Page 42 of Lawton

By now, the dog was jumping up on my legs, whining and straining for the bag in my hand.

I glanced at Chloe. "Care if I give him some?"

She gave a playful eye-roll. "At this point, I think you'd better – unless you want to get eviscerated."

I looked down. The dog was little. He had big, happy eyes, half-hidden by fur. I couldn't see him eviscerating anything. But hey, why insult the guy?

I shook a few treats onto my hand and squatted down to ground-level. I opened my hand, palm up, letting Chucky set the pace. Instantly, the treats were gone. Chucky looked up, as if waiting for more.

I leaned in to ruffle his fur. "Later," I whispered. "Put in a good word for me, alright?"

He yapped once, and I heard myself laugh. Was that a yes? It sounded like a yes. I stood and turned toward his owner. "Want some company?" I asked.

She paused, as if surprised by the question. She glanced at the sidewalk, and then back at me. She didn't say yes. But she didn't say no.

I pointed to my feet. "Look. Shoes."

At this, she laughed. "And a shirt too."

I grinned. "Just for you."

Her gaze fell to my chest, and then dipped lower, as if skimming my abs. Something in her eyes made me wonder what, exactly, she was thinking. The way it looked, it couldn't beallbad.

"Really," she said, "you shouldn't have." Her voice was light, but sexy at the edges. And then, she smiled. The smile matched the voice, all sweetness with a hint of sin.

Oh my God. That voice. That look. That smile. This girl was killing me.

Trying not to show it, I held a hand out toward Chucky's leash. "Want me to take him?"

She gave the hand a dubious look. "You can try."

So, she didn't think I could handle him, huh? We'd see about that. It was time to prove her wrong, about this and other things.

Starting out, I saw what she meant. The dog was a maniac, rocketing forward one minute, and then skidding to a stop the next. But after a couple blocks, we found a good rhythm. Funny, I liked walking him. Chucky was a riot. And his owner? Well, she was something else entirely.

So far, she'd been quiet, whether lost in her own thoughts or just enjoying the nice weather. But somehow, the silence was easy, and I let it settle over me like the warm breeze that lifted the ends of her windblown hair.

I didn't ask about her job, and she didn't ask about the fight. I knew she'd seen me, because I'd seen her watching. But I had a theory. She didn'tknowthat I'd seen her. And that was fine by me.

Forget that whole mess. I had a different topic in-mind, something I wanted to clear up. Yesterday morning, I'd shown up on her doorstep, expecting, as she saw it, ass and eggs.

I spoke up. "About yesterday –"

"Forget it." She glanced away, and I saw a fresh shade of pink rise to her cheeks. Was that the sun, or embarrassment? Either way, I wasn't going to let this slide.

"Not gonna happen," I said.

She stopped. "Excuse me?"

I stopped, too. I gave her a casual smile. "You're not getting off that easy."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, I can't forget it."

Her gaze narrowed. "Why not?"

Because you're unforgettable.