearly stopped as I watched Tony/Sunny lunge.

Savannah caught the big dog and laughed as he licked her face.

She fell back on her ass and stroked him all over, lovingly whispering to him the whole time.

“That’s right, Sunny. You deserve love. You deserve to be spoiled and cuddled.

And if anyone ever tells you that you can’t sleep in the bed, bite ‘em. Aww, buddy, I love you.”

She’d done in less than five minutes what would’ve taken me a week, if not more. She had the dog in her lap, stretched out between her legs with his head on her stomach as he stared up at her. As she rubbed him behind the ears he let out a deep sigh and closed his eyes.

“You can rest now, baby boy.” She looked up at me with tears in her eyes. “Do you think he’d like Texas?”